NZ Warrior
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WRIST INJURY RULES FAUMUINA OUT OF VODAFONE WARRIORS FOR REST OF SEASON (bullsh*t)
A broken wrist has denied Vodafone Warriors loose forward Sione Faumuina the chance of making his 100th NRL appearance this season.
The 25-year-old lasted only 26 minutes of last Saturday night’s match against Penrith – his 99th career game – before leaving the field with a wrist complaint.
Today it was confirmed he had fractured the scaphoid in his left wrist, an injury that may require surgery and is expected to keep him sidelined for eight weeks.
It created another selection challenge for head coach Ivan Cleary when he named his side for Saturday night’s clash against Cronulla at Mt Smart Stadium, a game that also doubles as veteran Awen Guttenbeil’s testimonial match.
Apart from Faumuina, the Vodafone Warriors will also be without their most experienced player vice-captain Ruben Wiki. He earned a one-match suspension after taking an early guilty plea today on a grade three careless high tackle charge for his 73rd minute shot on Penrith prop Joel Clinton last Saturday night.
“It’s a shame for Sione and Ruben that they can’t be part of a special occasion. They’ve both played a lot of football with Awen,” said Cleary.
“And it’s really tough for Sione because the match would also have been his 100th but now he’ll have to wait until next season to have a chance to reach the mark.”
The twin absences plus fullback Brent Webb’s expected return from a hip injury forced Cleary to make a number of changes for the Cronulla match.
Wairangi Koopu has been named as a starting second rower with Louis Anderson moving to loose forward while Evarn Tuimavave has been listed as Wiki’s front row replacement. Tuimavave (22) was omitted from the team for the Penrith match, breaking his sequence of appearing in every match this year; he turned out for the Mt Albert Lions in their 28-20 Bartercard Cup win over the Counties Manukau Jetz last night.
Also earning a recall is back rower Epalahame Lauaki. After travelling to Penrith as 18th man, he’s on a five-man bench as he continues his comeback from his four-month lay-off after tearing pectoral muscles against Wests Tigers in March.
Big prop George Tuakura is also part of the bench. Just two months short of his 31st birthday, he’s in line to become one of the NRL’s oldest debutants should he play on Saturday night.
Webb, who has missed the last two matches against Parramatta and Penrith, has again been named in the side and is once more poised to play his 99th game for the club. It means Patrick Ah Van reverts to the right wing while Cooper Vuna drops out of the side.
“We still have to sort some things out but it’s great that Hame is in a position to come back into the side after all the work he has done and George also deserves the chance to have a shot for a spot,” said Cleary.
While losing Faumuina and Wiki was disruptive, Cleary’s demanding a much improved effort from the side.
“The performance against Penrith wasn’t acceptable,” he said.
“We all expect better than that. What we ask for is that the players learn from the experience.
“We’re in a position where we want to do as well as we can every week. That’s what we’ve tried to do all season and nothing changes this week.”
The Vodafone Warriors will face a Cronulla side desperate to stay alive in the fight for a play-offs spot. The Sharks have followed a run of eight wins from nine matches with five straight defeats and are in danger of slipping out for the top eight for the first time in three months.
Saturday night’s match will be Cronulla’s first in Auckland since June 2003, when they were beaten 23-6.
For this occasion, the Vodafone Warriors will wear a special one-off Puma jersey. The design has a strong cultural flavour featuring the work of renowned moko artist Inia Taylor III of Moko Ink in Grey Lynn, Auckland. Taylor designed tattoos for former All Blacks Carlos Spencer and Kees Meeuws while his work was also seen on the make-up side in the movie Once Were Warriors.
Jason Robinson has been named to referee the match.]
VODAFONE WARRIORS V CRONULLA SHARKS
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
7.30pm, Saturday, August 5, 2006
Referee: Jason Robinson
VODAFONE WARRIORS TEAM
1
BRENT WEBB
2
PATRICK AH VAN
3
TONY MARTIN
4
SIMON MANNERING
5
MANU VATUVEI
6
JEROME ROPATI
7
GRANT ROVELLI
8
EVARN TUIMAVAVE
9
NATHAN FIEN
10
STEVE PRICE (C)
11
AWEN GUTTENBEIL
12
WAIRANGI KOOPU
13
LOUIS ANDERSON
14
GEORGE GATIS
15
SAM RAPIRA
16
EPALAHAME LAUAKI
17
MICHEAL LUCK
24
GEORGE TUAKURA
WRIST INJURY RULES FAUMUINA OUT OF VODAFONE WARRIORS FOR REST OF SEASON (bullsh*t)
A broken wrist has denied Vodafone Warriors loose forward Sione Faumuina the chance of making his 100th NRL appearance this season.
