Luke on target to take on Wests Tigers

Hooker Issac Luke is poised to start for the Vodafone Warriors in their ninth-round NRL clash against the Wests Tigers at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday (7.30pm kick-off; match day sponsor: TNT).

He left the field early with a knee injury in the Anzac Day clash against Melbourne and was initially expected to face some time on the sideline.

However, Luke trained early in the week, was named in the line-up on Tuesday and has trained throughout the week.

Set to make his comeback from a hamstring injury is prop James Gavet, who hasn't been in the NRL side since the round three win over Canberra in March.

The squad is now down to 19 with two players from the original 21 dropped off as required tonight 24 hours before kick-off. The two players left off are centre Anthony Gelling and utility Sam Cook, who'll play for the club's Intrust Super Premiership side against the Mounties in Canberra tomorrow.

The six players remaining on the bench are Karl Lawton, Sam Lisone, Isaiah Papali'i, James Gavet, Mason Lino and Albert Vete. Ex-Gold Coast utility Lawton is set to make his debut for the club, becoming Vodafone Warrior #229.

VODAFONE WARRIORS v WESTS TIGERS

7.30pm, Saturday, May 05, 2018
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
Referees: Ben Cummins and Grant Atkins

VODAFONE WARRIORS

1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (c)
2 DAVID FUSITU'A
3 PETA HIKU
4 SOLOMONE KATA
5 KEN MAUMALO
6 BLAKE GREEN
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 BUNTY AFOA
9 ISSAC LUKE
10 AGNATIUS PAASI
11 SIMON MANNERING
12 TOHU HARRIS
13 ADAM BLAIR
Interchange:
14 KARL LAWTON
15 SAM LISONE
16 ISAIAH PAPALI'I
17 JAMES GAVET
20 MASON LINO
21 ALBERT VETE

HEAD COACH | STEPHEN KEARNEY