Via Warriors Media
Euan Aitken and Josh Curran could come straight out of isolation and back onto the field for the Vodafone Warriors’ 18th-round clash against the Penrith Panthers on Sunday (4.00pm kick-off local time; 6.00pm NZT).
They’ve been included in the extended 21-man squad despite spending the last two weeks cooped up in their apartments after being required to isolate in line with the NRL’s Covid-19 protocols.
In other developments halfback Chad Townsend and back rower Tohu Harris have been named among the reserves as they come back from shoulder injuries.
Aitken and Curran were on a Virgin Australia flight from the Gold Coast to Sydney on June 26 on which a cabin crew member tested positive to Covid-19.
While they returned negative tests they were confined to their living quarters for 14 days which forced them to miss the Vodafone Warriors’ last two games against the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks.
Their release from isolation yesterday coincided with the announcement the Vodafone Warriors will join 11 other clubs in being relocated to hubs in Queensland following the Covid outbreak that has been sweeping Sydney.
Aitken and Curran were able to re-join their teammates for a recovery session yesterday and the squad’s last field session at the Tuggerah Sports Complex before leaving their home away from home on the Central Coast tomorrow.
Vodafone Warriors head coach Nathan Brown has named Curran on the interchange with Aitken listed in the reserves along with Townsend and Harris, who both picked up shoulder injuries in the golden point loss to the Dragons on July 2.
The starting line-up named is the same as the one used against the Sharks last Sunday while Curran and Kane Evans are listed in the 17 replacing Jack Murchie and Ben Murdoch-Masila.
The Vodafone Warriors will face a Penrith side which has lost only twice this season to lie second on points difference behind Melbourne. The Panthers will be without injured Origin stars Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai in the halves while they also have winger Brian To’o, loose forward Isaah Yeo, hooker Apisai Koroisau and back rower Liam Martin lining up for New South Wales in tomorrow night’s final State of Origin battle against Queensland at Cbus Super Stadium in Robina.
The venue for Sunday’s match is yet to be confirmed.
WARRIORS v PENRITH PANTHERS
4.00pm, Sunday, July 18, 2021
Venue TBC
WARRIORS
1 REECE WALSH
2 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK
3 ROCCO BERRY
4 MARCELO MONTOYA
5 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (c)
6 KODI NIKORIMA
7 SEAN O’SULLIVAN
8 ADDIN FONUA-BLAKE
9 WAYDE EGAN
10 MATT LODGE
11 ELIESA KATOA
12 BAYLEY SIRONEN
13 JAZZ TEVAGA
Interchange:
14 JOSH CURRAN
15 LEESON AH MAU
16 BUNTY AFOA
17 KANE EVANS
18 ADAM POMPEY
20 EUAN AITKEN
21 CHAD TOWNSEND
22 TOHU HARRIS
HEAD COACH | NATHAN BROWN
Categories: Team News + Stats, WARRIORS NEWS
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