Centre Taane Milne will make his club debut and middle forward Josh Curran has been recalled for the Vodafone Warriors’ final match of the NRL season against the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium today (3.00pm kick-off local time; 5.00pm NZT).
Milne, who made 18 appearances for St George Illawarra in 2016 and 2017, comes in as a replacement for injured wing David Fusitu'a (hamstring). He becomes Vodafone Warrior #239.
He'll start in the centres with 2019 rookie Adam Pompey, originally named at centre, switching to the right wing.
In another late change former Sydney Roosters forward Curran comes onto the bench for his second appearance this season after making his club debut against Canberra last month.
Playing his 100th career game today will be standoff Kodi Nikorima, who joined the Vodafone Warriors midway through this season after an 86-game stint with Brisbane.
The Vodafone Warriors are without first-choice centres Peta Hiku and Patrick Herbert as well as utility Gerard Beale (knee). Herbert picked up a quadriceps injury in the warm-up before last Friday night’s match against South Sydney, Hiku is out with a shoulder injury he suffered against the Raiders and Beale had surgery after breaking his patella against the Sydney Roosters.
Hiku’s absence ensures prop Leeson Ah Mau will finish the season as the only player to appear in each of the club’s 24 games.
In 41 previous encounters, the Vodafone Warriors have beaten Canberra 16 times while the Raiders have 22 victories. The Vodafone Warriors have won five of 18 away games against Canberra, one of those wins a 20-19 success last year.
VODAFONE WARRIORS V CANBERRA RAIDERS
3.00pm, Saturday, September 7, 2019
GIO Stadium, Canberra
Referees: Matt Cecchin and Adam Cassidy
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (C)
3 ADAM POMPEY
20 TAANE MILNE
4 BLAKE AYSHFORD
5 KEN MAUMALO
6 KODI NIKORIMA
7 BLAKE GREEN
8 AGNATIUS PAASI
9 ISSAC LUKE
10 LEESON AH MAU
11 ADAM BLAIR
12 ISAIAH PAPALI’I
13 JAZZ TEVAGA
Interchange:
14 LACHLAN BURR
16 LIGI SAO
17 ADAM KEIGHRAN
18 JOSH CURRAN
HEAD COACH | STEPHEN KEARNEY
