Confirmed Lineup: Egan out
Freddy Lussick starts at hooker again with the experienced Wayde Egan ruled out for the One New Zealand Warriors’ historic NRL clash against the competition-leading Canberra Raiders at a sold-out Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch tonight (8.00pm kick-off).
With Lussick promoted, utility Chanel Harris-Tavita comes onto the bench with second rower Jacob Laban confirmed as 18th man.
Egan was originally selected for last Saturday night’s encounter with the Melbourne Storm but was withdrawn after failing to recover from the elbow injury he suffered in the first-round clash against Cronulla Sutherland on March 8.
He was again named this week in the hope he would make his return against Canberra but has been scratched from the Multicultural Round contest
Tickets sold out weeks ago for the first home game the One New Zealand Warriors have taken to Christchurch in the club’s 30-season history.
Match: Warriors v Raiders
Round 3 -
home Team
Warriors
away Team
Raiders
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Warriors is number 1 Taine TuaupikiFullback for Raiders is number 1 Jordan Rapana
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Winger for Warriors is number 2 Dallin Watene-ZelezniakWinger for Raiders is number 2 Nick Cotric
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Centre for Warriors is number 3 Rocco BerryCentre for Raiders is number 3 Matthew Timoko
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Centre for Warriors is number 4 Roger Tuivasa-SheckCentre for Raiders is number 4 Albert Hopoate
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Winger for Warriors is number 5 Marcelo MontoyaWinger for Raiders is number 5 Xavier Savage
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Five-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Luke MetcalfFive-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Ethan Strange
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Halfback for Warriors is number 7 Shaun JohnsonHalfback for Raiders is number 7 Jamal Fogarty
Forwards
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Prop for Warriors is number 8 Addin Fonua-BlakeProp for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papalii
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Hooker for Warriors is number 14 Freddy LussickHooker for Raiders is number 9 Danny Levi
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Prop for Warriors is number 10 Mitchell BarnettProp for Raiders is number 10 Joseph Tapine
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2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Jackson Ford2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young
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2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Kurt Capewell2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead
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Lock for Warriors is number 13 Tohu HarrisLock for Raiders is number 13 Morgan Smithies
Interchange
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 15 Tom AleInterchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom Starling
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Interchange for Warriors is number 16 Bunty AfoaInterchange for Raiders is number 15 Emre Guler
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Interchange for Warriors is number 20 Jazz TevagaInterchange for Raiders is number 16 Zac Hosking
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Interchange for Warriors is number 23 Chanel Harris-TavitaInterchange for Raiders is number 17 Pasami Saulo
Reserves
-
Replacement for Warriors is number 22 Jacob LabanReplacement for Raiders is number 18 James Schiller
Match Officials
- Referee: Liam Kennedy
- Touch Judge: Chris Sutton
- Senior Review Official: Matt Noyen
Last updated:
The Garden City has previously hosted eight NRL matches brought to the South Island by the then-Sydney Tigers (1996), Wests Tigers (2004, 2005 and 2006), Sydney Roosters (2010), Penrith (2016) and Manly Warringah (2018 and 2019).
While Egan has been named to return against the Raiders, frontline fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (hamstring) and back rower Marata Niukore (foot) are still recovering from their injuries.
In Nicoll-Klokstad’s absence Taine Tuaupiki will start in the #1 jersey for the third week running following his impressive display against the Storm when he made 180 metres from 17 runs, with a line break assist, a try assist and four tackle breaks.
Right winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak will achieve the first player milestone of the year when he makes his 50th appearance for the club. His double against the Storm lifted his try tally for the club to 39 in 49 games and 88 in 192 career games.
Match Moments: DWZ back in flight mode
The One New Zealand Warriors take two four-point losses into Friday night’s third-round fixture while Canberra is top of the ladder after convincing wins over Newcastle (28-12) and the Wests Tigers (32-12).
The Warriors won both matches against the Raiders last year, storming to a 36-14 victory at GIO Stadium before a Shaun Johnson field goal gave them a 21-20 golden point success at Go Media Stadium.
They’ve won four of the last six matches between the two clubs but Canberra holds a 26-24 edge in 50 battles dating back to the first in 1995.
