Rd 18 Team Update: Josh Curran out for Warriors

Author: Richard Becht & photosport.nz
Timestamp: Thu 29 Jun 2023, 06:00 PM

Josh Curran has been ruled out of the One New Zealand Warriors’ 18th-round NRL encounter with the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart tomorrow night (8.00pm kick-off; game day sponsor: One New Zealand).

Mitchell Barnett, returning from a one-match suspension, now moves off the bench to take Curran’s place with hooker Freddy Lussick added to the interchange alongside Dylan Walker, for South Sydney back rower Bayley Sironen and Tom Ale.

Centre Wiliame is 18th man with second rower Kalani Going also retained in the 19-man game day squad.

Along with Curran, halfback Ronald Volkman and prop Zyon Maiu’u have been omitted from the extended squad named on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old Barnett is making his third appearance since his comeback from the neck injury that ruled him out for 10 games following the third-round win over North Queensland.

Of Barnett’s five matches so far the Warriors have won four times, the last two against the Dolphins, when he made 147 metres and 28 tackles, and the Raiders (176 metres and 21 tackles).

Round 18 - Round 18 - Friday 30 Jun

Full Time

Warriors

Rabbitohs

Team Lists

Backs

Fullback for Warriors is number 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad

Fullback for Rabbitohs is number 1 Blake Taaffe
Winger for Warriors is number 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak

Winger for Rabbitohs is number 2 Alex Johnston
Centre for Warriors is number 3 Rocco Berry

Centre for Rabbitohs is number 18 Tyrone Munro
Centre for Warriors is number 4 Adam Pompey

Centre for Rabbitohs is number 19 Taane Milne
Winger for Warriors is number 5 Marcelo Montoya

Winger for Rabbitohs is number 5 Richard Kennar
Five-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Luke Metcalf

Five-Eighth for Rabbitohs is number 6 Cody Walker
Halfback for Warriors is number 7 Shaun Johnson

Halfback for Rabbitohs is number 7 Lachlan Ilias

Forwards

Prop for Warriors is number 8 Addin Fonua-Blake

Prop for Rabbitohs is number 8 Tevita Tatola
Hooker for Warriors is number 9 Wayde Egan

Hooker for Rabbitohs is number 14 Siliva Havili
Prop for Warriors is number 10 Bunty Afoa

Prop for Rabbitohs is number 17 Thomas Burgess
2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Jackson Ford

2nd Row for Rabbitohs is number 11 Keaon Koloamatangi
2nd Row for Warriors is number 15 Mitchell Barnett

2nd Row for Rabbitohs is number 12 Michael Chee Kam
Lock for Warriors is number 13 Tohu Harris

Lock for Rabbitohs is number 13 Cameron Murray

Interchange

Interchange for Warriors is number 14 Dylan Walker

Interchange for Rabbitohs is number 9 Damien Cook
Interchange for Warriors is number 16 Bayley Sironen

Interchange for Rabbitohs is number 10 Hame Sele
Interchange for Warriors is number 17 Tom Ale

Interchange for Rabbitohs is number 15 Shaquai Mitchell
Interchange for Warriors is number 18 Freddy Lussick

Interchange for Rabbitohs is number 16 Davvy Moale

Reserves

Replacement for Warriors is number 20 Brayden Wiliame

Replacement for Rabbitohs is number 20 Dean Hawkins

Match Officials

Referee: Ashley Klein
Touch Judge: Chris Sutton
Senior Review Official: Grant Atkins

Last updated: 9/7/2024 12:25:59 PM

His inclusion is offset by the loss of Kiwi second rower Marata Niukore and Curran, Niukore out for three matches after taking an early guilty plea to a grade two careless high tackle charge he landed following the club’s 48-18 victory over St George Illawarra on Friday night.

The clash against the Rabbitohs marks the start of a nine-game run-in to the end of the regular season which sees the One New Zealand Warriors play six matches on home soil (one an ‘away’ game against Wests Tigers in Hamilton) with four of the five at Go Media Stadium all being played on a Friday night.

After winning three consecutive matches earlier in the season against North Queensland, Canterbury Bankstown and Cronulla Sutherland, the Warriors have the chance to go one better on Friday night coming off victories over the Dolphins, Canberra and St George Illawarra, matches in which they have totalled 114 points while conceding just 40.

They sit fifth on the ladder on 22 points with a 9-6 record, just two points off the top three on 24 points but only two clear of the teams ranked seventh, eighth and ninth. One of those teams is South Sydney which has uncharacteristically lost four of its last five games, including a 6-31 home defeat by North Queensland on Sunday.

It contrasts starkly with the Rabbitohs’ record against the One New Zealand Warriors over the last 10 years. In that time South Sydney has built a 13-1 record with the only exception being the Warriors’ 32-20 win in Perth in the first round of the 2018 season.

The last time the One New Zealand Warriors beat Souths at Go Media Stadium was in 2012 when they surged to a 44-22 win.