Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita team up in the halves for the first time in more than a year when the One New Zealand Warriors take on Penrith in tonight’s NRL Indigenous Round encounter with table-topping Penrith at Go Media Stadium (8.00pm kick-off; match day partner: Steven Adams Pathways Trust).
Metcalf came into the side last night as a replacement for Te Maire Martin who was ruled out with a hamstring strain.
In his only two appearances this year, Metcalf played at standoff outside Tanah Boyd.
Metcalf and Harris-Tavita were paired throughout the first half of last season until Metcalf’s season was ended by a knee injury in the round 17 clash against Brisbane in late June.
Martin picked up his injury at training on Wednesday after being named to make his 10th straight start at halfback after coming on as replacement for Boyd early in the club’s 42-12 Magic Round win over the Brisbane Broncos in May.
He was in superb touch guiding the Warriors to an impressive 42-6 win over Titans last Saturday, his two tries giving him six in his 10 appearances so far.
The other players to drop out of the One New Zealand Warriors’ extended squad are hooker Makaia Tafua and prop Riley Price.
Returning this week from a one-week injury lay-off is fullback Taine Tuaupiki but he’s on the bench with replacement Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad retaining the fullback’s job following an outstanding performance against Gold Coast.
Nicoll-Klokstad ran a game-high 253 metres including 86 post-contact metres, a line break, five tackle breaks and a number of key defensive plays.
Also named again as a starting centre is Leka Halasima, who was a late replacement in the centres for veteran Adam Pompey. The regular back rower was in electric touch with a try, 147 metres from 15 runs, 60 post-contact metres, a line break, a line break assist, a try assist and five tackle breaks.
The highly-anticipated return home for a match-up between the top-placed Panthers and the third-placed Warriors provides a milestone moment for experienced campaigner Kurt Capewell who will make his 50th appearance for the club. He again lines up in the second row with Jacob Laban in an unchanged pack.
Loose forward Erin Clark and hooker Wayde Egan extend their run of being the only players to appear in each of the Warriors’ games this season when they turn out for the 20th time.
