A total of 11 players from the Vodafone Warriors’ wider squad have been named to line up for the Redcliffe Dolphins in their season-opening Intrust Super Cup clash against the Mackay Cutters on Saturday night.
The two clubs formed a major partnership last June designed to boost pathways opportunities.
A number of Vodafone Warriors appeared for the Dolphins in a preseason trial on March 6 and this Saturday they provide a strong contingent for their first-round competition contest in Mackay.
Four Vodafone Warriors players with NRL experience have been named including the seasoned Kane Evans at prop along with fullback Hayze Perham, halfback Paul Turner and second rower Josh Curran.
Two other players from the top 30 NRL squad are centre Rocco Berry and prop Jackson Frei while development players Edward Kosi, Viliami Vailea and Pride Petterson-Robati have also been selected.
Former Vodafone Warriors under-20 player of the year Preston Riki is on the bench along with Redcliffe’s Lachlan Timm, who trained with the Vodafone Warriors during the offseason.
There are some other familiar faces in the Redcliffe squad, too. At hooker is Manaia Cherrington, who made 16 NRL appearances for Wests Tigers in 2016-2016 and had a stint with the Vodafone Warriors in 2017-2018 without adding to his NRL tally. He also toured England with the Kiwis in 2015 but didn’t make an appearance.
Coaching the Dolphins is former Vodafone Warriors assistant coach Adam Mogg, the former Queensland, Parramatta, Canberra and Catalans outside back.
Among the Redcliffe-contracted players in the line-up is former Gold Coast and Manly playmaker Cameron Cullen who boasts a total of 10 NRL appearances.
Ex-Vodafone Warriors players also feature in the Mackay squad.
Ata Hingano, with 15 games for the Vodafone Warriors and nine for Canberra, is named at standoff while Matiu Stone-Dunn is at fullback and Sean Mullany at hooker.
Both played in the Canterbury Cup for the Vodafone Warriors; ex-Junior Kiwi Mullany also represented the club at under-20 level.
It's not the first time the Vodafone Warriors have had a partnership with a club in the Queensland Cup competition. In the days when Mark Graham was coaching the club, they used Wynnum Manly and Souths as a feeder club and then solely Souths in 2000.
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS v MACKAY CUTTERS
7.00pm, Saturday, March 20, 2021
BBP Print Stadium, Mackay
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS
1 HAYZE PERHAM
2 JUSTICE UTATAO
3 ROCCO BERRY
4 VILIAMI VAILEA
5 EDWARD KOSI
6 CAMERON CULLEN
7 PAUL TURNER
8 JACKSON FREI
9 MANAIA CHERRINGTON
10 KANE EVANS
11 JOSH CURRAN
12 JARRETT BOLAND
13 PRIDE PETTERSON-ROBATI
Interchange:
14 TRAI FULLER
15 LACHLAN TIMM
16 DAN KEIR
17 PRESTON RIKI
HEAD COACH | ADAM MOGG
