Six players return from the Vodafone Warriors’ NRL side to boost the club’s New South Wales Cup team for Sunday’s sudden-death finals clash against Canterbury-Bankstown at Jubilee Oval (6.10pm kick-off local time; 8.10pm NZT).
The fourth-placed Stacey Jones-coached side had a second life after losing its week one play-off against minor premiership winners the Mounties.
For that match Jones was again without many of his eligible first-choice players through injury or being on NRL duty for the club’s final match against the Bulldogs last Sunday.
With the NRL campaign over Jones has been able to welcome back centres Matt Allwood and Dominique Peyroux, halfback Mason Lino, props Sione Lousi and Sebastine Ikahihifo and back rower Raymond Faitala-Mariner. All contributed as the Vodafone Warriors came within three minutes of stunning the Bulldogs before losing 22-26.
It means the Vodafone Warriors will have a total of 10 players with NRL experience this week, a quality they’ve been short on in recent weeks.
While the availability of the six returning players has been welcomed by Jones he has also been able to recall Viliami Kaveinga at fullback. Others available are wing Saula Solomona and forward Paki Afu who helped the Point Chevalier Pirates to their third consecutive grand final success in Auckland’s Fox Memorial premiership on Saturday. Another back in the side is hooker Zac Tippins from the Mount Albert side beaten in the grand final.
The fifth-ranked Bulldogs eliminated North Sydney 22-4 and go into this weekend’s with a 2-0 edge in regular season encounters with the Vodafone Warriors. They won 26-18 at home and crushed a weakened Vodafone Warriors side on Mount Smart Stadium No 2.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS
Jubilee Oval, Sydney
6.10pm, Sunday, September 12
Referee: Liam Nicholls
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 VILIAMI KAVEINGA
2 SAULA SOLOMONA
3 MATT ALLWOOD
4 DOMINIQUE PEYROUX
5 KEN MAUMALO
6 ATA HINGANO
7 MASON LINO
8 SEBASTINE IKAHIHIFO
9 SILIVA HAVILI
10 SIONE LOUSI
11 JOHN PALAVI (c)
12 RAYMOND FAITALA-MARINER
13 DAVID BHANA
Interchange:
14 ZAC TIPPINS
15 JAMES BELL
16 UPU POCHING
17 PAKI AFU
18 DANIEL PALAVI
COACH | STACEY JONES
