YOUR TEAM | Rd18 v Storm

Author: warriors.kiwi
Timestamp: Tue 7 Jul 2015, 03:01 PM

In a season laden with both team and individual milestones, Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson will move within one appearance of becoming the club’s 23rd 100-game player in Sunday’s 18th-round NRL encounter with Melbourne at Mount Smart Stadium (4.00pm kick-off; game day theme: #EverydayHeroes; match day sponsor: Suzuki).

With the Michael Moore Trophy at stake, the contest rounds off another home tripleheader which starts with the Vodafone Warriors facing Illawarra in the New South Wales Cup (11.40am kick-off) and is followed by the NYC clash between the Vodafone Junior Warriors and the Storm (1.35pm kick-off).

Johnson’s 99^th appearance on Sunday leaves him on track for his 100^th against the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Sunday, July 19; he made his debut against the same side and at the same venue in 2011.

The 24-year-old has collected 34 points in his last two outings against the Gold Coast Titans and the Canberra Raiders to take his career tally past 500 points (and 100 for the season). With 526 points, he has gone past Ivan Cleary (439) this season and is poised to overtake James Maloney (547) to move into third position on the club’s all-time list. The top two spots belong to Stacey Jones (674) and Manu Vatuvei, who has an all-tries total of 584 points.

Johnson is paired in the halves with Chad Townsend for the 16^th consecutive time this season in the Vodafone Warriors’ return from their second bye.

They feature in a consistent selection as the Vodafone Warriors seek a run of three straight wins for the second time this season. After beating Gold Coast 36-14 and Canberra 30-8 they have won five of their last seven games to have a share of fourth spot on 20 points; they’re seventh on points for and against.

The Storm are also on 20 points and sitting fifth but have lost their last three games and four of their last five. Their most recent win was against Penrith on June 6.

They’re set to be boosted by the return of their Queensland Origin players Cameron Smith, Will Chambers and Cooper Cronk provided they come through tomorrow night’s series decider in Brisbane. Smith is in line to achieve one of the game’s biggest milestones with his 300^th NRL appearance on Sunday.

The Vodafone Warriors will be hoping their experienced forwards Jacob Lillyman and Ryan Hoffman survive as well as they look to join Ben Matulino, Nathan Friend, Simon Mannering and Bodene Thompson in a settled starting pack. Lillyman, Hoffman, Mannering, Thompson and Matulino have started 14 of the club’s 15 games so far (Lillyman and Hoffman missed just the match against the Roosters ahead of Origin II).

Overall the Vodafone Warriors have 15 wins, two draws and 18 losses in 35 encounters with the Storm. At Mount Smart Stadium the record is 8-8 after 16 matches so far. In the last 10 games stretching back to 2010 the rivals are also even at 5-5.