Injuries have left the Vodafone Warriors with only 17 fit players in their NRL squad for Sunday’s eighth-round clash against the Canberra Raiders at Mt Smart Stadium.
Veteran prop Ruben Wiki and promising second rower Sonny Fai are the latest to join the casualty list.
Wiki (35) has been ruled out of the match against his old club with a hand injury while Fai (20) picked up a shoulder complaint playing for the Vodafone Junior Warriors in their 36-28 NYC win against Gold Coast on Sunday.
Also out of contention for the match were prop Steve Price (hamstring), fullback Wade McKinnon (knee), centre Jerome Ropati (hamstring), wingers Manu Vatuvei (leg) and Patrick Ah Van (neck) and prop Herman Retzlaff (hand).
The injury toll has created an opportunity for 18-year-old prop Russell Packer to make his NRL debut off the bench after a string of impressive performances in the under-20 competition. He'll become the club's 141st NRL player.
With Vatuvei out for four to six weeks with a spiral fracture in his left fibula, Aidan Kirk returns on the wing for his second NRL match after playing for the Auckland Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup since his first-grade debut against Melbourne on March 17.
“We had a great run with injuries last year but it’s obviously our turn for a change of luck now,” said coach Ivan Cleary.
“It’s something we’ve had to deal with all year. That’s the way it is in this competition and now we just have to dig that little bit deeper against Canberra on Sunday.
“We’ve performed well at home and had our issues on the road but that doesn’t mean it will all fall into place now we’re back at Mt Smart Stadium.
“The boys love playing here and they’ll need all the support possible on Sunday.
“It’s a great chance for Russell to have a taste of the NRL. He has done everything asked of him in the NYC.
“It also means we’ve had a second player who has come up from under-20s into first grade this season (after Fai), which is a good sign for our development programme.”
The Vodafone Warriors used only 23 players in 26 matches last year but, with Packer called up this weekend, they’ll equal that number after just eight matches this season.
He has made the most runs (128) of any player in the NYC and is gaining an average of more than 180 metres a game.
After his NRL debut at fullback, Kirk has been used in a utility role for the Vulcans at a time when they have put together a run of form that has lifted them to fifth spot in the NSW Cup. Kirk has scored three tries in the last five games.
Sunday’s match will be the first in Auckland between the Vodafone Warriors and the Raiders since 2005. The home side won 24-16 then but the Raiders prevailed in both matches in Canberra in 2006 and 2007.
With Price and Wiki both out Micheal Luck will be captain in his 58th consecutive match since joining the club. He also led the side against the Titans last Sunday.
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