Warriors v Sea Eagles
Kickoff: 5pm, Saturday 12 April
Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland
Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
It is easier said than done travelling over to Sydney and putting in a solid performance, but the Warriors put on an absolute clinic there against the Rabbitohs last weekend. Not only was their attack elite, with Wayde Egan slicing the opposition apart out of dummy half, but the Warriors were extremely efficient on defence.
The next big test of the season will be on Saturday afternoon when they go head-to-head in with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
Last Sunday night marked one of the most spectacular occasions in the Sea Eagles' rich history, when Daly Cherry-Evans brought up NRL match number 313 that made him the most capped Manly player of all time. DCE then provided a man of the match performance as the Sea Eagles pulled off a shock victory over the defending premier Panthers.
Here is a look at the teams:
Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Kolkstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitchell Barnett 11. Jackson Ford 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Tohu Harris
Interchange: 14. Chanel Harris-Tavita 15. Tom Ale 16. Jazz Tevaga 17. Jacob Laban
Sea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Tommy Talau 3. Tolu Koula 4. Ben Trbojevic 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans (C) 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Haumole Olakau'atu 12. Corey Waddell 13. Jake Trbojevic
Interchange: 14. Karl Lawton 15. Ethan Bullemor 16. Toafofoa Sipley 17. Nathan Brown
Warriors selections
Photo: NRL Photos
In the past, the Warriors were known as a club that has seriously suffered at the hands of its squad depth, but in 2024 the Auckland-based outfit might boast one of the healthiest top 30 rosters in the NRL.
The dilemma of the five eighth and fullback positions over the past couple of weeks seems to be a thing of the past with halves with Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita ready to slot straight in for the injured Luke Metcalf.
Coach Andrew Webster was impressed with the return of fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad who he claimed "didn't miss a beat" last Saturday against the Rabbitohs.
Kurt Capewell steps back into the fold this week returning from a one-week concussion protocol standdown alongside the welcome return of star winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. The Warriors are without some key team members, with Niukore, Walker and most recently Bunty Afoa all out with injuries, and bench hooker Freddy Lussick sidelined for four weeks after a suspension for a careless tackle during last Saturday's NSW Cup match.
Manly selections
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Daly Cherry-Evans shake hands. Photo: David Neilson
Minimal changes for the men from the northern beaches this weekend with the only one difference from last week's winning squad: second rower and third brother of the famous Trbojevic trio Ben moves to the centre position to cover the loss of Reuben Garrick.
The Sea Eagles always present a strong challenge for the Warriors no matter what state both clubs seem to be in at the time with Manly racking up 27 wins out of 40 meetings in the past. The most serious threat of the time, besides the monster forward pack, being Cherry-Evans who is in vintage form right now, also a man who loves coming up against the Warriors having won against them at least once in eight of the last 13 seasons, including the 2011 Grand Final.
2023 result
Warriors 29 - 22 Manly
The Warriors put their Manly hoodoo to bed for at least another year last season when they took them down 29 - 22 in an absolute thriller at the aptly renamed Daniel Anderson Stadium - celebrating the former Warriors coach who had suffered a spinal injury that left him a quadriplegic.
The match solidified the Warriors' seven-game streak last year, showing they still were ready to scrap for a victory among a string of 30-plus hidings they were dishing out to other clubs at the time. It also solidified DWZ's cult status as a Warriors winger as he scored one of the all-time great solo tries that he had absolutely no right to off the back of about four dummy passes and five side-steps.
Prediction
If last week did not make Warriors fans nervous then they will definitely be feeling the jitters this week - but that is only because the Warriors have a genuine chance here to establish themselves as title contenders with a victory.
Although coming off the back of a good win, Manly have had their fair share of speed bumps already this season already, dropping games to bottom dwellers Dragons and the struggling Eels.
All the Warriors need to do here is respect the Sea Eagles as a quality opponent, wait for opportunities to present and then capitalise on them. They are not a side you want to get into an arm wrestle with, but with the weather looking pretty wet for the weekend, that may end up being the sort of game we are going to get.