Mitchell Barnett and Kurt Capewell are set to back up just 48 hours after last night’s State of Origin decider in the One New Zealand Warriors’ NRL match against the Raiders at GIO Stadium in Canberra tomorrow night (8.00pm kick-off local time; 10.00pm NZT).
They arrived from Brisbane this afternoon to join their teammates in Australia’s national capital ahead of the vital 20th-round encounter.
The 30-year-old Barnett became the first Warriors player to debut for the Blues and only the club’s second New South Wales Origin representative after Ryan Hoffman.
On the field for 48 minutes, he was impressive finishing with 11 runs for 73 metres and 30 tackles without a miss as the Blues beat the Maroons 14-4 to clinch the series.
Capewell shouldered a big workload for the vanquished Queensland side, playing all but the final eight minutes making 12 runs 72 minutes plus 41 tackles.
He had an anxious wait this morning awaiting the release of charges from the game after being put on report for two incidents but is free to play.
Match: Raiders v Warriors
Round 20 -
home Team
Raiders
away Team
Warriors
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Kaeo WeekesFullback for Warriors is number 1 Taine Tuaupiki
-
Winger for Raiders is number 2 Jordan RapanaWinger for Warriors is number 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
-
Centre for Raiders is number 3 Matthew TimokoCentre for Warriors is number 3 Ali Leiataua
-
Centre for Raiders is number 4 Sebastian KrisCentre for Warriors is number 4 Adam Pompey
-
Winger for Raiders is number 5 Xavier SavageWinger for Warriors is number 5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
-
Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Ethan StrangeFive-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita
-
Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Jamal FogartyHalfback for Warriors is number 7 Te Maire Martin
Forwards
-
Prop for Raiders is number 8 Josh PapaliiProp for Warriors is number 8 Addin Fonua-Blake
-
Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Tom StarlingHooker for Warriors is number 9 Wayde Egan
-
Prop for Raiders is number 10 Joseph TapineProp for Warriors is number 10 Mitchell Barnett
-
2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Marata Niukore
-
2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Kurt Capewell
-
Lock for Raiders is number 13 Morgan SmithiesLock for Warriors is number 13 Dylan Walker
Interchange
-
Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Danny LeviInterchange for Warriors is number 14 Freddy Lussick
-
Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Trey MooneyInterchange for Warriors is number 15 Jackson Ford
-
Interchange for Raiders is number 16 Ata MariotaInterchange for Warriors is number 16 Jazz Tevaga
-
Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Zac HoskingInterchange for Warriors is number 17 Leka Halasima
Reserves
-
Replacement for Raiders is number 18 Adam CookReplacement for Warriors is number 22 Moala Graham-Taufa
Match Officials
- Referee: Todd Smith
- Touch Judge: Belinda Sharpe
- Touch Judge: Peter Gough
- Senior Review Official: Liam Kennedy
Last updated:
He landed a grade one dangerous throw charge for a ninth-minute tackle on Blues centre Stephen Crichton as well as a grade one dangerous contact charge for a tackle on New South Wales halfback Mitchell Moses in the 14th minute. Each offence carried a fine of seven per cent of his match fee.
With Barnett and Capewell confirmed in the 19-man game day squad for the encounter with the Raiders, the three players omitted at the 24-hour pre-match deadline are prop Bunty Afoa, winger Edward Kosi and Jacob Laban.
Retained from the extended bench are prop Tom Ale and centre Moala Graham-Taufa.
Significant changes have been forced in the outside backs for the contest.
First-choice fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (calf) and winger Marcelo Montoya (groin) have both been ruled out as they recover from injuries which saw them leave the field in the heartbreaking 12-13 golden point loss to the Bulldogs on July 6.
Taine Tuaupiki comes in at fullback for his fifth NRL appearance of the season (and 10th of his career) after last playing in the Magic Round victory over Penrith on May 19 before being a late withdrawal for the match against the Dolphins to be with his partner for the birth of their first child.
Match: Raiders v Warriors
Round 20 -
home Team
Raiders
11th Position
away Team
Warriors
14th Position
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
There’s a shuffle in the centres and on the wing with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck moving to the left wing to replace Montoya while Ali Leiataua comes into the centres.
It will be the second time Tuivasa-Sheck has started on the wing this season while rookie Leiataua will play his third NRL match after his last appearance – a try-scoring one – in the win over the Panthers.
For the 21-year-old this Friday night’s match brings back memories of his fine first-grade debut when the Warriors had a 36-14 win over Canberra at GIO Stadium on June 9 last year.
One New Zealand Warriors head coach Andrew Webster named the same starting pack used against the Bulldogs.
He has also selected an unchanged interchange bench with the newest Warrior Leka Halasima set for his second appearance after his brilliant debut two weeks ago.
The Warriors and the Raiders are split by just one point on the ladder, the Raiders sitting 11th on 20 points and the Warriors 12th on 19 points.
Both teams come into the match refreshed from a bye after defeats in their last outings; while Warriors went down to Canterbury Bankstown, Canberra had a 12-16 loss at home to the Knights.
