Head coach Andrew McFadden has confirmed the Vodafone Warriors will take the field as selected for today’s 20th-round Old Boys’ Day NRL clash against the Manly Sea Eagles at Mount Smart Stadium (5.00pm kick-off; match day sponsor: Red Bull).
Wing Glen Fisiiahi will be making his first NRL appearance in more than 15 months.
The 24-year-old speedster’s 2014 season ended with a shoulder injury against Cronulla on April 5 last year, a week after he’d scored four tries in the club’s victory over Wests Tigers.
After recovering from surgery Fisiiahi made a try-scoring return in the Vodafone Warriors’ New South Wales Cup side against Penrith in mid-April only to have his comeback disrupted by a knee complaint.
Since recovering from that setback Fisiiahi has scored four tries in three winning appearances for the club’s table-topping New South Wales Cup side to earn his recall.
In 25 NRL matches since his debut in 2011, Fisiiahi has scored 15 tries and had seven in the first five rounds of the 2014 season before his campaign ended.
The Vodafone Warriors won’t want for special support in the first of three consecutive home games with more than 40 former players in attendance for the club’s annual Old Boys’ Day. Locally-based players attending include Duane Mann, Jerry Seuseu, Stacey Jones, Ruben Wiki, Steve Price, Awen Guttenbeil, Monty Betham, Logan Swann, Jerome Ropati, Wairangi Koopu, Tony Tuimavave, Francis Meli, Joe Vagana, Wade McKinnon, Brent Webb, Henry Fa’afili and Tony Tatupu while Jason Death, Scott Coxon, Robbie Mears, Mark Tookey, Nigel Vagana, Justin Murphy, John Simon, Mark Horo, Grant Young and Sione Faumuina are among those travelling from Australia.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v MANLY SEA EAGLES
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
5.00pm, Saturday, July 25
Referees: Grant Atkins and Gavin Reynolds
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 SAM TOMKINS
2 GLEN FISIIAHI
3 TUIMOALA LOLOHEA
4 SOLOMONE KATA
5 JONATHAN WRIGHT
6 CHAD TOWNSEND
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 JACOB LILLYMAN
9 NATHAN FRIEND
10 BEN MATULINO
11 BODENE THOMPSON
12 RAYMOND FAITALA-MARINER
13 SIMON MANNERING (c)
Interchange:
14 SILIVA HAVILI
15 SIONE LOUSI
16 SAM RAPIRA
17 ALBERT VETE
HEAD COACH: ANDREW McFADDEN
