The Vodafone Warriors kick off their sixth consecutive Intrust Super Premiership play-offs campaign when they face the Mounties at Panthers Stadium on Saturday (5.15pm kick-off local time; 7.15pm NZT).
Two week one finals encounters will be played at Penrith’s home ground on Saturday with the other two on Sunday.
The Vodafone Warriors were set to miss out on the play-offs until standoff Chanel Harris-Tavita produced some last-ditch heroics scoring a try and then converting it to turn an 18-22 deficit into a 24-22 victory over North Sydney last Saturday.
As a joint-venture between the Vodafone Warriors and the Auckland Rugby League, the now-defunct Auckland Vulcans made the finals in 2013 after missing out in 2012. The following season the Vodafone Warriors took over ownership of the team, setting off an era which has seen them reach the play-offs every year.
It was a close-run business this time, though, with the Vodafone Warriors needing to snap a six-match losing streak to qualify.
The result left them seventh on 24 points with the Mounties finishing sixth on 26 points despite losing their last five matches.
The Vodafone Warriors have named an unchanged starting line-up to face the Canberra Raiders’ feeder side. It includes nine players with NRL experience, five of them in the starting pack.
INTRUST SUPER PREMIERSHIP
VODAFONE WARRIORS v MOUNTIES
5.15pm, Saturday, September 1
Panthers Stadium, Sydney
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 HAYZE PERHAM
2 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
3 BLAKE AYSHFORD
4 ANTHONY GELLING
5 JUNIOR PAUGA
6 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA
7 SAM COOK
8 LIGI SAO
9 KARL LAWTON
10 CHRIS SATAE
11 MATIU LOVE-HENRY
12 JOSEPH VUNA
13 JAMES BELL (c)
Interchange:
14 TOM ALE
15 KING VUNIYAYAWA
16 PATRICK SIPLEY
17 PRESTON RIKI
COACH | JOHN TEINA
