Matt Allwood and Sebastine Ikahihifo have both been recalled for the Vodafone Warriors’ 25th-round NRL encounter with Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Sunday (2.00pm kick-off local time; 4.00pm NZT).
Allwood (22) has been named on the wing for just his second NRL appearance of the season while Ikahihifo (24) replaces the injured Jacob Lillyman at prop.
There’s one other change to the starting line-up used against North Queensland last Saturday with Bodene Thompson returning to the back row after making his comeback appearance from the bench against the Cowboys.
After joining the club from Canberra, Allwood scored in his Vodafone Warriors debut against Brisbane in March. An ankle injury later sidelined him during a campaign in which he has made 11 appearances for the club’s finals-bound New South Wales Cup side. He has been 18th man for the NRL side the past two weeks.
Ikahihifo has played predominantly in the NSW Cup this year but now returns for his eighth NRL outing of the season while Thompson’s inclusion ensures the experienced combination in the back row with Simon Mannering and Ryan Hoffman is fully restored.
After debuting as Vodafone Warrior No 202 last weekend, Mason Lino is again in the halves with his former Marist Saints club-mate Tuimoala Lolohea.
“It’s pleasing to see Matt being given a chance. He has put the work in and deserves this,” said Vodafone Warriors assistant coach Andrew Webster.
“With Jake (Lillyman) out and Ben (Matulino) still suspended we’re missing a huge amount of experience in the front row but we know what Seb will give us and Albie (Vete) was really impressive with the way he kept pushing through and turning up against the Cowboys.
“I always smile when players like Mason make their debut. He was really calm the way he approached the game and showed lots of nice touches. You can see that he and Tui have a lot of understanding having come through the grades together.”
For Webster and Thompson this week’s clash will be a homecoming of sorts with both joining the Vodafone Warriors this season from Wests Tigers.
After six losses on end Webster said the players and coaching staff were desperate to atone for the recent run of reverses.
They face a Wests Tigers side sitting last on the table on 18 points with both teams coming off heavy defeats, the Tigers losing 18-40 to Cronulla last Saturday and the Vodafone Warriors going down 16-50 to the Cowboys.
The Vodafone Warriors have had mixed results on their few visits to Campbelltown Sports Stadium. They have played there only eight times in total, winning twice and losing twice to Western Suburbs and boasting the same record in four encounters with Wests Tigers. They won 28-16 there on their road to the minor premiership in 2002; their next visit – and their most recent – ended in a heavy loss in 2010. The Vodafone Warriors will have only two survivors this week from that defeat (Mannering and Sione Lousi) while Robbie Farah and Chris Lawrence were in the winning Tigers line-up.
In April the Vodafone Warriors beat the Tigers 32-22 at Mount Smart Stadium to give them an overall record of 13 wins and 11 losses in 24 matches between the two clubs.
NRL
VODAFONE WARRIORS v WESTS TIGERS
Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney
2.00pm, Sunday, August 30
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 SAM TOMKINS
2 MATT ALLWOOD
3 DOMINIQUE PEYROUX
4 SOLOMONE KATA
5 JONATHAN WRIGHT
6 MASON LINO
7 TUIMOALA LOLOHEA
8 SEBASTINE IKAHIHIFO
9 NATHAN FRIEND
10 ALBERT VETE
11 BODENE THOMPSON
12 RYAN HOFFMAN
13 SIMON MANNERING (c)
Interchange:
14 KONRAD HURRELL
15 SIONE LOUSI
16 CHARLIE GUBB
17 SAM LISONE
18 JOHN PALAVI
HEAD COACH | ANDREW McFADDEN
NYC
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS v WESTS TIGERS
Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney
11.45am, Sunday, August 30
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
1 BRAD ABBEY
2 TOMAS AOAKE
3 MARATA NIUKORE
4 SEMISI TYRELL
5 PAUL ULBERG
6 ATA HINGANO
7 KAURI AUPOURI
8 BUNTY AFOA
9 ERIN CLARK
10 PAUL TULI
11 OFAHIKI OGDEN
12 MATIU LOVE-HENRY
13 JAZZ TEVAGA
Interchange:
14 CASEY LAFAELE
15 LEWIS SOOSEMEA
16 TUALIMA TUALIMA
17 AMONI TUFUI
COACH | KELVIN WRIGHT
NEW SOUTH WALES CUP
VODAFONE WARRIORS v MOUNTIES
Aubrey Keech Reserve, Sydney
3.00pm, Saturday, August 29
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 SIMON LUAFALEALO
2 KEN MAUMALO
3 LEVI NORTON
4 GARY FUIMAONO
5 WILLIE PEACE
6 SILIVA HAVILI
7 RAYMOND TALIMALIE
8 UPU POCHING
9 ZAC TIPPINS
10 DAVID BHANA
11 SIONE FE’AO
12 RAYMOND FAITALA-MARINER
13 JAMES BELL
Interchange:
14 PATRICK SIPLEY
15 UILA AIOLUPO
16 TULSAN CAIRD
17 JOHN WESLEY TAUTI
COACH | STACEY JONES
