First-choice hooker Wayde Egan and second rower Bayley Sironen return from injury lay-offs in a revamped Vodafone Warriors side for Saturday night’s 13th-round NRL encounter with Manly Warringah at 4 Pines Park in Sydney (7.35pm kick-off local time; 9.35pm NZT).
They’ve both been unavailable for the last three matches, Egan with a calf injury and Sironen with osteitis pubis.
Egan slots straight back into the starting hooker’s job after utility forward Jazz Tevaga, recent signing Freddy Lussick and Taniela Otukolo filled the void against South Sydney, St George Illawarra and Newcastle.
It will be Egan’s 48th appearance for the club putting him on track to achieve the 50-game mark against former club Penrith on June 18. Sironen is on the interchange.
There’s a change in the centres with Rocco Berry returning to replace the injured Viliami Vailea. Berry will be playing his sixth match of the season and his first since the defeat by the Sharks.
While Egan and Sironen are back Josh Curran’s hoped-for return has been delayed by a week as he continues to recover from the MCL knee injury he picked up in the Anzac Day loss to Melbourne.
Match: Sea Eagles v Warriors
Round 13 -
home Team
Sea Eagles
away Team
Warriors
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Sea Eagles is number 1 Reuben GarrickFullback for Warriors is number 1 Reece Walsh
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Winger for Sea Eagles is number 2 Jason SaabWinger for Warriors is number 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
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Centre for Sea Eagles is number 3 Morgan HarperCentre for Warriors is number 3 Rocco Berry
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Centre for Sea Eagles is number 4 Tolutau KoulaCentre for Warriors is number 4 Adam Pompey
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Winger for Sea Eagles is number 5 Christian TuipulotuWinger for Warriors is number 5 Marcelo Montoya
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Five-Eighth for Sea Eagles is number 6 Joshua SchusterFive-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita
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Halfback for Sea Eagles is number 7 Kieran ForanHalfback for Warriors is number 7 Shaun Johnson
Forwards
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Prop for Sea Eagles is number 8 Josh AloiaiProp for Warriors is number 8 Ben Murdoch-Masila
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Hooker for Sea Eagles is number 9 Lachlan CrokerHooker for Warriors is number 9 Wayde Egan
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Prop for Sea Eagles is number 10 Toafofoa SipleyProp for Warriors is number 10 Jazz Tevaga
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2nd Row for Sea Eagles is number 11 Haumole Olakau'atu2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Euan Aitken
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2nd Row for Sea Eagles is number 12 Andrew Davey2nd Row for Warriors is number 13 Jack Murchie
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Lock for Sea Eagles is number 13 Jake TrbojevicLock for Warriors is number 12 Tohu Harris
Interchange
-
Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 14 Dylan WalkerInterchange for Warriors is number 14 Taniela Otukolo
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Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 15 Karl LawtonInterchange for Warriors is number 15 Bunty Afoa
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Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 16 Martin TaupauInterchange for Warriors is number 16 Aaron Pene
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Interchange for Sea Eagles is number 17 Sean KeppieInterchange for Warriors is number 17 Bayley Sironen
Reserves
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Replacement for Sea Eagles is number 20 Kurt De LuisReplacement for Warriors is number 20 Dunamis Lui
Match Officials
- Referee: Grant Atkins
- Touch Judge: Jon Stone
- Senior Review Official: Gerard Sutton
Last updated:
Egan’s comeback sees Lussick moving out of the side named in jersey #18 while Otukolo is retained on the interchange after making his sixth appearance for the club last Saturday.
As of this round, clubs are now required to name a 22-man squad on Tuesday rather than 24 players which applied for the first half of the season. The five additional players outside the listed playing 17 are Lussick, prop Dunamis Lui, back rower Eliesa Katoa, half Daejarn Asi and centre Jesse Arthars.
The Sea Eagles sit 11th on the NRL ladder on 10 points just one place and one win ahead of the Vodafone Warriors. They have lost their last three matches to Brisbane, Parramatta and Melbourne.
This is one of only four matches being played in a split round ahead for the opening game in the 2022 State of Origin series next week. The Sea Eagles have lost captain Daly Cherry-Evans to the Maroons while fullback Tom Trbojevic is out for the season.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES
4 Pines Park, Sydney
7.35pm, Saturday, June 4
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 REECE WALSH
2 DALLIN WATENE-ZELEZNIAK
3 ROCCO BERRY
4 ADAM POMPEY
5 MARCELO MONTOYA
6 CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA
7 SHAUN JOHNSON
8 BEN MURDOCH-MASILA
9 WAYDE EGAN
10 JAZZ TEVAGA
11 EUAN AITKEN
12 TOHU HARRIS (c)
13 JACK MURCHIE
Extended bench:
14 TANIELA OTUKOLO
15 BUNTY AFOA
16 AARON PENE
17 BAYLEY SIRONEN
18 FREDDY LUSSICK
20 DUNAMIS LUI
21 ELIESA KATOA
22 DAEJARN ASI
23 JESSE ARTHARS
Head coach | Nathan BROWN