Warriors play down consequence of Green’s absence
WELLINGTON: The Warriors have suffered a major blow on the eve of their NRL match against North Queensland, with halfback Blake Green ruled out with injury from the game between the two bottomeight rivals at Mount Smart Stadium.
Green has not overcome the groin niggle he suffered during the warmups for last Saturday’s loss to South Sydney and has been omitted from the squad for today’s game in Auckland.
Without their most experienced playmaker, the Warriors will employ the same halves combination as last week.
Rookie Chanel HarrisTavita will start at halfback while regular centre Peta Hiku shifts in to fiveeighth.
Gerard Beale will start again in the centres.
Preseason fears were that the Warriors’ NRL hopes would hinge on Green’s fitness, although the club insists it can cope without him against North Queensland.
Green did not play in last week’s 2824 loss to South Sydney, a match notable for the Warriors conceding three tries in the final quarter to squander a 12point lead.
The control and direction Green provides were missing but coach Stephen Kearney would not attribute the meltdown to his absence.
The blame for failing to complete six of its last eight sets was spread across the team, he said.
‘‘We don’t want to put any superreliance on one person,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘We expect whoever comes into the team to fulfil their role and do it well.’’
Captain Roger TuivasaSheck continued his brilliant start to the season but even he threw away late possession.
He suggested Green’s importance had been overstated since the departure of Shaun Johnson and would not hear criticism of HarrisTavita after the 20yearold learned of his shift to halfback just moments before kickoff, in his second NRL match.
‘‘The way he performed throughout the majority of the game, he was calm, he got to our kicks and got our plays going,’’ TuivasaSheck said.
‘‘But just in the back end is the big lesson for us as leaders to step up. I thought Chanel did his job really well.’’
The Souths loss was the Warriors’ first close game of the season following two heavy defeats and two substantial wins, which both came at their Auckland home ground.
The Cowboys (14) are probably yearning for the return of injured powerhouse Jason Taumalolo as much as the Warriors want Green back.
Last week’s tense loss to Melbourne was the North Queenslanders’ fourth in a row, heaping more pressure on coach Paul Green. — AAP