Ngani Laumape returns from a knee injury to line up in the centres for the Vodafone Warriors in their fourth-round New South Wales Cup clash against North Sydney at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday (1.00pm kick-off).
Laumape, who has made 30 NRL appearances since his debut in 2013, was sidelined with a knee injury he picked up in mid-February but has come through rehab to be available sooner than expected.
He has joined the comeback man George Carmont in the centres in what is otherwise a settled Vodafone Warriors side. Laumape replaces the experienced Dominique Peyroux who has been selected as 18th man for the club’s NRL side.
Fullback Viliami Kaveinga was originally named to play against Wentworthville last Saturday but was subsequently ruled out and replaced by Matt Allwood. He’s back in the No 1 jersey to face the Bears this week.
Otherwise the squad is the same as the one which accounted for Wentworthville 44-20, the second win in three starts which has the Vodafone Warriors lying fourth on the ladder at this early stage of the season.
While Allwood and Peyroux are missing this week, coach Stacey Jones has still been able to call on nine players with NRL experience. Leading ther way is Carmont, who also brings extensive Super League experience from his time with Wigan; in two games back in the game the 36-year-old former Newcastle centre had scored three tries.
BUY TICKETS NOW | VODAFONE WARRIORS v BRISBANE BRONCOS
VODAFONE WARRIORS v NORTH SYDNEY BEARS
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
1.00pm, Saturday, March 28
Referee: Jamal Thompson
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 VILIAMI KAVEINGA
2 SAULA SOLOMONA
3 GEORGE CARMONT
4 NGANI LAUMAPE
5 JARROD TUA
6 API PEWHAIRANGI
7 SAM COOK
8 SUAIA MATAGI
9 SILIVA HAVILI
10 SEBASTINE IKAHIHIFO
11 RAYMOND FAITALA-MARINER
12 SIONE LOUSI
13 JOHN PALAVI (c)
Interchange:
14 DAVID BHANA
15 CHARLIE GUBB
16 NATHANIEL PETERU
17 JAMES BELL
18 RAY TALIMALIE
COACH: STACEY JONES
