Confirmed Lineup: No further changes for Warriors
No further changes have been made to the One New Zealand Warriors’ lineup for tonight’s 24th-round NRL clash against Manly-Warringah at 4 Pines Park in Sydney (6.00pm kick-off local time; 8.00pm NZT).
As confirmed 24 hours out from kick-off, Luke Metcalf will make his first NRL appearance in more than four months after being reunited with retiring Shaun Johnson in the halves.
They were paired in each of the first four matches of the season before Metcalf had his right leg broken nine minutes into the round four clash against the Newcastle Knights on March 31.
He began his comeback with a 40-minute stint for the club’s New South Wales Cup team in its 46-10 win against Parramatta on August 2 before doubling his workload to the full 80 minutes in last Sunday’s 28-10 victory over South Sydney.
- He finished with 77 metres from eight runs, a line break, a line break assist, two try assists, 57 receipts, 11 tackles with one miss, an intercept, 389 metres from 15 kicks, a 40/20 and four goals from five attempts.
With his inclusion, Chanel Harris-Tavita moves to the interchange while Freddy Lussick comes in at hooker with Wayde Egan (elbow) omitted. The other two players dropping out of the 22-man squad are winger Edward Kosi and prop Bunty Afoa while fullback Taine Tuaupiki and back rower Leka Halasima are retained in the game day 19.
As well as Metcalf, Johnson is confirmed to return after missing last Sunday’s golden point loss to the Dolphins while centre Adam Pompey and winger Marcelo Montoya make their comebacks from injury.
While Johnson, Pompey, Montoya and Metcalf are back, the One New Zealand Warriors had halfback Te Maire Martin and centre Ali Leiataua ruled out at the start of the week.
Martin scored a try and had a hand in four others in the loss to the Dolphins but has been carrying a nerve complaint in his neck.
Leiataua, who last week scored his third try in five matches this season, left the field after a head knock in the 67th minute and is following the NRL’s concussion protocols.