Official Team + predictions vs Raiders

[hitman82]

http://www.warriors.co.nz/default.a...ame-starting-line-up-named-to-take-on-raiders
Vodafone Warriors head coach Brian McClennan has named an unchanged starting line-up for Sunday’s sixth-round NRL match against the Raiders at Canberra Stadium.
The same 17 players involved in last Saturday night’s 8-26 loss to the Sydney Roosters have been retained with the only change being the choice of Krisnan Inu on a five-man bench.
If Inu is included in the final 17 on Sunday, he’ll make his 98th NRL appearance.
The Vodafone Warriors and Canberra have identical records so far this season, both winning two and losing three; the Raiders went down 6-22 to the North Queensland Cowboys last night.
The match left Canberra with injury concerns, experienced prop Brett White forced off the field with what proved to be a season-ending ACL knee injury. Second rower Joel Thompson also left the field with an ankle injury which will sideline him for several weeks. They join David Shillington, Josh Dugan, Shaun Fensom and Trevor Thurling who were already on the casualty list.
Still out for the Vodafone Warriors are Micheal Luck (wrist and shoulder), Jacob Lillyman (bicep), Steve Rapira (ankle) and Kevin Locke (leg) plus Alehana Mara (knee) and Sebastine Ikahihifo (hand).
With or without a fully fit squad, Canberra has proved one of the most challenging away missions in the Vodafone Warriors’ history. Their only win at Canberra Stadium was a 31-24 victory in 1997 while their only other success in Australia’s national capital was a 22-10 win at Manuka Oval in 2001. This will be the club’s first visit to Canberra since a 12-38 loss there in 2009.
“It’s a really difficult place to go to,” said McClennan.
“Our record there isn’t a good one but we’re not alone there. It’s a real challenge for all teams to go to Canberra.
“We’re just trying to do all we can to be as well-prepared as we can possibly be. Obviously our effort against the Roosters was really disappointing but we’re all committed to working hard to compete with the Raiders. It’s not going to be easy, though.”
After his try-scoring return in his fifth NRL appearance, Glen Fisiiahi will wear the No 1 jersey this week. Kevin Locke, who started the season as the first-choice fullback, has remained in Auckland to continue his recovery from a cork above his right knee.
In scoring the Vodafone Warriors’ other try against the Roosters, centre Jerome Ropati cracked 50 NRL tries, only the sixth player in the club’s history to achieve the feat.

VODAFONE WARRIORS v CANBERRA RAIDERS

Canberra Stadium, Canberra
2.00pm, Sunday, April 8
Referees: Shayne Hayne and Alan Shortall

VODAFONE WARRIORS

1 GLEN FISIIAHI
2 BILL TUPOU
3 BEN HENRY
4 JEROME ROPATI
5 MANU VATUVEI
6 JAMES MALONEY
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 SIONE LOUSI
9 NATHAN FRIEND
10 BEN MATULINO
11 FELETI MATEO
12 SIMON MANNERING (c)
13 ELIJAH TAYLOR
Interchange:
14 RUSSELL PACKER
15 UKUMA TA’AI
16 LEWIS BROWN
17 SAM RAPIRA
18 KRISNAN INU

COACH: BRIAN McCLENNAN

 

[hitman82]

I'm picking Henry to drop out of the 17, Inu to play centre, and Warriors to regroup and win 22 to 10.

First Try Scorer Bill Tupou

 

[Fast Eddie]

Inu drops off the bench, Raiders by 10.

 

[ozbash]

Us by plenty

 

[One Warrior]

Wheres Hurrell? Gone to promote Inu to 18th man??

 

[Rich102]

Plane come down anywhere near you OB?

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Ropati must have the mean hand job bluey cannot resist

 

[vvvrulz]

Ropati must have the mean hand job bluey cannot resist

:lol:

But yes Inu won't play... however that does not necessarily mean a loss.

 

[Highflyers]

Bluey is seriously doing my head in... On form Ropo has to go.. I know he is trying to be consistent in selection and not change the team much however they better play out of their skin this week!!!

