Steve Rapira to make long-awaited NRL club debut
Off-season signing Steve Rapira will make his long-awaited first-grade debut for the Vodafone Warriors after being named on the bench today for Saturday night’s 12th-round NRL clash against the Sydney Roosters at Sydney Football Stadium.
After making 26 appearances for North Queensland in 2009 and 2010, the 22-year-old’s first NRL match for the Vodafone Warriors has been delayed by a knee injury which sidelined him after he had appeared in all four trials in February.
In recent weeks he has returned to action with the Auckland Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup, earning him selection on the interchange bench this week replacing Ukuma Ta’ai, who is out with a knee injury.
But while he finally comes into the side he’ll have to wait to achieve one of his goals of playing in the NRL alongside his older brother Sam (24), who is out of action after dislocating his thumb playing for the Kiwis in the Anzac Test against Australia on May 6. Earlier this year the Rapira brothers played together for the Vodafone Warriors for the first time in the trials against Parramatta and Burleigh.
Steve Rapira joined the Cowboys after playing for the Vodafone Junior Warriors in the NYC’s first season in 2008 but signed to return home last year.
“It’s been a frustrating start to the season for Steve but it’s a real positive for us to have him ready now with Ukuma out,” said Vodafone Warriors coach Ivan Cleary.
Another injury has forced a change on the bench with utility Lance Hohaia out with a sternum complaint. Hohaia operated as the interchange dummy half in the last three wins against Gold Coast, Newcastle and South Sydney with Kevin Locke starting at fullback. Shaun Berrigan takes Hohaia’s place.
Returning in his starting role in the front row is recalled Queensland Origin prop Jacob Lillyman, who was unavailable for the 12-6 win over South Sydney. With Lillyman – just re-signed to the end of 2013 – back Kiwi international Ben Matulino reverts to the bench.
Lewis Brown, who was on the interchange against the Knights and the Rabbitohs, teams up in the centres again with captain Simon Mannering. Brown will play his 50th NRL match on Saturday night while second rower Feleti Mateo will make his 100th career appearance, his 12th for the Vodafone Warriors after playing 88 times for Parramatta.
After winning their last five matches on end – and seven of their last eight – the Vodafone Warriors head into this weekend’s round sitting fifth on the points table with 16 behind St George Illawarra (22) plus Melbourne, Manly and North Queensland, all on 18. Their 7-4 win-loss record is one of the best starts to a season in the club’s history.
If the Vodafone Warriors beat the Roosters this weekend, they’ll equal the club’s second-best winning run of six set in 1995. The record is eight wins in 2002.
Five players – Brown, Mateo, Matulino, Mannering and Micheal Luck – have appeared in each of the Vodafone Warriors’ 11 matches so far.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v SYDNEY ROOSTERS
Sydney Football Stadium, Randwick
7.30pm, Saturday, June 4
Referees: Jason Robinson and Alan Shortall
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 KEVIN LOCKE
2 KRISNAN INU
3 LEWIS BROWN
4 SIMON MANNERING (c)
5 MANU VATUVEI
6 JAMES MALONEY
7 BRETT SEYMOUR
8 RUSSELL PACKER
9 AARON HEREMAIA
10 JACOB LILLYMAN
11 FELETI MATEO
12 ELIJAH TAYLOR
13 MICHEAL LUCK
Interchange:
14 SHAUN BERRIGAN
15 JEREMY LATIMORE
16 BEN MATULINO
17 STEVE RAPIRA
COACH: IVAN CLEARY
