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Joel Moon will start in the centres and Lewis Brown in the second row in the Vodafone Warriors’ 22nd-round NRL clash against the Cronulla Sharks at Toyota Stadium on Saturday night.
Moon, who was 18th man for last Sunday’s home game against Gold Coast, returns in the role Brown filled against the Titans while Brown reverts to the back row.
Moon last played for the Vodafone Warriors in their 12-6 win over Penrith last month but has since been turning out for the Auckland Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup. He played on the right side in the encounter with the Panthers but will team up with winger Manu Vatuvei on the left side against the Sharks.
With Brown starting, Vodafone Warriors coach Ivan Cleary has named Jacob Lillyman on a five-man bench in a squad comprising the same 18 players involved in the Gold Coast loss. Lillyman was one of the starting back rowers against the Titans. Prop Sam Rapira, centre Jerome Ropati and winger Kevin Locke are still on the injured list.
Head coach Ivan Cleary said the Vodafone Warriors’ focus was firmly on this Saturday night’s clash.
“That has always been our approach throughout the season. All we can take care of is the match we have right in front of us and that’s exactly how it will be again this week,” he said.
“While we didn’t get the result we wanted against the Titans, there were aspects of our game that were encouraging but we will need to work a lot harder and show improvement against the Sharks.
“They’ve been playing strongly and, like every side in this competition, they pose a real challenge. We must be on our game to be in contention.”
The match will give Vatuvei a chance to extend a sequence which has seen him score in each of his last seven appearances, equalling the club record set by winger/centre Todd Byrne in his first season with the Vodafone Warriors in 2005. With eight tries across those seven games, Vatuvei now has 14 in 13 games this season and 43 in his last 49 NRL games. His career tally of 72 in 107 games is only five short of Stacey Jones’ club record.
Moon, who was 18th man for last Sunday’s home game against Gold Coast, returns in the role Brown filled against the Titans while Brown reverts to the back row.
Moon last played for the Vodafone Warriors in their 12-6 win over Penrith last month but has since been turning out for the Auckland Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup. He played on the right side in the encounter with the Panthers but will team up with winger Manu Vatuvei on the left side against the Sharks.
With Brown starting, Vodafone Warriors coach Ivan Cleary has named Jacob Lillyman on a five-man bench in a squad comprising the same 18 players involved in the Gold Coast loss. Lillyman was one of the starting back rowers against the Titans. Prop Sam Rapira, centre Jerome Ropati and winger Kevin Locke are still on the injured list.
Head coach Ivan Cleary said the Vodafone Warriors’ focus was firmly on this Saturday night’s clash.
“That has always been our approach throughout the season. All we can take care of is the match we have right in front of us and that’s exactly how it will be again this week,” he said.
“While we didn’t get the result we wanted against the Titans, there were aspects of our game that were encouraging but we will need to work a lot harder and show improvement against the Sharks.
“They’ve been playing strongly and, like every side in this competition, they pose a real challenge. We must be on our game to be in contention.”
The match will give Vatuvei a chance to extend a sequence which has seen him score in each of his last seven appearances, equalling the club record set by winger/centre Todd Byrne in his first season with the Vodafone Warriors in 2005. With eight tries across those seven games, Vatuvei now has 14 in 13 games this season and 43 in his last 49 NRL games. His career tally of 72 in 107 games is only five short of Stacey Jones’ club record.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v CRONULLA SHARKS
Toyota Stadium, Cronulla
7.30pm, Saturday, August 7
7.30pm, Saturday, August 7
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1
LANCE HOHAIA
2
BILL TUPOU
3
BRENT TATE
4
JOEL MOON
5
MANU VATUVEI
6
JAMES MALONEY
7
BRETT SEYMOUR
8
BEN MATULINO
9
AARON HEREMAIA
10
RUSSELL PACKER
11
SIMON MANNERING (c)
12
LEWIS BROWN
13
MICHEAL LUCK
LANCE HOHAIA
2
BILL TUPOU
3
BRENT TATE
4
JOEL MOON
5
MANU VATUVEI
6
JAMES MALONEY
7
BRETT SEYMOUR
8
BEN MATULINO
9
AARON HEREMAIA
10
RUSSELL PACKER
11
SIMON MANNERING (c)
12
LEWIS BROWN
13
MICHEAL LUCK
Interchange:
14
IAN HENDERSON
15
JESSE ROYAL
16
JEREMY LATIMORE
17
UKUMA TA’AI
14
IAN HENDERSON
15
JESSE ROYAL
16
JEREMY LATIMORE
17
UKUMA TA’AI
JACOB LILLYMAN
)
