Manu Vatuvei, Ryan Hoffman and Konrad Hurrell are all out of the Vodafone Warriors’ 18th-round NRL clash against Melbourne at Mount Smart Stadium today (4.00pm kick-off; match day sponsor: Suzuki; game day theme: #EverydayHeroes).
Vatuvei has been ruled out with a shoulder injury he picked up in the club’s 30-8 win over the Canberra Raiders on June 27.
Hoffman is side-lined with the calf injury which forced him off the field in New South Wales’ loss to Queensland in Wednesday night’s State of Origin decider while Hurrell is out with an arm injury suffered in training this week.
Jonathan Wright replaces Vatuvei for his 13th appearance of the season, David Fusitu’a comes in for Hurrell and Raymond Faitala-Mariner starts in the second row for Hoffman.
Sione Lousi comes onto the bench for his second NRL game this season.
In another change, Queensland Origin prop Jacob Lillyman goes to the bench with Albert Vete starting.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v MELBOURNE STORM
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
4.00pm, Sunday, July 12
Referees: Gerard Sutton and Chris James
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 SAM TOMKINS
2 TUIMOALA LOLOHEA
18 DAVID FUSITU’A
4 SOLOMONE KATA
21 JONATHAN WRIGHT
6 CHAD TOWNSEND
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
17 ALBERT VETE
9 NATHAN FRIEND
10 BEN MATULINO
11 BODENE THOMPSON
15 RAYMOND FAITALA-MARINER
13 SIMON MANNERING (c)
Interchange:
8 JACOB LILLYMAN
14 SILIVA HAVILI
16 CHARLIE GUBB
23 SIONE LOUSI
HEAD COACH: ANDREW McFADDEN
