The first Team List Tuesday of 2022 ultimately threw up few surprises, though a couple of selection calls made by Nathan Brown for Saturday’s season opener against St George Illawarra Dragons may have seemed outlandish a couple of months ago.
As expected – after he spent a good chunk of the Warriors’ sole trial outing in the custodian role – Chanel Harris-Tavita will line up at fullback with Reece Walsh missing Round 1 through suspension. Kodi Nikorima has won the three-way battle to partner returning club legend Shaun Johnson in the halves, beating out Ashley Taylor, who is on the extended bench, and presumably ousting Harris-Tavita in the pecking order given Brown had the option of playing Test fullback Dallin Watene-Zelezniak or the versatile Jesse Arthars in the No.1 jersey.
The 19-year-old Viliami Vailea and Rocco Berry, 20, bring the combined experience of 10 NRL appearances to starting centre roles. Vailea, who played two late-season games in the top grade last year, beat out Arthars and Adam Pompey for a spot.
With Matt Lodge suspended, Bunty Afoa grabs a starting front-row berth alongside stand-in skipper Addin Fonua-Blake, with the only new Warrior named in the 17, Aaron Pene, and Ben Murdoch-Masila rounding out the prop rotation.
Euan Aitken and Eliesa Katoa will team up in the second-row with 2021 breakout forward Josh Curran named at lock in the absence of injured captain Tohu Harris. Jazz Tevaga will wear the No.14 jersey as a dummy-half/middle forward option and Bayley Sironen, who played most of last year in the second-row before finishing the campaign at lock, has also nabbed an interchange spot.
Arthars, Pompey, Ed Kosi, Taniela Otukolo and the yet-to-debut Pride Petterson-Robati are among the other faces on the extended bench.
WARRIORS v ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Sunshine Coast Stadium, Bokarina
7.30pm (NZT), Saturday, March 12
WARRIORS
1 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA
2 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK
3 VILIAMI VAILEA
4 ROCCO BERRY
5 MARCELO MONTOYA
6 KODI NIKORIMA
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 ADDIN FONUA-BLAKE (C)
9 WAYDE EGAN
10 BUNTY AFOA
11 EUAN AITKEN
12 ELIESA KATOA
13 JOSH CURRAN
Interchange:
14 JAZZ TEVAGA
15 BEN MURDOCH-MASILA
16 AARON PENE
17 BAYLEY SIRONEN
18 JACK MURCHIE
20 ASH TAYLOR
21 ADAM POMPEY
22 PRIDE PETTERSON-ROBATI
23 TANIELA OTUKOLO
24 JESSE ARTHARS
25 EDWARD KOSI
Head Coach | NATHAN BROWN
Categories: Previews + Reviews, WARRIORS NEWS
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