The 25-year-old lasted only 26 minutes of last Saturday night’s match against Penrith – his 99th career game – before leaving the field with a wrist complaint.
Today it was confirmed he had fractured the scaphoid in his left wrist, an injury that may require surgery and is expected to keep him sidelined for eight weeks.
It created another selection challenge for head coach Ivan Cleary when he named his side for Saturday night’s clash against Cronulla at Mt Smart Stadium, a game that also doubles as veteran Awen Guttenbeil’s testimonial match.
Apart from Faumuina, the Vodafone Warriors will also be without their most experienced player vice-captain Ruben Wiki. He earned a one-match suspension after taking an early guilty plea today on a grade three careless high tackle charge for his 73rd minute shot on Penrith prop Joel Clinton last Saturday night.
“It’s a shame for Sione and Ruben that they can’t be part of a special occasion. They’ve both played a lot of football with Awen,” said Cleary.
“And it’s really tough for Sione because the match would also have been his 100th but now he’ll have to wait until next season to have a chance to reach the mark.”
The twin absences plus fullback Brent Webb’s expected return from a hip injury forced Cleary to make a number of changes for the Cronulla match.
Wairangi Koopu has been named as a starting second rower with Louis Anderson moving to loose forward while Evarn Tuimavave has been listed as Wiki’s front row replacement. Tuimavave (22) was omitted from the team for the Penrith match, breaking his sequence of appearing in every match this year; he turned out for the Mt Albert Lions in their 28-20 Bartercard Cup win over the Counties Manukau Jetz last night.
Also earning a recall is back rower Epalahame Lauaki. After travelling to Penrith as 18th man, he’s on a five-man bench as he continues his comeback from his four-month lay-off after tearing pectoral muscles against Wests Tigers in March.
Big prop George Tuakura is also part of the bench. Just two months short of his 31st birthday, he’s in line to become one of the NRL’s oldest debutants should he play on Saturday night.
Webb, who has missed the last two matches against Parramatta and Penrith, has again been named in the side and is once more poised to play his 99th game for the club. It means Patrick Ah Van reverts to the right wing while Cooper Vuna drops out of the side.
“We still have to sort some things out but it’s great that Hame is in a position to come back into the side after all the work he has done and George also deserves the chance to have a shot for a spot,” said Cleary.
While losing Faumuina and Wiki was disruptive, Cleary’s demanding a much improved effort from the side.
“The performance against Penrith wasn’t acceptable,” he said.
“We all expect better than that. What we ask for is that the players learn from the experience.
“We’re in a position where we want to do as well as we can every week. That’s what we’ve tried to do all season and nothing changes this week.”
The Vodafone Warriors will face a Cronulla side desperate to stay alive in the fight for a play-offs spot. The Sharks have followed a run of eight wins from nine matches with five straight defeats and are in danger of slipping out for the top eight for the first time in three months.
Saturday night’s match will be Cronulla’s first in Auckland since June 2003, when they were beaten 23-6.
For this occasion, the Vodafone Warriors will wear a special one-off Puma jersey. The design has a strong cultural flavour featuring the work of renowned moko artist Inia Taylor III of Moko Ink in Grey Lynn, Auckland. Taylor designed tattoos for former All Blacks Carlos Spencer and Kees Meeuws while his work was also seen on the make-up side in the movie Once Were Warriors.
Jason Robinson has been named to referee the match.]
VODAFONE WARRIORS V CRONULLA SHARKS
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
7.30pm, Saturday, August 5, 2006
Referee: Jason Robinson
VODAFONE WARRIORS TEAM
1
BRENT WEBB
2
PATRICK AH VAN
3
TONY MARTIN
4
SIMON MANNERING
5
MANU VATUVEI
6
JEROME ROPATI
7
GRANT ROVELLI
8
EVARN TUIMAVAVE
9
NATHAN FIEN
10
STEVE PRICE (C)
11
AWEN GUTTENBEIL
12
WAIRANGI KOOPU
13
LOUIS ANDERSON
14
GEORGE GATIS
15
SAM RAPIRA
16
EPALAHAME LAUAKI
17
MICHEAL LUCK
24
GEORGE TUAKURA
