Matulino named for Warriors
Ben Matulino is in line to play his first game of the season after being included in the Warriors’ 21-man squad for the traditional Anzac Day nrl clash against the Storm in Melbourne.
The 23-test Kiwis prop has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury during pre-season, which was further complicated by a postsurgery infection.
He is no certainty to take the field at AMII Park but with Stephen Kearney required to submit his squad yesterday – seven days out from the match – the coach has named him as one of the eight interchange contenders.
Matulino ramped up his training last week but he still has some boxes to tick before a final decision is made closer to kick-off.
‘‘Ben’s getting closer,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘He has been making good progress since returning to full training and should be ready to play soon.’’
Matulino, who is four games short of becoming the club’s fourth 200-game player, is the only change from the squad named for last Saturday’s 20-8 defeat in Canberra.
The Warriors have already lost to the Storm this year – going down 26-10 in round two at Mt Smart – and if cleared he would be a welcome addition to a pack that has struggled at times this season.
At his best the 28-year-old is one of the premier front-rowers in the game and, while James Gavet has made a significant difference over the past month, an in-form Matulino would provide another dimension to the Warriors forwards.
Matulino is in the final year of his contract and with much speculation over his future, it would also give him the chance to show just how valuable he can be, as well as push his case for Kiwis selection ahead of the Anzac test on May 5.
When he does make his comeback, Matulino will join the handful of players who have appeared across 10 NRL seasons for the Warriors, including Stacey Jones, Awen Guttenbeil, Lance Hohaia, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Simon Mannering and Sam Rapira.
Kearney, meanwhile, will be looking to address a disappointing second-half display against the Raiders that saw the team fall back into bad habits.
Having prided themselves on their ball control in the previous wins over Gold Coast and Parramatta, the Warriors conceded 17 errors for a 67 percent completion rate as they slumped to their fourth defeat from seven games.
A repeat performance will surely be punished by the Storm, who bounced back from their only loss of the season against Cronulla to beat Manly last week and sit first equal on the table.
Next Tuesday’s encounter will be the eighth Anzac Day match between the Storm and the Warriors since the fixture was first introduced in 2009.
The Auckland club has tended to rise to the occasion in the past, but that was certainly not the case last year and they will head to Melbourne keen to erase the demons from that embarrassing 42-0 loss.