A total of 15 players used in the One New Zealand Warriors’ NRL trial in Christchurch have been named in an extended New South Wales Cup line-up for a hit-out against Counties Manukau at Go Media Stadium on Saturday (3.15pm kick-off).
Among them are the Warriors’ three try scorers in last Sunday’s 16-18 loss to the Wests Tigers in second rower Jacob Laban, winger Setu Tu and hooker Paul Roache.
Roache, who made his NRL debut against Dolphins last season, is joined by loose forward Kalani Going, a first-grade debutant in the same match.
Of the players who travelled to Christchurch, 13 are listed to start on Saturday with second rower Eddie Ieremia and hooker Etuate Fukofuka on the bench.
Match Moments: Laban with club's opening try
Most of the players in the named run-on team appeared for the One New Zealand Warriors in the New South Wales Cup last year when they finished one win short of the grand final.
The exceptions are centre Quinnlan Tupou, halfback Luke Hanson and prop Toni Tupouniua.
Match Moments: Roache strikes from dummy half
Tupou, a former pupil at St Peter’s School Cambridge, has a dual rugby league-rugby union background.
In union, he was in the St Peter’s College First XV, made the New Zealand Barbarians Under-18s, the Chiefs Under-20s and was last year playing for Silverdale in the North Harbour club competition.
In league, he captained the New Zealand 16s in 2018 and was in the Warriors’ pathways system until Covid struck in 2020. Now he’s bidding to play in the New South Wales Cup for the club this season having spent some minutes on the field in last Saturday’s NRL trial before a packed house in Christchurch.
Marist Saints junior Tupouniua has returned home after he spent time with Penrith in 2022 and Newcastle last year, when he made 16 NSW Cup appearances for the Knights.
He was in the Warriors’ system as a junior, making nine appearances for the club’s Jersey Flegg Cup (under-20) side in 2019. Younger brother of Roosters and Mate Ma’a Tonga second rower Sitili, Toni is a rangy 195am forward who had good minutes in Christchurch last Sunday.
Hanson has joined the club from the Penrith Panthers where he came through the junior system playing Harold Matthews Cup (under-17) in 2020 and 2021, SG Ball Cup (under-19) in 2022 and 2023 and Jersey Flegg Cup (under-21) in 2023, when he made 19 appearances.
The One New Zealand Warriors – under new head coach David Tangata-Toa – open their 2024 New South Wales Cup season against the Newtown Jets at Go Media Stadium on Friday, March 8 (5.15pm kick-off).
Match Moments: Tu's trial try against Tigers
ONE NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS v COUNTIES MANUKAU
3.15pm, Saturday, February 24, 2024
Go Media Stadium, Auckland
ONE NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS |
|---|
| 1 GERONIMO DOYLE 2 SETU TU 3 QUINNLAN TUPOU 4 PATRICK MOIMOI 5 MOALA GRAHAM-TAUFA 6 BEN FARR 7 LUKE HANSON 8 TANNER STOWERS-SMITH 9 PAULIE ROACHE 10 TONI TUPOUNIUA 11 JACOB LABAN 12 LEKA HALASIMA 13 KALANI GOING Interchange: 14 NEHEMIAH GORDON-AMOROA 15 JEREMIAH SCHUSTER 16 POTU LEAVASA 17 ETUATE FUKOFUKA 18 EDDIE IEREMIA 20 SIALE FAEAMANI 21 DYLAN TAVITA 22 GARRY TUILEKUTU 23 MAIA SANDS 24 COMPTON FUATIMAU 25 WILLIAM PILIU 26 CASSIUS COWLEY HEAD COACH: DAVID TANGATA-TOA |
