One-club man makes 100
Versatile forward has been a fixture with the Warriors throughout his NRL career
Jazz Tevaga moves into elite company when he becomes the 27th player to appear in 100 NRL matches for the Warriors in their 11th-round encounter with the St George Illawarra Dragons at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick-off local time; 5pm NZT).
In the absence of injured firstchoice dummy half Wayde Egan (calf), Tevaga has again been named to start at hooker in a side which features the possible return of second rower Euan Aitken (head knock), centre Jesse Arthars (shoulder) and standoff Chanel Harris-tavita (ruptured testicle).
It was at the same ground against the same opponents that the club’s last 100-game mark was brought up by former captain Roger Tuivasasheck last April.
It’s a singular triumph for the 26-year-old Tevaga, a devoted club man who’s the epitome of the true rugby league battler.
He becomes the 23rd club product to go on to 100 appearances after making his debut with the Vodafone Warriors, the only exceptions being Jacob Lillyman, Micheal Luck, Nathan Fien and Tuivasa-sheck who started their careers with other clubs (Lillyman, Luck and Fien with the Cowboys, Tuivasa-sheck with the Roosters).
After his debut against Melbourne in 2016, Tevaga made just 15 appearances in his first two NRL seasons but has been a frontline choice in his last five seasons.
While Tevaga reaches 100 games this week, long-time team-mate Bunty Afoa edges up to 95 appearances against the Dragons, leaving him on track to play his 100th in the emotional Mount Smart Stadium homecoming match against Wests Tigers on July 3.
After sitting out the South Sydney
contest, Aitken is working through HIA protocols in the hope of returning for his 145th career appearances against his former club this weekend. The former centre needs one more try to reach his 50-try career milestone.
Arthars and Harris-tavita could both come into the final line-up after being included on the extended 24-man bench.
Captain Tohu Harris made his comeback off the bench after initially being named in the starting line-up for the South Sydney clash last weekend. Following his 29-minute stint against the Rabbitohs he’s listed to start again; it seems unlikely he will be swapped out this week as the Warriors desperately search for their fifth win of the season after losing their last two.
The Vodafone Warriors have grim memories of their last clash against the Dragons in the opening round of the season when they had a 16-14 lead early in the second half but fell to a 16-28 loss.
While the Dragons remain the Warriors’ most challenging opponents (just 10 wins in 33 clashes), the ledger has been far more favourable in recent times. They have won six of the last 10, Tevaga a common denominator in five of them including the first in 2016 when he happened to be the starting hooker in an upset 26-10 win.— Supplied content