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A magical moment beckons on Friday night as Alex Johnston chases two tries against the Roosters to become the greatest tryscorer in premiership history.

AJ's tilt at the record comes at Allianz Stadium after we kick off Friday night footy with first-up winners the Warriors and Raiders colliding at Go Media Stadium.

Follow all the action from Round 2 of the NRL Telstra Premiership on NRL.com's live blog.

Warriors v Raiders at Go Media Stadium

27 min: Hudson Young grubbers into the in-goal and earns the Raiders a repeat set.

26 min: More concern for the Warriors as James Fisher-Harris leaves the field for a HIA.

23 min: On the back of a set restart the Warriors push hard but a lofted pass by Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad lands at the feet of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck who can't control the bouncing ball.

21 min: A penalty against Joe Tapine for a shoulder charge hands the Warriors great field position.

19 min: A spilled ball from milestone man Roger Tuivasa-Sheck as the tough conditions make handling difficult.

14 min: The home side hit back when Erin Clark, Tanah Boyd, Taine Tuaupiki and Ali Leiataua handle in a right-side raid before Dallin Watene-Zelezniak finishes off in the corner. Boyd misses the conversion. Raiders 6-4.

11 min: Kaeo Weekes puts in a grubber but it goes too long and skips away on the wet grass allowing the Warriors to come away.

9 min: Chanel Harris-Tavita tries to go low on Noah Martin but catches the hip of the Raiders forward and slumps straight to the turf. Harris-Tavita is sent for a HIA and is ruled a Category 1.

5 min: The Raiders get good field position early after Jacob Laban is pinged for holding down in the ruck and Kaeo Weekes explodes into space from 10 metres out and leaves Ali Leiataua in his wake to give Canberra the lead. Ethan Sanders converts from in front. Raiders 6-0.

1 min: An early shock for the Warriors with Kurt Capewell suffering a torn calf in the warm-up and failing to take his place in the starting side. Leka Halasima starts in jersey No.16 and will patrol the left edge.

Late Mail

Warriors: Marata Niukore dropped out of the squad 24 hours before kick-off as he continues to battle a calf injury. Alofiana Khan-Pereira was the other player to make way on Thursday. Back-rower Eddie Ieremia-Toeava is part of the game day 19 after being on NSW Cup duty last week while Morgan Gannon is the last man to drop out of the squad an hour before kick-off.

Raiders: No late changes for the Raiders. Morgan Smithies will start at prop after veteran Josh Papalii was placed into the HIA protocol. Emerging back-rower Noah Martin retains his place in the starting side following an exceptional performance against Manly last week. Matt Timoko comes off the bench for his first NRL appearance of the year having made a successful return from a foot injury via NSW Cup last week.

Numbers Game

  • 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. 

 

Roosters v Rabbitohs at Allianz Stadium

Late Mail

Roosters: No further changes on game day after centre Billy Smith was ruled out on Thursday following a reported e-bike incident. Smith has been replaced by Junior Pauga, who shifts from the bench to the starting side. Tom Rodwell is the new face on the interchange as a result. In positive news, Rob Toia is on track to take his place in the side, however Spencer Leniu will be sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury. Angus Crichton will play his 200th NRL game, having started his career at the Rabbitohs before joining the Roosters in 2019. 

Rabbitohs: No late changes for Souths. Jayden Sullivan starts at halfback after making a successful return from a broken leg and infection via the interchange last week. Sullivan replaces Ashton Ward, who succumbs to a syndesmosis injury. 

Numbers Game

  • The Roosters have won five of their last six games against the Rabbitohs.
  • Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston requires two tries to break the all-time premiership tryscoring record.
  • Roosters winger Daniel Tupou has scored nine tries in his last six games at Allianz Stadium.
  • Rabbitohs fullback Jye Gray has scored three tries in three games against the Roosters.
  • Roosters second-rower Angus Crichton will play his 200th NRL game.

 

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National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.

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