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The Warriors "host" the Raiders on the Gold Coast having made the selfless decision to base themselves in Australia for at least a week after New Zealand imposed border restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The confusion and drama of the current situation only adds to a very tough task for Stephen Kearney's men, who were held scoreless by Newcastle in round one.

They come up against a Canberra side that put the Titans away easily without getting out of first gear.

The Rundown

Team news

Warriors: The Warriors are 1-17 with Hayze Perham, Leivaha Pulu, Karl Lawton and Hayze Perham cut from the extended bench named on Tuesday. Winger Patrick Herbert and centre Peta Hiku returned home for family reasons and their places have been taken by Adam Pompey and Adam Keighran. In the pack, Eliesa Katoa has been promoted to the starting side and Isaiah Papalii goes to the bench. 

Raiders: Canberra are also 1-17 with Sam Williams and Ryan Sutton omitted from the reserves on game day after Harley Smith-Shields and Tom Starling dropped out of the 21 on the eve of the match. Co-captain Jarrod Croker and fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad failed to finish round one with head knocks but are confirmed starters. The only minor change to the winning squad from round one is a back-row shuffle with Corey Horsburgh and Joe Tapine swapping places. 

Team Lists

Backs

  • Fullback for Warriors is number 1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
    Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
  • Winger for Warriors is number 2 Adam Pompey
    Winger for Raiders is number 2 Bailey Simonsson
  • Centre for Warriors is number 3 David Fusitu'a
    Centre for Raiders is number 3 Jarrod Croker
  • Centre for Warriors is number 4 Adam Keighran
    Centre for Raiders is number 4 Curtis Scott
  • Winger for Warriors is number 5 Ken Maumalo
    Winger for Raiders is number 5 Nick Cotric
  • Five-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita
    Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack Wighton
  • Halfback for Warriors is number 7 Blake Green
    Halfback for Raiders is number 7 George Williams

Forwards

  • Prop for Warriors is number 8 Leeson Ah Mau
    Prop for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papali'i
  • Hooker for Warriors is number 9 Wayde Egan
    Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Josh Hodgson
  • Prop for Warriors is number 10 Lachlan Burr
    Prop for Raiders is number 10 Dunamis Lui
  • 2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Eliesa Katoa
    2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Joseph Tapine
  • 2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Tohu Harris
    2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead
  • Lock for Warriors is number 13 Adam Blair
    Lock for Raiders is number 13 Corey Horsburgh

Interchange

  • Interchange for Warriors is number 14 Kodi Nikorima
    Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Siliva Havili
  • Interchange for Warriors is number 15 Jamayne Taunoa-Brown
    Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Emre Guler
  • Interchange for Warriors is number 16 Isaiah Papali'i
    Interchange for Raiders is number 16 Iosia Soliola
  • Interchange for Warriors is number 17 King Vuniyayawa
    Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Michael Oldfield

Match Officials

  • Referee: Chris Sutton
  • Referee: Dave Munro

Last updated:

Key match-up

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck v Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. Once RTS's understudy at the Warriors, Nicoll-Klokstad is now a star in his own right. The Warriors rely heavily on Tuivasa-Sheck's brilliance in attack, so he'll need to be outstanding to give them a chance.

Where it'll be won and lost

The Warriors must show more creativity to have a chance of beating the high-flying Raiders. The likes of Chanel Harris-Tavita, RTS and Kodi Nikorima are their potential game-breakers. If the Raiders start fast - as they did last week with five-eighth Jack Wighton dominating from the outset - they could quickly crush the Warriors' spirit and career away for a big win.

Brett Kimmorley says

I think the Warriors will have a fair few distractions on their mind other than playing football. They were poor in round one and looked like they were off the pace a little bit. The Raiders and Jack Wighton have hit the ground running after their 2019 success. They look sharp and fast. Raiders by 16.

Stat Attack

The Raiders received superb contributions from their outside backs in last week's defeat of the Titans. Wingers Bailey Simonsson and Nick Cotric and centre Curtis Scott combined for 437m from a collective 47 runs. The Warriors completed 19/21 sets in the first half against the Knights but just 14/21 in the second half.

And another thing…

These sides have met 38 times since 1998, with the spoils shared at 19 wins apiece.

Acknowledgement of Country

The New Zealand Warriors honour the mana of the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, Australia and the Pacific. We acknowledge the traditional kaitiaki of the lands, elders past and present, their stories, their traditions, their mamae and their mana motuhake.

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