NRL: 3-win flush beckons but Warriors wary

As the in-form team with home advantage, the Warriors should beat the struggling Eels at Mt Smart Stadium tomorrow. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Warriors will be out to post a third straight win for the first time this season but tomorrow's match against the struggling Eels has warning signs writ large all over it.

The Eels come to town minus a host of star players and struggling for points, wins and form. The Warriors head into the match on the back of a morale-boosting snatch-and-grab job over the Roosters in Christchurch and an equally gutsy win over the Knights a fortnight earlier.

It's a match they should win, but the sort they have struggled to put to bed in the past.

For a reminder of that, they need look no further than the round eight match against a Raiders side cobbled together with debutants and NYC players. The Warriors shipped three tries in the opening 20 minutes and went on to lose 23-16.

"Every game is dangerous," said hooker Ian Henderson.

"People might think Canberra or the Doggies or whoever aren't playing well so this should be a win at home but it's never as easy as that," he said.

"They can come here with an attitude thinking their backs are against the wall.

"They know that everyone is writing them off and they might come here with a huge performance. You can't predict what to expect.

"The only thing we can control is how we play, getting our preparation right and making sure we play well at home. That should nullify whether they play good or bad."

In consecutive defeats to the Broncos and Knights the Eels misfiring attack has mustered just six and four points respectively. They rank last in the competition in points and tries scored, linebreaks and tackle breaks.

The absence of star fullback Jaryyd Hayne and props Tim Mannah and Justin Poore could further erode their offensive potency but the Eels are at least a strong defensive side. They rank in the top three in points and tries conceded, linebreaks allowed, offloads and missed tackles.

As Kevin Locke has joined an extensive injured list, the Warriors are also far from full strength. But they are a team in form and they do have home advantage.

Coach Ivan Cleary doesn't really buy the theory that his team have a habit of easing up when the chips are stacked in their favour.

"I don't remember being favourites in many games [this season]," Cleary said. "Probably that Canberra one was fair enough but we still had four or five of our best players out that day.

"When we started the year, everyone picked us to come last so I don't think there has been too much of us falling asleep at the wheel.

"I guess [tomorrow] is an opportunity but nothing really more than the fact that we are playing at home and we have had a couple of wins.

"Parramatta are the reigning grand finalists and, while they've got a few blokes out, it's probably no more than us. And they have got everything to play for.

"Probably our biggest problem this year in games we have lost or not played well is our starts and I think we have certainly been better at that lately. That gives you a chance to be in a game and when we've got ourselves in a game we have been able to win plenty of them."

Cleary appears unlikely to spring any late selection surprises. He named 18 players, with the dropout likely to be either Ukuma Ta'ai - who was a late omission last week - or rookie Sione Lousi.

Ta'ai was dropped after a knock picked up in the Newcastle match affected his ability to train, however it would be a surprise if the club's leading try-scoring forward was overlooked again.

Having made a competition-high 382 tackles in the Canterbury rain last week, Cleary's team would likely benefit from the injection of fresh legs.

Both sides are treading a fine line towards playoffs qualification. Consecutive victories have seen the ninth-placed Warriors join a logjam of teams on 18 points, while the Eels are just two points further back.

WARRIORS v EELS
Mt Smart Stadium, 4pm tomorrow

WARRIORS
Lance Hohaia
Bill Tupou
Joel Moon
Jerome Ropati
Manu Vatuvei
James Maloney
Isaac John
Jeremy Latimore
Aaron Heremaia
Russell Packer
S Mannering (c)
Lewis Brown
Micheal Luck
Interchange: Ian Henderson, Ben Matulino, Jeremy Latimore, Sione Lousi, Ukuma Ta'ai.

EELS
Tom Humble
Luke Burt
Joel Reddy
Jonathon Wright
Krisnan Inu
Jeff Robson
Daniel Mortimer
N Cayless (c)
Matthew Keating
Fuifui Moimoi
N Hindmarsh
Brendan Oake
Feleti Mateo
Interchange: Kris Keating, Patrick O'Hanlon, Justin Horo, Pele Peletelese, Mitchell Allgood, Manase Manuokafoa.