Scotland international James Bell will captain a Vodafone Warriors side showing several new faces plus new signings Karl Lawton and Matiu Love-Henry for Saturday’s first-round Intrust Super Premiership match against North Sydney at Mount Smart Stadium (1.00pm kick-off).
Bell has support from a group of players who took the Vodafone Warriors within a win of the ISP grand final last year – wing Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, props Chris Satae and Patrick Sipley, hooker Manaia Cherrington and fullback Zac Santo (the latter named on the interchange).
Lawton, signed from the Gold Coast Titans just last week, will have his first outing for the club at hooker.
Named at fullback for his first ISP game is 18-year-old fullback Hayze Perham, who had such an impressive second half in the club’s NRL trial against Melbourne in Rotorua.
Back in a Vodafone Warriors jersey is second rower Love-Henry, a former NYC player at the club who has returned to Auckland after a stint in Brisbane.
Also included are regular 2017 NYC playersr, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Lewis Soosemea and Joseph Vuna; Soosemea and Vuna had a brief taste of ISP football last year.
In the early game on Saturday, the Vodafone Junior Warriors will line up in the new look New South Wales Jersey Flegg Cup under-20 competition, created to replace the NYC.
INTRUST SUPER PREMIERSHIP
VODAFONE WARRIORS v NORTH SYDNEY BEARS
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
1.00pm, Saturday, March 10, 2018
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 HAYZE PERHAM
2 LEWIS SOOSEMEA
3 JOSEPH VUNA
4 COLE WAAKA
5 CHARNZE NICOLL-KLOKSTAD
6 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA
7 TEVIN ARONA
8 PATRICK SIPLEY
9 KARL LAWTON
10 CHRIS SATAE
11 MATIU LOVE-HENRY
12 JAMES BELL (c)
13 SIONE AFEMUI
Interchange:
14 MANAIA CHERRINGTON
15 TRENT SCHAUMKEL
17 REECE CHARLIE
18 DANIEL REUELU-BUCHANAN
20 ZAC SANTO
COACH | JOHN TEINA
JERSEY FLEGG CUP
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS v NORTH SYDNEY BEARS
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
11.00am, Saturday, March 10, 2018
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
1 TEVITA MIKAELE
2 KAYAL IRO
3 ELIJAH SUFIA
4 PATRICK ELIA
5 EDWARD KOSI
6 PAUL TURNER
7 EIDEN ACKLAND
8 SOANE HUFUNGA (c)
9 SHELDON ROGERS
10 WESLEY VEIKOSO
11 HARVEY TUPOUNIUA
12 PRESTON RIKI
13 TAYHLER PAORA
Interchange:
14 SAM NATI
15 TOM ALE
16 LOTU INISI
17 BRODY TAMARUA
18 DYLAN TAVITA
21 SIONE TUIPOLOTU
COACH | RICKY HENRY