Warriors name unchanged team
WELLINGTON: The Warriors have named an unchanged team for their clash against the Bulldogs on Sunday which can solidify the Auckland club’s place in the NRL top eight.
Coming off backtoback wins, the Warriors are seventh on the ladder and two wins clear of the ninthplaced Tigers with three rounds to play.
It is a position the club finds itself in thanks in no small part to captain Roger TuivasaSheck.
The fullback takes some of the best form of his career into his 50th appearance for the club against the CanterburyBankstown side in Sydney.
He ran 338m in the gritty 204 win over the Knights last Friday, following on from a 239m effort as his side held on for an 1812 victory away to the Dragons.
In 19 matches this season, TuivasaSheck has totalled almost 3500m at an average of more than 183 per game and a total of 100 tackle breaks.
TuivasaSheck said last month’s embarrassing 3612 loss to the Gold Coast Titans at Robina was the wakeup he and his team needed.
Coach Stephen Kearney label led his players ‘‘soft’’ and asked them to look closely at themselves, his skipper included.
‘‘That Gold Coast game was awesome because it gave us a bit of a lesson. You can’t go over there with that type of attitude,’’ TuivasaSheck said.
‘‘When we were called ‘soft’ by coach, a lot of us took it real personal.
On Sunday, he will lead the Warriors in search of their 14th win of the season to match their best record in the past 15 years.
The Bulldogs contest also gives the Warriors the opportunity to extend their club record for away wins in one season to nine.
The first four players named on the interchange remains unchanged, utility Jazz Tevaga joined by second rower Leivaha Pulu, prop Bunty Afoa and utility back Peta Hiku.
The Warriors have won two of their past three games against the Bulldogs, but the Sydney outfit has a 64 edge in the past 10 encounters and a 105 advantage (with two draws) in clashes at home.
A Manly coach Trent Barrett has reportedly quit the NRL club, following another poor season.
News Corp says Barrett gave the club 12 months’ notice in July but the Sea Eagles have decided to release him early from the final year of his contract and he will finish up at the end of the season.
His apparent departure from the northern beaches now puts him in the box seat to replace the sacked Anthony Griffin at Penrith, a place he has been linked to all season. — RNZ/AAP