Harris: Stopping Roosters gettinn

David Skipwith

Warriors second-rower Tohu Harris says they need to stop the Roosters from getting a roll on if they are to limit the impact of star halfback Cooper Cronk in Saturday’s NRL clash at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

The former Melbourne teammates will square off against each other for the first time since they both left the Storm to join new clubs at the end of last season.

Having played five seasons alongside Cronk, Harris insists there’s no way to entirely close the former Australian and Queensland playmaker out of a game and believes the Warriors can only hope to defend well enough to limit his influence.

“It’s going to be a tough test for us against the Roosters,” Harris said.

“I don’t think there is a way to shut him down.

“Teams have tried different things to stop him, but he’s a player that only comes along once in a generation.

“He’s a great player and he’s proven that time and time again on the biggest stages. Everyone just has to make sure they’re doing their jobs defensively to limit his options, but he’s a quality player.”

The Warriors are focusing on stopping the home side’s forward pack from providing Cronk with time and space to orchestrate their attack.

The Warriors forwards have performed well in three straight wins over the Rabbitohs, Titans and Raiders, but have their work cut out for them in containing the likes of Roosters front-