Wing Paul Ulberg and prop Paul Tuli both return to the Vodafone Junior Warriors’ line-up for Saturday’s 15th-round NYC clash against the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Super Stadium (3.10pm kick-off local time; 5.10pm NZT).
They were both in the club’s New South Wales Cup side which beat Wyong 28-0 last Saturday, Ulberg making his fifth NSW Cup appearance this season while it was Tuli’s debut.
While Ulberg did add to his NSW Cup try tally of four against Wyong, he gained 134 metres from 15 runs while Tuli, used off the bench, made 40 metres from four carries.
Ulberg has five tries in eight NYC appearances so far this season while Tuli has played six games in the under-20 competition.
Ulberg replaces Lewis Soosemea in the only change to the Vodafone Junior Warriors’ starting combination used in last Saturday’s 22-28 loss to the Sydney Roosters while on the bench Tuli and second rower Ofahiki Ogden come in for Roman Tuhimata and Mattais Heimuli.
Ogden is available again after being ruled out in the warm-up last week. Until then he hadn’t missed a game this season.
Despite losing two of their last three games – both at home – the Vodafone Junior Warriors are still well-placed on the ladder, sitting in fifth spot on 17 points, just one behind the fourth-placed Roosters.
The Titans are languishing in a share of last place but ranked 15th on the basis of their points for and against differential. They’ve lost seven games on end after last winning in the sixth round; one of those losses was a 12-34 defeat by the Vodafone Junior Warriors on Anzac Day.
GOLD COAST TITANS v VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
Cbus Super Stadium, Robina
3.10pm, Saturday, June 20
Referee: Jarrod Cole
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
1 BRAD ABBEY
2 TOMAS AOAKE
3 JUNIOR PAUGA
4 SEMISI TYRELL
5 PAUL ULBERG
6 ATA HINGANO
7 ERIN CLARK
8 BUNTY AFOA
9 NATHANIEL ROACHE
10 AMONI TUFUI
11 MATIU LOVE-HENRY
12 MARATA NIUKORE
13 JAZZ TEVAGA
Interchange:
14 CHRIS SIO
15 TUALIMA TUALIMA
16 OFAHIKI OGDEN
17 PAUL TULI
COACH: KELVIN WRIGHT