Not a happy chappy!!

 

[shiznit]

i actually think its attitude more than personnel...

i like the fact the Bluey picked essentially the same side... they were embarrassing last weekend...

let them go out there and earn there respect back...

there needs to be a change of attitude... they need to tighten up.

 

[Warmess]

Odd. You'd think Bluey and Inu would get along like a house on fire. I mean, apparently Bluey doesn't give a shit if you go out onto the field and play like you just don't give a f**k. Weird.

 

[_addict]

Odd. You'd think Bluey and Inu would get along like a house on fire. I mean, apparently Bluey doesn't give a shit if you go out onto the field and play like you just don't give a f**k. Weird.

:lol:

Haha, that's a clever observation.

 

[beefstew]

Locke to fullback, Fish to Tupou's wing, Inu stays 18th man.

 

[Micistm]

Well, I can understand not changing the team- that would be going by the basis the whole lot would want to make ammends for that appallingly bad display last week- And I was thinking we would beat the Raiders...until they got a hiding too! Now, you have both teams really wanting to make up for bad displays, and Iam kind of swinging towards home town advantage...
But, the Warriors shit display IMO was worse than Raiders shit display...picking Warriors by eight, say 20-12.

 

[ozbash]

Plane come down anywhere near you OB?

just up the road, did your daughter hear it ?

Anna Steadman found them, pretty tough on her.

 

[Iafeta]

Ropati must have the mean hand job bluey cannot resist

J'Ro's first meeting with Bluey must have gone something like this...

 

[Izz]

Well, I can understand not changing the team- that would be going by the basis the whole lot would want to make ammends for that appallingly bad display last week- And I was thinking we would beat the Raiders...until they got a hiding too! Now, you have both teams really wanting to make up for bad displays, and Iam kind of swinging towards home town advantage...
But, the Warriors shit display IMO was worse than Raiders shit display...picking Warriors by eight, say 20-12.

Raiders forward pack won't be quite as huge as usual, though, seeing as Shillington's still out, and White as well for the rest of the season (and those are their two forwards that usually pick it up a notch against us)

 

[Sef0r]

I don't post often, I tend to enjoy reading the banter. I have to say, surely Bluey isn't the only man making decisions. He has assistants and others around him in his ear...so surely he knows something that we don't and that is why he continues to play those two at center.

I've never had a problem with Cleary (with the exception of not playing Inu), gutted that he left and he kept everyone in check and was rarely emotional to the media.

Bluey is too dramatic and I think too much a players coach. He doesn't seem to want any of them to hate him so he'll keep playing the same guys.

What I am looking forward to this season...

Hurrell being able to play 80 mins.
Inu starting other center.
Locke getting chance at 6/7 (as injury replacement only) so Fish can stay at FB.
Matulino starting and finishing games - hardest player on the team in my book.
Luck and Lillyman returning - not to take anything away from Lousi or Taylor. Taylor has brain farts and Lousi, for someone his size, sure gets knocked back a lot.

 

[_addict]

Hi Sef0r

I hear what you're saying about there being several who give input on the inner workings, at the end of the day though there is one who has to make the vision and decide on how this thing is going to come together to acheive it. He must be decisive about what he's going to do to fix the problems and if he can't come up with an effective defensive plan for this team we will be in trouble. His ability in the immediate term rests on that.

Just on Locke, do you propose experimenting on him at 5/8, or see that as his future at the club?

 

[Sef0r]

Just on Locke, do you propose experimenting on him at 5/8, or see that as his future at the club?

Experiment. With Maloney going and no true replacement in the works why not give him a go. You have arguably the two fastest players in the NRL and you can only have 1 active on gameday because they both play FB. I rate Locke's playmaking ability a lot higher then Fish, and his decision making when passing on set plays is enough to show me he has the ball skills and can read the defenses well enough.

Either that or after this season Manu moves to the forwards and play Locke on the wing as he is better suited to it then Fish.

At the end of the day, speed kills...and it doesn't hurt that they can both play aswell as they run.