Via Warriors Media
Two front-line players return from injury and suspension to help captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck mark his 100th match for the Vodafone Warriors in Sunday’s sixth-round encounter with the St George Illawarra Dragons at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney (2.00pm kick-off local time; 4.00pm NZT).
Tuivasa-Sheck becomes the 26th player to reach the milestone for the club just a week after winger Ken Maumalo achieved the feat against Manly-Warringah last Friday night.
Lining up alongside Tuivasa-Sheck for the special occasion will be prop Bunty Afoa – back from suspension – as well as veteran centre Peta Hiku who returns after a two-game absence with a knee complaint. He has been listed to start on the right wing with Marcelo Montoya named in the centres.
While Afoa and Hiku return, right winger David Fusitu’a and second rower Eliesa Katoa are both out while second rower Bayley Sironen (shoulder) is missing for the second week on end.
Coming into the second row is Josh Curran with prop Jamayne Taunoa-Brown – back from a three-match suspension – included on the extended bench.
Curran apart, the starting pack named is the same as the one used in the 12-13 loss to the Sea Eagles. Afoa joins Ben Murdoch-Masila, Kane Evans and Paul Turner on the interchange.
The 27-year-old Tuivasa-Sheck will lift his career tally to 184 appearances this as he eyes the 200-match mark in his last season with the club.
The Dragons have been the Vodafone Warriors’ most challenging opponents in the club’s history with St George Illawarra heading the win ledger 21-9 in the 30 encounters between the two sides since they first met in 1999.
However, the Vodafone Warriors have won the last four straight starting with a 20-12 success at Mount Smart Stadium in 2016 followed by the historic 18-12 win in Wollongong in 2018, a 26-18 triumph in the Magic Round in Brisbane in 2019 and an 18-0 shutout in Gosford last year.
WARRIORS v ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
2.00pm, Sunday, April 18, 2021
Netsrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (c)
2 PETA HIKU
3 ADAM POMPEY
4 MARCELO MONTOYA
5 KEN MAUMALO
6 KODI NIKORIMA
7 SEAN O’SULLIVAN
8 LEESON AH MAU
9 WAYDE EGAN
10 TOHU HARRIS
11 JOSH CURRAN
12 JACK MURCHIE
13 JAZZ TEVAGA
Interchange:
14 BEN MURDOCH-MASILA
15 BUNTY AFOA
16 KANE EVANS
17 PAUL TURNER
18 ROCCO BERRY
20 TOM ALE
21 JAMAYNE TAUNOA-BROWN
22 TANIELA OTUKOLO
HEAD COACH | NATHAN BROWN
Categories: Team News + Stats, WARRIORS NEWS
Leave a Reply