You have skipped the navigation, tab for page content
Team Update: Squad cut by three

Centre Viliami Vailea and back rower Demitric Sifakula have been retained in the 19-man game day squad for the One New Zealand Warriors’ traditional Anzac Day clash against the Storm at AAMI Stadium in Melbourne tomorrow (7.00pm kick-off local time; 9.00pm NZT).

They flew out with the NRL squad this afternoon just 24 hours after helping the club’s New South Wales Cup side vault to the top of the ladder with a 48-4 win over the Eels.

The three players to drop off the extended bench at the 24-hour cut-off were fullback Taine Tuaupiki, halfback Ronald Volkman and prop Zyon Maiu’u who also played for the NSW Cup team yesterday.

The One New Zealand Warriors have welcomed back second rower Marata Niukore from a two-game suspension for the Anzac Day contest but are without hooker Wayde Egan who is sitting out another week after being concussed in the loss to Newcastle on April 9.

It means the inbound Niukore is the only change to the 17 players used in the gritty 22-14 win over the Cowboys in front of a sold-out Mount Smart Stadium nine days ago.

Team Lists

Backs

  • Fullback for Storm is number 1 Nick Meaney
    Fullback for Warriors is number 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
  • Winger for Storm is number 2 Will Warbrick
    Winger for Warriors is number 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
  • Centre for Storm is number 3 Reimis Smith
    Centre for Warriors is number 3 Marcelo Montoya
  • Centre for Storm is number 4 Justin Olam
    Centre for Warriors is number 4 Adam Pompey
  • Winger for Storm is number 5 Xavier Coates
    Winger for Warriors is number 5 Edward Kosi
  • Five-Eighth for Storm is number 6 Cameron Munster
    Five-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Dylan Walker
  • Halfback for Storm is number 7 Jahrome Hughes
    Halfback for Warriors is number 7 Shaun Johnson

Forwards

  • Prop for Storm is number 10 Christian Welch
    Prop for Warriors is number 8 Addin Fonua-Blake
  • Hooker for Storm is number 9 Harry Grant
    Hooker for Warriors is number 9 Freddy Lussick
  • Prop for Storm is number 17 Tariq Sims
    Prop for Warriors is number 10 Jazz Tevaga
  • 2nd Row for Storm is number 11 Trent Loiero
    2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Jackson Ford
  • 2nd Row for Storm is number 12 Eliesa Katoa
    2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Marata Niukore
  • Lock for Storm is number 13 Josh King
    Lock for Warriors is number 13 Tohu Harris

Interchange

  • Interchange for Storm is number 8 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
    Interchange for Warriors is number 14 Bayley Sironen
  • Interchange for Storm is number 14 Bronson Garlick
    Interchange for Warriors is number 15 Josh Curran
  • Interchange for Storm is number 19 Aaron Pene
    Interchange for Warriors is number 16 Bunty Afoa
  • Interchange for Storm is number 20 Tyran Wishart
    Interchange for Warriors is number 17 Tom Ale

Reserves

  • Replacement for Storm is number 18 Grant Anderson
    Replacement for Warriors is number 18 Viliami Vailea

Match Officials

  • Referee: Grant Atkins
  • Touch Judge: Belinda Sharpe
  • Touch Judge: Peter Gough
  • Senior Review Official: Ben Cummins

Last updated:

His returns results in Josh Curran moving to the interchange along with Bayley Sironen, Bunty Afoa and Tom Ale.

After being revealed as a late change to face the Cowboys, Marcelo Montoya – playing his 98th career match this week – is locked in as a centres partner to Adam Pompey with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak on the right wing.

On a night when the One New Zealand Warriors had just 44 per cent possession against the Cowboys, the back five again made a telling contribution, fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad with 181 metres from 19 runs, Watene-Zelezniak (156 from 14) and Montoya (136 from 13) topped 100 metres while winger Edward Kosi (95 from 11) and Pompey (94 from six) weren’t far off.

The defence improved exponentially from the games against the Sharks and the Knights. In those two matches the One New Zealand Warriors missed a combined total of more than 60 tackles but against the Cowboys the missed tackles column was down to a season-best 17.

Sitting third on the ladder on 10 points at the start if the round, the One New Zealand Warriors’ 5-2 start to the season has been bettered only once in the club’s history (6-1 in 2018).

Now they face what has been a daunting assignment more often than not against the Storm, especially on Anzac Day.

At stake as always in encounters between the two clubs is the Michael Moore Trophy, a prize the Storm has held for the last 13 matches dating back to the One New Zealand Warriors’ last success (28-14) at Mount Smart in 2015.

The club’s last Anzac Day win was a 16-10 result in 2014 with the Storm prevailing in the last seven April 25 contests.  

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.

Principal Partner

Major Partners

Official Sponsors

View All Partners