Squad named for Storm trial

[SpaceMonkey]

Vodafone Warriors head coach Stephen Kearney has named 11 players with NRL experience in the 23-man squad for the club’s first 2019 trial against the Melbourne Storm at Kardinia Park in Geelong on Friday night.

Among them are experienced centre Blake Ayshford, new signing Lachlan Burr, 2018 Kiwi rookie Isaiah Papali’i, props Bunty Afoa, Sam Lisone, Ligi Sao and Chris Satae plus 2018 Dally M interchange player of the year Jazz Tevaga.

Named to make his comeback from a long injury lay-off is hooker Nate Roache, who missed the whole of the 2018 season after kaing 20 NRL appearances in 2016 and 2017.

Kearney confirmed today that the 22-year-old former Vodafone Warriors rookie of the year was set to be used for 20 minutes in the trial.

Others with NRL experience are hooker Sam Cook and standoff Api Pewhairangi, the former Ireland international who played for the Vodafone Warriors’ Intrust Super Premiership side in 2015. He switched to rugby union when he played for Irish club Connacht 2015-2016 before returning to league with the London Broncos in 2016-2018.

Also selected are new signing Adam Keighran along with Chanel Tavita-Harris and Hayze Perham who are all competing to join Blake Green in the NRL side’s halves.

The other nine players comprise players in the club’s ISP and Jersey Flegg squads as well as players who have been training with the Vodafone Warriors throughout the offseason and preseason on trial contracts. Among them is 2018 Junior Kiwis hooker Sean Mulaney, who has been signed from North Queensland.

NRL TRIAL


VODAFONE WARRIORS v MELBOURNE STORM

7.50pm, Friday, February 22

Kardinia Park, Geelong



VODAFONE WARRIORS

BUNTY AFOA

TOM ALE

BLAKE AYSHFORD

LACHLAN BURR

SAM COOK

NERIA FOMIA

PATRICK HERBERT

CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA

ADAM KEIGHRAN

SAM LISONE

SEAN MULANEY

ISAIAH PAPALI’I

HAYZE PERHAM

API PEWHAIRANGI

ADAM POMPEY

NATE ROACHE

CHRIS SATAE

BRODY TAMARUA

JAZZ TEVAGA

PAUL TURNER

LIGI SAO

LEWIS SOOSOMEA

COLE WAAKA

HEAD COACH | STEPHEN KEARNEY

Source:
https://www.warriors.kiwi/news/2019/02/19/mixture-of-experience-and-youth-for-storm-trial/

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Good to see Roache back and getting a hit-out. Other than that this is pretty much all fringe players so not going to read anything into the scoreboard result but will be keen to see how they perform.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Will watch for a feel of some of the new guys. We will probably get thrashed but I don't care just wanna see what all the newbies are like with their limited time.

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Didnt realise Api Pewhairangi was back with us.. Might be a sneaky chance later in the year

 

[Matua]

Didnt realise Api Pewhairangi was back with us.. Might be a sneaky chance later in the year

Oh, he carves up on my Toronto Wolfpack team on Rugby League 3.

 

[One Warrior]

Trial is live tonight on Sky Sport 3 at 9.45pm, Sky have just announced.

 

[Rich102]

Thanks!

 

[Leber]

We are up 6-0. Halves and Roache look good.

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

We are up 6-0. Halves and Roache look good.

I missed the first 5 minutes and try.
Roache looks okay. Imo halves aren't showing too much - no direction with their kicks and too off the cuff. I might be being too critical bit if one of these guys are in the top team long term it might be problematic.
Keighran seems to be the more dominant half for sure, taking more kicks and getting his hands on the ball more

Burr looks good, Patrick Herbert ? (3) looks decent too. And one of the other forwards seems to be making good meters too.

We look structured tho...very happy at half time.

For the Storm, Drinkwater and Croft have been average imo

 

[Mighty Ape Man]

Trial is live tonight on Sky Sport 3 at 9.45pm, Sky have just announced.

Live streaming on NRL.com too

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

Jeeze Sao has really piled on the kgs. Didn't actually realise that was him, he's looking like a decent prop now, great go forward and a few offloads...

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

Wow. Great win. Even though we looked disjointed at times and the direction wasn't great from the young halves (imo) we hung in tough.
Sao was great. Mom for me. Burr looked good, as did Pat Herbert.
Really good signs.

Storm looked very poor. I thought they had quite a few regulars playing, so very surprising.
B Smith, Nas, Croft, Drinkwater, Vunivalu, Stimpson, Welsh, and Hughes will all be in or around the top team.
Great stuff boys

 

[ZEROMISSTACKLES]

Wow. Great win. Even though we looked disjointed at times and the direction wasn't great from the young halves (imo) we hung in tough.
Sao was great. Mom for me. Burr looked good, as did Pat Herbert.
Really good signs.

Storm looked very poor. I thought they had quite a few regulars playing, so very surprising.
B Smith, Nas, Croft, Drinkwater, Vunivalu, Stimpson, Welsh, and Hughes will all be in or around the top team.
Great stuff boys

Calm down. It's only pre season hit outside LOL

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

Calm down. It's only pre season hit outside LOL

Ahhh, the sign of a poser. Can't offer anything else, can't predict anything (despite pointing out his Nostradamus ways) so attacks something that someone says.

Sigh. Should I stop asking for a prediction from you then?

 

[ZEROMISSTACKLES]

Ahhh, the sign of a poser. Can't offer anything else, can't predict anything (despite pointing out his Nostradamus ways) so attacks something that someone says.

Sigh. Should I stop asking for a prediction from you then?

Ahh geez are you that dumb? I just reminded you that its pre season lol. That's the truth!

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

Ahh geez are you that dumb? I just reminded you that its pre season lol. That's the truth!

Tell me some more truths about our season that is yet to unfold lol.

Ur not brave enough to make a prediction because you no you'll fail haha, isn't that right Mr 16

 

[ZEROMISSTACKLES]

Tell me some more truths about our season that is yet to unfold lol.

Ur not brave enough to make a prediction because you no you'll fail haha, isn't that right Mr 16

Mr 16?? What's that about?

And learn how to spell. Know not 'no'. Love knocking you out.

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

Mr 16?? What's that about?

And learn how to spell. Know not 'no'. Love knocking you out.

Wow. I didn't expect the grammar police from you of all people. Its usually a sign of someone losing an argument but hay, I'm sure you have a good reason for it lol

Look, I get it. I'll leave you alone. You haven't been able to predict anything so you are keeping unusually quiet. I've seen this fear in children before so I know you must be struggling

Mr 16 refers to your last prediction, where you predicted where the warriors would be in 4 stages of the year. You came 16th out of 18 lol. I notice you didn't respond when I mentioned this earlier. I'm not expecting a response about this now either

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

Mr 16?? What's that about?

And learn how to spell. Know not 'no'. Love knocking you out.

Lol dude I'll leave you alone I'm just messing with you.

Its too easy and I can see you're not willing to predict anything for us.

Do you mind if I keep calling you Nostradamus or is that a sore subject

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Can you two f**k off somewhere else and stop stinking up the joint with your foreplay?