Canterbury Cup and Jersey Flegg Cup football returns to Mount Smart Stadium on Sunday with both Vodafone Warriors featuring on an action-packed day against Newcastle.
The Vodafone Junior Warriors, now up to eighth on the JFC ladder, are under way at the extra early time of 10.00am facing the 10th-placed Knights.
Their match is followed by two games in the inaugural NRL Touch Premiership with the Vodafone Warriors’ men’s and women’s teams facing the Sydney Roosters in the competition’s opening round. The women start at 12.05pm and the men at 12.45pm.
Then the Vodafone Warriors line up against Newcastle in the Canterbury Cup. They’re coming off another tough loss, going down just 16-22 to the Bulldogs. It’s the fourth time they’ve lost by six or few points while they’re also had a draw.
Coach Nathan Cayless is in line to have significant NRL experience to call on with Solomone Kata and Taane Milne named in the centres, Adam Keighran and Api Pewhairangi in the halves and Chris Satae, Karl Lawton, Ligi Sao, Blake Ayshford and Leivaha Pulu in the pack with utility Sam Cook on the bench.
The Vodafone Junior Warriors are coming off a convincing 30-0 win over the Victoria Thunderbolts, their third win of the season.
Coach Greg Boulous has made slight line-up changes as the side seeks its first home win of the campaign.
CANTERBURY CUP NSW
VODAFONE WARRIORS v NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
1.45pm, Sunday, May 5
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 ADAM POMPEY
2 SETU TU
3 TAANE MILNE
4 SOLOMONE KATA
5 COLE WAAKA
6 ADAM KEIGHRAN
7 API PEWHAIRANGI
8 CHRIS SATAE
9 KARL LAWTON (c)
10 PRESTON RIKI
11 BLAKE AYSHFORD
12 LIGI SAO
13 LEIVAHA PULU
Interchange:
14 SAM COOK
15 JACKSON FREI
16 CLAYTON WILLIAMS
17 PHILLIP MAKATOA
18 ADAM TUIMAVAVE-GERRARD
20 LEWIS SOOSEMEA
COACH | NATHAN CAYLESS
JERSEY FLEGG CUP
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS v NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
10.00am, Sunday, May 5
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
1 EMANUEL TUIMAVAVE-GERRARD
2 SELESTINO RAVUTAUMADA
3 PATRICK ELIA
4 KAYAL IRO
5 EDWARD KOSI
6 PAUL TURNER
7 CASEY SMITH
8 MICHAEL LEMAFA
9 SEAN MULLANY
10 WESLEY VEIKOSO
11 BRODY TAMARUA
12 TOM ALE
13 TYLER SLADE (c)
Interchange:
14 TEMPLE KALEPO
15 NEYLA MASIMA
16 ISAIAH VAGANA
17 JYRIS GLAMUZINA
18 TEVITA MIKAELE
COACH | GREG BOULOUS
