Roache ruled out

Nathaniel Roache’s seasonending injury has opened the door for veteran hooker Issac Luke to return to the Warriors’ first-grade side.

Roache, who went down during Sunday’s 19-18 golden point loss to the Panthers after coming on as a replacement, has been ruled out for the rest of the NRL season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. His injury means Luke returns to the bench for Saturday’s round 16 clash against the Newcastle Knights after being dropped to Canterbury Cup last week.

A statement from the Auckland-based club confirmed the injury yesterday.

Warriors coach Stephen Kearney has resisted bulk changes for the away match in Newcastle following a disastrous loss to a Panthers side who had