The Warriors "host" the Raiders on the Gold Coast having made the selfless decision to base themselves in Australia for at least a week after New Zealand imposed border restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The confusion and drama of the current situation only adds to a very tough task for Stephen Kearney's men, who were held scoreless by Newcastle in round one.
They come up against a Canberra side that put the Titans away easily without getting out of first gear.
Match: Warriors v Raiders
Round 2 -
home Team
Warriors
15th Position
away Team
Raiders
3rd Position
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
The Rundown
Team news
Warriors: The Warriors are 1-17 with Hayze Perham, Leivaha Pulu, Karl Lawton and Hayze Perham cut from the extended bench named on Tuesday. Winger Patrick Herbert and centre Peta Hiku returned home for family reasons and their places have been taken by Adam Pompey and Adam Keighran. In the pack, Eliesa Katoa has been promoted to the starting side and Isaiah Papalii goes to the bench.
Raiders: Canberra are also 1-17 with Sam Williams and Ryan Sutton omitted from the reserves on game day after Harley Smith-Shields and Tom Starling dropped out of the 21 on the eve of the match. Co-captain Jarrod Croker and fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad failed to finish round one with head knocks but are confirmed starters. The only minor change to the winning squad from round one is a back-row shuffle with Corey Horsburgh and Joe Tapine swapping places.
Match: Warriors v Raiders
Round 2 -
home Team
Warriors
away Team
Raiders
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Warriors is number 1 Roger Tuivasa-SheckFullback for Raiders is number 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
-
Winger for Warriors is number 2 Adam PompeyWinger for Raiders is number 2 Bailey Simonsson
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Centre for Warriors is number 3 David Fusitu'aCentre for Raiders is number 3 Jarrod Croker
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Centre for Warriors is number 4 Adam KeighranCentre for Raiders is number 4 Curtis Scott
-
Winger for Warriors is number 5 Ken MaumaloWinger for Raiders is number 5 Nick Cotric
-
Five-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Chanel Harris-TavitaFive-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack Wighton
-
Halfback for Warriors is number 7 Blake GreenHalfback for Raiders is number 7 George Williams
Forwards
-
Prop for Warriors is number 8 Leeson Ah MauProp for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papalii
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Hooker for Warriors is number 9 Wayde EganHooker for Raiders is number 9 Josh Hodgson
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Prop for Warriors is number 10 Lachlan BurrProp for Raiders is number 10 Dunamis Lui
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2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Eliesa Katoa2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Joseph Tapine
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2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Tohu Harris2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead
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Lock for Warriors is number 13 Adam BlairLock for Raiders is number 13 Corey Horsburgh
Interchange
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 14 Kodi NikorimaInterchange for Raiders is number 14 Siliva Havili
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Interchange for Warriors is number 15 Jamayne Taunoa-BrownInterchange for Raiders is number 15 Emre Guler
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Interchange for Warriors is number 16 Isaiah Papali'iInterchange for Raiders is number 16 Iosia Soliola
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Interchange for Warriors is number 17 King VuniyayawaInterchange for Raiders is number 17 Michael Oldfield
Match Officials
- Referee: Chris Sutton
- Referee: Dave Munro
Last updated:
Key match-up
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck v Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. Once RTS's understudy at the Warriors, Nicoll-Klokstad is now a star in his own right. The Warriors rely heavily on Tuivasa-Sheck's brilliance in attack, so he'll need to be outstanding to give them a chance.
Where it'll be won and lost
The Warriors must show more creativity to have a chance of beating the high-flying Raiders. The likes of Chanel Harris-Tavita, RTS and Kodi Nikorima are their potential game-breakers. If the Raiders start fast - as they did last week with five-eighth Jack Wighton dominating from the outset - they could quickly crush the Warriors' spirit and career away for a big win.
Brett Kimmorley says
I think the Warriors will have a fair few distractions on their mind other than playing football. They were poor in round one and looked like they were off the pace a little bit. The Raiders and Jack Wighton have hit the ground running after their 2019 success. They look sharp and fast. Raiders by 16.
Stat Attack
The Raiders received superb contributions from their outside backs in last week's defeat of the Titans. Wingers Bailey Simonsson and Nick Cotric and centre Curtis Scott combined for 437m from a collective 47 runs. The Warriors completed 19/21 sets in the first half against the Knights but just 14/21 in the second half.
And another thing…
These sides have met 38 times since 1998, with the spoils shared at 19 wins apiece.
