Rookie NRL players Ngani Laumape, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Suaia Matagi (pictured) and Charlie Gubb will all line up for the Auckland Vulcans against Wests Tigers in Saturdays New South Wales Cup elimination final at Remondis Stadium in Cronulla (12.00pm kick-off local time; 2.00pm NZT). Photo: Photosport
The match between the sixth-placed Vulcans and the seventh-placed Tigers is the curtain-raiser to the qualifying final between minor premiers the Cronulla Sharks and the fourth-placed Windsor Wolves, Penriths feeder club.
While Laumape made his 14th NRL appearance and Matagi his 11th in the Vodafone Warriors final regular season match against St George Illawarra last Saturday, Taukeiaho was on debut as Vodafone Warrior No 184. Gubb, who had his only NRL outing so far against South Sydney in Perth in July, was 18th man in Wollongong.
The four, who have played extensively in the NSW Cup this season, will bolster a Vulcans side coming off a heavy 6-48 loss to North Sydney in last weekends final regular season game. Theyll join fellow NRL squad members Pita Godinet, Sebastine Ikahihifo and John Palavi as well as former NRL squad member Herman Retzlaff, 2013 Vodafone Junior Warriors Siliva Havili and Viliami Lolohea and former Vodafone Junior Warriors Agnatius Paasi, Nathaniel Peteru and Daniel Palavi.
The Vulcans will face a Wests Tigers side stacked with players with New Zealand connections including former Vodafone Junior Warrior and NRL squad member James Gavet, Josh Davis, Sitaleki Akauola, Eddie Paea, Ava Seumanufagai and Masada Iosefa. As well as Gavet, Akauola, Paea,
Seumanufagai and Iosefa, Sean Meaney, Moses Pangai, Matt Groat, Jarrod Farlow and Shaun Spence all have varying degrees of NRL experience.
The regular season meetings between the two sides were both thrillers with the Vulcans winning 26-24 in Auckland in April and the Tigers prevailing 20-18 at Campbelltown Sports Ground in June.
AUCKLAND VULCANS v WESTS TIGERS
Remondis Stadium, Cronulla
12.00pm, Saturday, September 14
Referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
AUCKLAND VULCANS
1TANGI ROPATI
2NGANI LAUMAPE
3SIO SIUA TAUKEIAHO
20AGNATIUS PAASI
5VILIAMI LOLOHEA
6STEVE WAETFORD
7PITA GODINET
8SUAIA MATAGI
9SILIVA HAVILI
10CHARLIE GUBB
11JOHN PALAVI
12SEBASTINE IKAHIHIFO
13MURRAY ITI
Interchange:
14AARON NOOTAI
15ATELEA NAFETALAI
16HERMAN RETZLAFF
17NATHANIEL PETERU
18DANIEL PALAVI
COACH: WILLIE SWANN
The match between the sixth-placed Vulcans and the seventh-placed Tigers is the curtain-raiser to the qualifying final between minor premiers the Cronulla Sharks and the fourth-placed Windsor Wolves, Penriths feeder club.
While Laumape made his 14th NRL appearance and Matagi his 11th in the Vodafone Warriors final regular season match against St George Illawarra last Saturday, Taukeiaho was on debut as Vodafone Warrior No 184. Gubb, who had his only NRL outing so far against South Sydney in Perth in July, was 18th man in Wollongong.
The four, who have played extensively in the NSW Cup this season, will bolster a Vulcans side coming off a heavy 6-48 loss to North Sydney in last weekends final regular season game. Theyll join fellow NRL squad members Pita Godinet, Sebastine Ikahihifo and John Palavi as well as former NRL squad member Herman Retzlaff, 2013 Vodafone Junior Warriors Siliva Havili and Viliami Lolohea and former Vodafone Junior Warriors Agnatius Paasi, Nathaniel Peteru and Daniel Palavi.
The Vulcans will face a Wests Tigers side stacked with players with New Zealand connections including former Vodafone Junior Warrior and NRL squad member James Gavet, Josh Davis, Sitaleki Akauola, Eddie Paea, Ava Seumanufagai and Masada Iosefa. As well as Gavet, Akauola, Paea,
Seumanufagai and Iosefa, Sean Meaney, Moses Pangai, Matt Groat, Jarrod Farlow and Shaun Spence all have varying degrees of NRL experience.
The regular season meetings between the two sides were both thrillers with the Vulcans winning 26-24 in Auckland in April and the Tigers prevailing 20-18 at Campbelltown Sports Ground in June.
AUCKLAND VULCANS v WESTS TIGERS
Remondis Stadium, Cronulla
12.00pm, Saturday, September 14
Referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
AUCKLAND VULCANS
1TANGI ROPATI
2NGANI LAUMAPE
3SIO SIUA TAUKEIAHO
20AGNATIUS PAASI
5VILIAMI LOLOHEA
6STEVE WAETFORD
7PITA GODINET
8SUAIA MATAGI
9SILIVA HAVILI
10CHARLIE GUBB
11JOHN PALAVI
12SEBASTINE IKAHIHIFO
13MURRAY ITI
Interchange:
14AARON NOOTAI
15ATELEA NAFETALAI
16HERMAN RETZLAFF
17NATHANIEL PETERU
18DANIEL PALAVI
COACH: WILLIE SWANN
