Three changes for the play-off against Broncos
Manu Vatuvei, Shaun Berrigan and Aaron Heremaia all return from injury for the Vodafone Warriors’ qualifying final against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
Vatuvei is back after missing the last two matches against St George Illawarra and North Queensland with a wrist injury while Berrigan (hip) and Heremaia (hand) were both defections for last Saturday night’s 18-6 win over the Cowboys.
The 25-year-old Vatuvei reclaims his regular left winger’s position from Krisnan Inu, Berrigan comes back in for Lewis Brown and Heremaia returns for Alehana Mara. Brown is included on a five-man interchange bench with the rest of the line-up the same as the one used against North Queensland.
“With the way we performed against the Cowboys it was a really difficult side to select but that’s the way you want it to be,” said Vodafone Warriors coach Ivan Cleary.
“You want to have a squad where you have plenty of depth and competition for positions and fortunately that has been the case for us throughout the season.”
The Vodafone Warriors go into the 2011 play-offs ranking among the competition’s most consistent finals teams so far this century.
Since the Vodafone Warriors qualified for the post-season for the first time in 2001, they have been in the finals seven times in the last 11 seasons, including four of the last five years. Only three clubs have done better since 2001, the Broncos leading the way having missed the finals only once (last year) while St George Illawarra have featured nine times in the last 11 seasons and Melbourne, this year’s minor premiers, eight times. Of the other 2011 finalists, Manly has qualified seven times, Wests Tigers three, North Queensland four and Newcastle five.
Of the 18 players named today, 14 played in the Vodafone Warriors’ equivalent qualifying final against the Gold Coast Titans last year while Berrigan and second rower Feleti Mateo both have significant finals experience with their previous clubs Brisbane and Parramatta. Vatuvei, Sam Rapira, Simon Mannering, Micheal Luck, Lance Hohaia and Ben Matulino were also involved in the Vodafone Warriors’ 2008 finals campaign.
Saturday night’s match will mark a milestone appearance for fullback Kevin Locke who’ll play his 50th NRL match, giving the squad 15 players who have made 50 or more first-grade appearances, eight with 100 plus games.
Cleary brought up his 150th first-grade match as a coach last weekend, the win giving him a winning percentage of exactly 50 per cent.
James Maloney is only eight points short of equalling his haul of 188 points last season. He owns the two best season tallies in the club’s history behind Cleary’s 242 points in 2002. At last Saturday night’s special post-match function at SKYCITY, Vodafone Warriors members named Maloney as their player of the year. The club’s official award winners – including the Lion Red Player of the Year – will be revealed at the gala awards dinner in the New Zealand Room at SKYCITY next Tuesday night. Go to
www.warriors.co.nz to purchase tickets.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v BRISBANE BRONCOS
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
6.30pm, Saturday, September 10
Referees: Jared Maxwell and Shayne Hayne
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 KEVIN LOCKE
2 BILL TUPOU
3 JOEL MOON
4 SHAUN BERRIGAN
5 MANU VATUVEI
6 JAMES MALONEY
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 SAM RAPIRA
9 AARON HEREMAIA
10 JACOB LILLYMAN
11 FELETI MATEO
12 SIMON MANNERING (c)
13 MICHEAL LUCK
Interchange:
LEWIS BROWN
LANCE HOHAIA
BEN MATULINO
RUSSELL PACKER
UKUMA TA’AI
COACH: IVAN CLEARY
