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Of the side used to beat Manly 25-22 in week one of the NYC finals, experienced NYC winger Bill Tupou is replaced by 2010 debutant Omar Slaimankhel.
Tupou (20), who made 12 first-grade appearances this year, was eligible for week one of the NYC finals when the Vodafone Warriors were also involved in the NRL playoffs but, following their elimination, Tupou was ruled out. It means he will finish his NYC career with 49 appearances.
Tupou has been a prolific try-scorer in the competition with 37 tries in total, nine of them in 12 games this year. However, Slaimankhel, born in Afghanistan, has made an impressive start to his career at this level after switching to rugby league from rugby union only this season. Signed after playing for Auckland Grammar Schools First XV and appearing in provincial age group sides, he has already scored 10 tries in 10 games including a four-try haul in the round 24 clash against Manly. Still only 18, hes eligible for the NYC for another two seasons.
Other than the Slaimankhel for Tupou swap, coach John Ackland has been able to call on a line-up of familiar faces who helped the Vodafone Junior Warriors to claim second spot in the regular season behind South Sydney. Both top sides won in week one to advance directly to the preliminary finals, leaving the Vodafone Junior Warriors one win away from making the NYC grand final for the first time.
Included in the side are four of the competitions most experienced players. Hookers Elijah Taylor and Nafe Seluini, in their third and final seasons in the NYC, made their 50th appearances in the win against Manly on September 12. On Friday night centre Siuatonga Likiliki, who was named in the NYC Team of the Year for the second season running, will play his 49th match while halfback Shaun Johnson plays his 44th and captain Ben Henry his 41st. Johnson is the teams leading points-scorer with 146 this season and 387 in total in the last two years while Likiliki (18), fullback Glen Fisiiahi (17) and winger Elijah Niko (14) all feature among the leading try-scorers.
Tonight the Vodafone Junior Warriors will have their annual awards dinner at Mount Smart Stadium and will hold an open training session at the ground from 5.30pm tomorrow night (September 22). All Vodafone Warriors season members and fans are invited to attend to support the team. Sky Sport 2 will have live coverage of the Vodafone Junior Warriors-Bulldogs preliminary final from 7.00pm (New Zealand time) on Friday.
The Vodafone Junior Warriors had a 36-30 fifth-round away win over the Bulldogs in the only encounter between the two sides this season. It followed a run of three losses and a draw in their first four games of the year, starting a run which has since netted them 17 wins from their last 21 starts including five on the trot in the last six weeks. The Bulldogs reached the preliminary final by edging the Sydney Roosters 24-22 last weekend.
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS v CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
5.15pm, Friday, September 24
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
1 GLEN FISIIAHI
2 OMAR SLAIMANKHEL
3 SOSAIA FEKI
4 SIUATONGA LIKILIKI
5 ELIJAH NIKO
6 CARLOS TUIMAVAVE
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 NECCROM AREAIITI
9 ELIJAH TAYLOR
10 MARK IOANE
11 MATT ROBINSON
12 BEN HENRY (c)
13 SEBASTINE IKAHIHIFO
Interchange:
14 NAFE SELUINI
15 CHARLIE GUBB
16 SAM LOUSI
17 DANIEL PALAVI
18HENRY CHAN-TING
COACH: JOHN ACKLAND
http://www.warriors.co.nz/news/724/One-change-for-Vodafone-Junior-Warriors
Tupou (20), who made 12 first-grade appearances this year, was eligible for week one of the NYC finals when the Vodafone Warriors were also involved in the NRL playoffs but, following their elimination, Tupou was ruled out. It means he will finish his NYC career with 49 appearances.
Tupou has been a prolific try-scorer in the competition with 37 tries in total, nine of them in 12 games this year. However, Slaimankhel, born in Afghanistan, has made an impressive start to his career at this level after switching to rugby league from rugby union only this season. Signed after playing for Auckland Grammar Schools First XV and appearing in provincial age group sides, he has already scored 10 tries in 10 games including a four-try haul in the round 24 clash against Manly. Still only 18, hes eligible for the NYC for another two seasons.
Other than the Slaimankhel for Tupou swap, coach John Ackland has been able to call on a line-up of familiar faces who helped the Vodafone Junior Warriors to claim second spot in the regular season behind South Sydney. Both top sides won in week one to advance directly to the preliminary finals, leaving the Vodafone Junior Warriors one win away from making the NYC grand final for the first time.
Included in the side are four of the competitions most experienced players. Hookers Elijah Taylor and Nafe Seluini, in their third and final seasons in the NYC, made their 50th appearances in the win against Manly on September 12. On Friday night centre Siuatonga Likiliki, who was named in the NYC Team of the Year for the second season running, will play his 49th match while halfback Shaun Johnson plays his 44th and captain Ben Henry his 41st. Johnson is the teams leading points-scorer with 146 this season and 387 in total in the last two years while Likiliki (18), fullback Glen Fisiiahi (17) and winger Elijah Niko (14) all feature among the leading try-scorers.
Tonight the Vodafone Junior Warriors will have their annual awards dinner at Mount Smart Stadium and will hold an open training session at the ground from 5.30pm tomorrow night (September 22). All Vodafone Warriors season members and fans are invited to attend to support the team. Sky Sport 2 will have live coverage of the Vodafone Junior Warriors-Bulldogs preliminary final from 7.00pm (New Zealand time) on Friday.
The Vodafone Junior Warriors had a 36-30 fifth-round away win over the Bulldogs in the only encounter between the two sides this season. It followed a run of three losses and a draw in their first four games of the year, starting a run which has since netted them 17 wins from their last 21 starts including five on the trot in the last six weeks. The Bulldogs reached the preliminary final by edging the Sydney Roosters 24-22 last weekend.
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS v CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
5.15pm, Friday, September 24
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
1 GLEN FISIIAHI
2 OMAR SLAIMANKHEL
3 SOSAIA FEKI
4 SIUATONGA LIKILIKI
5 ELIJAH NIKO
6 CARLOS TUIMAVAVE
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 NECCROM AREAIITI
9 ELIJAH TAYLOR
10 MARK IOANE
11 MATT ROBINSON
12 BEN HENRY (c)
13 SEBASTINE IKAHIHIFO
Interchange:
14 NAFE SELUINI
15 CHARLIE GUBB
16 SAM LOUSI
17 DANIEL PALAVI
18HENRY CHAN-TING
COACH: JOHN ACKLAND
http://www.warriors.co.nz/news/724/One-change-for-Vodafone-Junior-Warriors
