With three straight wins, the Vodafone Junior Warriors will take essentially the same line-up into Monday’s fifth-round NYC match against Melbourne at AAMI Park (2.45pm kick-off local time; 4.45pm NZT).
The only change to the side that beat Brisbane 40-14 last Sunday sees Paul Ulberg return on the right wing after making a try-scoring debut for the club’s New South Wales Cup side in its 18-16 win against North Sydney last Saturday.
In his absence Levi McBirney, who played First XV rugby union for Westlake Boys’ High School, scored a try in his first NYC appearance.
McBirney moves to a five-man interchange for the clash against the Storm to make way for the experienced Ulberg.
Otherwise coach Kelvin Wright has use essentially of the same group of players who have been involved in the run of wins over Canberra, Parramatta and Brisbane which have the 2014 NYC premiers sitting third on the table at this early stage of the campaign.
In the three wins, which followed a 16-41 first-round loss to Newcastle, the Vodafone Junior Warriors have scored a total 122 points while conceding only 48.
In contrast, their Melbourne counterparts have bounced between big wins and big losses. They started the season with a 34-8 away win over St George Illawara, fell 20-46 away to Manly, overwhelmed Cronulla 44-12 at home and then suffered a heavy 6-50 loss away to the Cowboys on Monday night. The results leave them 10th, two points behind the Vodafone Junior Warriors.
MELBOURNE STORM v VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
AAMI Park, Melbourne
2.45pm, Monday, April 06
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
1 BRAD ABBEY
2 TOMAS AOAKE
3 SEMISI TYRELL
4 MARATA NIUKORE
5 PAUL ULBERG
6 ATA HINGANO
7 ERIN CLARK
8 BUNTY AFOA
9 NATHANIEL ROACHE
10 TOAFOFOA SIPLEY (c)
11 OFAHIKI OGDEN
12 MATIU LOVE-HENRY
13 JAZZ TEVAGA
Interchange:
14 SHELDON PITAMA
15 ROMAN TUHIMATA
16 AMONI TUFUI
17 JOSEPH PRICE
18 LEVI McBIRNEY
COACH: KELVIN WRIGHT
