The Vodafone Warriors have named no fewer than nine players from their 2019 Jersey Flegg squad plus 18-year-old fullback Rocco Berry for their 2020 Canterbury Cup season opener against the Newcastle Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday (12.40pm kick-off local times; 2.40pm NZT).
Berry was still at school playing First XV rugby union with St Pat’s Silverstream in Wellington last year and now lines up in his first full rugby league match.
His only previous experience came last month when he spent some time on the field in the Vodafone Warriors’ NRL trial against Melbourne in Palmerston North.
He’ll have plenty of youthful company on Saturday with centre Edward Kosi, winger Selestino Ravutaumada and standoff Paul Turner all out of under-20 football last year.
In the forwards hooker Temple Kalepo, second rower Tom Ale and loose forward Tyler Slade also played Jersey Flegg football last year as did interchange players Sean Mullany, Jyris Glamuzina and Isaiah Vagana.
New coach Justin Morgan is able to call on only three players with NRL experience – halfback Adam Keighran, centre Adam Pompey and second rower Leivaha Pulu.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
12.40pm, Saturday, March 14, 2020
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 ROCCO BERRY
2 SETU TU
3 ADAM POMPEY
4 EDWARD KOSI
5 SELESTINO RAVUTAUMADA
6 PAUL TURNER
7 ADAM KEIGHRAN
8 ADAM TUIMAVAVE-GERRARD
9 TEMPLE KALEPO
10 PRESTON RIKI
11 TOM ALE
12 LEIVAHA PULU
13 TYLER SLADE
Interchange:
14 SEAN MULLANY
15 JYRIS GLAMUZINA
16 ISAIAH VAGANA
17 EMELIANO MIKAELE
18 NICHOLAS HALALILO
COACH | JUSTIN MORGAN
