Prop Ben Matulino (pictured) moves back into the Vodafone Warriors' staring line-up for tonight's contest against Penrith. Photo: Photosport.
Vodafone Warriors head coach Matthew Elliott has made just one player swap for tonights 10th-round NRL battle against Penrith at Centrebet Stadium (7.30pm kick-off local time; 9.30pm kick-off NZT).
Sam Rapira has been cleared to return from the hand injury that kept him out of last weeks encounter with Canterbury-Bankstown in Wellington.
But while he was named to start in the front row against the Panthers he has been confirmed in the interchange bench with Ben Matulino promoted to start in tandem with Russell Packer.
Rapiras return restores the Vodafone Warriors first-choice quartet of props with Jacob Lillyman set to join Rapira on the field when Elliott goes to the bench for the first time tonight.
A feature of tonights encounter will be Feleti Mateo making his 150th NRL appearance not much more than 48 hours after signing a new three-year deal to remain at the Vodafone Warriors until the end of the 2016 season.
This will be his 62nd consecutive game since joining the club. Hes the only player in the squad who has appeared in every match since the start of the 2011 season.
Consistently the competitions leading off loader, Mateo made his debut for Parramatta in 2004 before a stint with the London Broncos in the English Super League.
He returned to the Eels, reviving his NRL career in 2006 and going on to make 88 appearances with Parramatta before shifting to Auckland.
With Kevin Locke still out with a back injury, Glen Fisiiahi will again start at fullback. His peers named him the players player of the day after his display against the Bulldogs; he scored his fourth career try and also laid on one for winger Manu Vatuvei.
Also retained is Carlos Tuimavave, again starting in the centres with experienced Dane Nielsen (ribs) and Jerome Ropati (hamstring) still not ready while Konrad Hurrell and Ngani Laumape appearing for the Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup today.
The Vodafone Warriors face a Penrith side sitting two points ahead of them in 12th spot on the ladder after their 12-10 win over 2012 premiers the
Melbourne Storm on Sunday night.
Therell also be some familiar faces in the opposition camp, not just former Vodafone Warriors coach Ivan Cleary and assistant David Fairleigh but also ex-Vodafone Warriors players Lewis Brown, Isaac John and Matt Robinson who all featured against the Storm.
When the two teams met at Penriths home ground on wet June night last year, Vatuvei scored a double in the Vodafone Warriors 30-16 win.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v PENRITH PANTHERS
Centrebet Stadium, Penrith
7.30pm, Saturday, May 18
Referees: Gerrard Sutton and Henry Perenara
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1GLEN FISIIAHI
2BILL TUPOU
3BEN HENRY
4CARLOS TUIMAVAVE
5MANU VATUVEI
6THOMAS LEULUAI
7SHAUN JOHNSON
14BEN MATULINO
9NATHAN FRIEND
10RUSSELL PACKER
11FELETI MATEO
12SIMON MANNERING (c)
13TODD LOWRIE
Interchange:
8SAM RAPIRA
15JACOB LILLYMAN
16ELIJAH TAYLOR
17PITA GODINET
HEAD COACH: MATTHEW ELLIOTT
Vodafone Warriors head coach Matthew Elliott has made just one player swap for tonights 10th-round NRL battle against Penrith at Centrebet Stadium (7.30pm kick-off local time; 9.30pm kick-off NZT).
Sam Rapira has been cleared to return from the hand injury that kept him out of last weeks encounter with Canterbury-Bankstown in Wellington.
But while he was named to start in the front row against the Panthers he has been confirmed in the interchange bench with Ben Matulino promoted to start in tandem with Russell Packer.
Rapiras return restores the Vodafone Warriors first-choice quartet of props with Jacob Lillyman set to join Rapira on the field when Elliott goes to the bench for the first time tonight.
A feature of tonights encounter will be Feleti Mateo making his 150th NRL appearance not much more than 48 hours after signing a new three-year deal to remain at the Vodafone Warriors until the end of the 2016 season.
This will be his 62nd consecutive game since joining the club. Hes the only player in the squad who has appeared in every match since the start of the 2011 season.
Consistently the competitions leading off loader, Mateo made his debut for Parramatta in 2004 before a stint with the London Broncos in the English Super League.
He returned to the Eels, reviving his NRL career in 2006 and going on to make 88 appearances with Parramatta before shifting to Auckland.
With Kevin Locke still out with a back injury, Glen Fisiiahi will again start at fullback. His peers named him the players player of the day after his display against the Bulldogs; he scored his fourth career try and also laid on one for winger Manu Vatuvei.
Also retained is Carlos Tuimavave, again starting in the centres with experienced Dane Nielsen (ribs) and Jerome Ropati (hamstring) still not ready while Konrad Hurrell and Ngani Laumape appearing for the Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup today.
The Vodafone Warriors face a Penrith side sitting two points ahead of them in 12th spot on the ladder after their 12-10 win over 2012 premiers the
Melbourne Storm on Sunday night.
Therell also be some familiar faces in the opposition camp, not just former Vodafone Warriors coach Ivan Cleary and assistant David Fairleigh but also ex-Vodafone Warriors players Lewis Brown, Isaac John and Matt Robinson who all featured against the Storm.
When the two teams met at Penriths home ground on wet June night last year, Vatuvei scored a double in the Vodafone Warriors 30-16 win.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v PENRITH PANTHERS
Centrebet Stadium, Penrith
7.30pm, Saturday, May 18
Referees: Gerrard Sutton and Henry Perenara
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1GLEN FISIIAHI
2BILL TUPOU
3BEN HENRY
4CARLOS TUIMAVAVE
5MANU VATUVEI
6THOMAS LEULUAI
7SHAUN JOHNSON
14BEN MATULINO
9NATHAN FRIEND
10RUSSELL PACKER
11FELETI MATEO
12SIMON MANNERING (c)
13TODD LOWRIE
Interchange:
8SAM RAPIRA
15JACOB LILLYMAN
16ELIJAH TAYLOR
17PITA GODINET
HEAD COACH: MATTHEW ELLIOTT
