McFadden keeps winning team to go rabbit hunting

The Warriors have retained an unchanged line-up for Saturday’s clash against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Perth.

Aside from the 17 players used in Sunday’s 38-18 win over the Newcastle Knights, utility Tuimoala Lolohea and prop Charlie Gubb are the only new faces in the squad.

The encounter with the Rabbitohs is the Warriors’ third consecutive game in Perth after playing South Sydney there last year and Manly in 2012. Those two games resulted in defeats, prompting a change in their travelling schedule from the previous two years.

“We’re going a day earlier than we would usually for an away game in Australia,” coach Andrew McFadden said.

“We just want to ensure we enjoy the time away together as a group and focus on our performance.”

The Warriors have won four of their past five games, and lost three since McFadden took charge.

Significant improvements have been apparent in their defence, with the Warriors conceding an average of just 14 points a game. On their return to Mt Smart Stadium, the Warriors backed up their impressive completion rate of 33 from 36 sets (92 per cent) with just 16 missed tackles; in his 50th appearance for the club hooker Nathan Friend made 51 tackles without a miss.

Captain Simon Mannering produced an outstanding display in his double milestone match.

As well as his two tries — only his fifth double in 200 NRL matches — the 27-year-old made 125m from 13 runs and came up with 24 tackles, eight tackle breaks, one offload and one line break. Only six players — all backs — top his tally of 47 tries for the club; he now has a record of 53 wins and 47 losses as a captain.

Ben Matulino looms as the next Warrior to reach a career landmark. He is now just eight games short of playing his 150th game since his debut in 2008.