Warriors v Raiders: Niukore nears return; Smithies in for Papa
A second consecutive Friday night blockbuster in front of the Wahs faithful is sure to have Andrew Webster's men up and about as the Raiders hit town.
With Jackson Ford and James Fisher-Harris dominating the middle, the Warriors outgunned the Roosters 42-18 to post their first Round 1 victory since 2023.
The following night it was Ricky's Raiders also kicking off their year in style with a heart-stopping 29-28 win over Manly courtesy of an Ethan Sanders field goal.
They got the result in the end but coach Stuart will be keen to avoid the 'flat spots' that saw them trail 14-0 after 19 minutes against the Sea Eagles and let a 28-14 lead slip away in the last 10 minutes of the match.
The composure shown by Sanders in just his fifth NRL game was one of the many positives to come out of the match for Canberra and the 22-year-old will have his mettle tested again by an experienced Warriors outfit stacked with big-game players.
Match: Warriors v Raiders
Round 2 -
home Team
Warriors
4th Position
away Team
Raiders
8th Position
Venue: Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Team News
Warriors: Winning form is good form so coach Andrew Webster sticks with the same 19-man squad that got the season off to a flyer against the Roosters. Marata Niukore has been named in No.22 as he looks to return from a calf injury while Alofiana Khan-Pereira is also part of the six-man bench after returning from concussion through NSW Cup last week.
Raiders: Englishman Morgan Smithies starts at prop in place of Josh Papalii (concussion). Kiwi centre Matt Timoko joins the bench in No.17 after returning from a foot injury via NSW Cup last week. Daine Laurie and Joe Roddy round out the six-man bench.
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Warriors is number 1 Charnze Nicoll-KlokstadFullback for Raiders is number 1 Kaeo Weekes
-
Winger for Warriors is number 2 Dallin Watene-ZelezniakWinger for Raiders is number 2 Savelio Tamale
-
Centre for Warriors is number 3 Ali LeiatauaCentre for Raiders is number 3 Simi Sasagi
-
Centre for Warriors is number 4 Adam PompeyCentre for Raiders is number 4 Sebastian Kris
-
Winger for Warriors is number 5 Roger Tuivasa-SheckWinger for Raiders is number 5 Xavier Savage
-
Five-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Chanel Harris-TavitaFive-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Ethan Strange
-
Halfback for Warriors is number 7 Tanah BoydHalfback for Raiders is number 7 Ethan Sanders
Forwards
-
Prop for Warriors is number 8 James Fisher-HarrisProp for Raiders is number 8 Morgan Smithies
-
Hooker for Warriors is number 9 Wayde EganHooker for Raiders is number 9 Tom Starling
-
Prop for Warriors is number 10 Jackson FordProp for Raiders is number 10 Joseph Tapine
-
2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Kurt Capewell2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young
-
2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Jacob Laban2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Noah Martin
-
Lock for Warriors is number 13 Erin ClarkLock for Raiders is number 13 Corey Horsburgh
Interchange
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 14 Sam HealeyInterchange for Raiders is number 14 Jayden Brailey
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 15 Demitric VaimaugaInterchange for Raiders is number 15 Zac Hosking
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 16 Leka HalasimaInterchange for Raiders is number 16 Ata Mariota
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 17 Tanner Stowers-SmithInterchange for Raiders is number 17 Matthew Timoko
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 18 Taine TuaupikiInterchange for Raiders is number 18 Daine Laurie
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 20 Morgan GannonInterchange for Raiders is number 19 Joe Roddy
Reserves
-
Reserve for Warriors is number 21 Alofiana Khan-PereiraReserve for Raiders is number 20 Owen Pattie
-
Reserve for Warriors is number 22 Marata NiukoreReserve for Raiders is number 21 Jed Stuart
-
Reserve for Warriors is number 23 Eddie Ieremia-ToeavaReserve for Raiders is number 22 Chevy Stewart
Warriors Ins
- Alofiana Khan-Pereira
- Eddie Ieremia-Toeava
- Marata Niukore
Raiders Ins
- Chevy Stewart
- Joe Roddy
- Matthew Timoko
- Owen Pattie
Warriors Outs
Raiders Ins
- Josh Papalii
Match Officials
- Referee: Peter Gough
- Touch Judge: Jon Stone
- Senior Review Official: Liam Kennedy
Last updated:
Stat Attack
- The Warriors are aiming for a 2-0 start for the first time since 2018.
- The Raiders have won their last three games against the Warriors.
- Warriors forward Leka Halasima has scored seven tries in his last seven games at Go Media Stadium.
- Raiders five-eighth Ethan Strange has scored six tries in his last five NRL games.
- Winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will make his 150th appearance for the Warriors.
Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the official annual of the NRL.
