Kieran Foran is again confirmed to make his Vodafone Warriors debut while James Gavet has been brought into the starting pack for today’s fifth-round NRL clash against the Gold Coast Titans at Mount Smart Stadium (4.00pm kick-off; match day sponsor: SKYCITY).
Foran has made good progress in training this week after being forced out of last week’s encounter with St George Illawarra with a hamstring twinge in warm-up.
He was cleared to play today after coming through yesterday’s final team run.
He’s now set to become Vodafone Warrior #217 a week later than planned, enabling the Vodafone Warriors to start with their all-Kiwi spine for the first time – captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at fullback, Foran and Shaun Johnson in the halves and Issac Luke at hooker.
Vodafone Warriors head coach Stephen Kearney has tweaked his starting forward pack by bringing James Gavet in at prop with Charlie Gubbon a bench which also includes Sam Lisone, Ligi Sao and Ata Hingano.
Gavet was impressive in his first NRL outing of the season against the Dragons, making 129 metres from 15 runs and coming up with 20 tackles.
Bunty Afoa, Albert Vete, Mason Lino and Nathaniel Roache were all dropped off the original extended bench to start for the club’s Intrust Super Premiership side against the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles in today’s curtain raiser.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v GOLD COAST TITANS
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
4.00pm, Sunday, April 2
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (c)
2 BLAKE AYSHFORD
3 DAVID FUSITU’A
4 SOLOMONE KATA
5 KEN MAUMALO
6 KIERAN FORAN
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
15 JAMES GAVET
9 ISSAC LUKE
10 JACOB LILLYMAN
11 BODENE THOMPSON
12 RYAN HOFFMAN
13 SIMON MANNERING
Interchange:
8 CHARLIE GUBB
16 SAM LISONE
17 LIGI SAO
21 MAFOA’AEATA HINGANO
HEAD COACH | STEPHEN KEARNEY
