NRL: Boosted Warriors want better performance

Russell Packer has been dropped for the match against the Roosters for Sam Rapira. Photo / Getty Images

Having given their National Rugby League campaign a boost, the New Zealand Warriors have a wish list of improvements for their match against the Sydney Roosters in Auckland tomorrow night.

The Warriors' 26-18 victory over Cronulla in Taupo last weekend finally got them on the board after three successive losses and was, coach Ivan Cleary said, "a little shot in the arm".

However, the Warriors realise they have to lift their performance on a number of fronts.

"I thought our defence was a bit sloppy in the first half and things like kick-chase and our line wasn't up to the standard we would like," Cleary said.

"Our attack showed some good signs, but we still can improve our kicking game.

"The pleasing part of the win was coming back from being down at halftime and, after losing three games in a row, it's good to see the boys hang in there and grind out a win."

In a late change, utility Lance Hohaia will return to first grade with a spot on the bench, a week after he was dropped along with fellow frontline players Brett Seymour and Joel Moon.

The Kiwis fullback was to have turned out for the Auckland Vulcans last weekend, with Seymour and Moon, but was sidelined by a knee injury.

He was passed fit after the 18-man squad to face the Roosters were named on Tuesday and was among the Warriors' reserves during an opposed training run against the Vulcans on Wednesday night.

Hohaia, the longest serving Warrior in the club's present squad with 166 appearances, offers the option of back-up at dummy half.

His recall means Kevin Locke is scratched from the bench and will play instead for the Vulcans.

Locke was the star of the show the last time the Warriors met the Roosters, with a three-try haul in a 20-18 win in Christchurch last June.

He completed his hat-trick in spectacular fashion, crashing into a goalpost in the act of scoring and then having to be taken off the field.

After shaking up his starting 13 before the Cronulla fixture, Cleary has gone more for stability against the Roosters.

The only change in the run-on side is the return from the bench of Kiwis prop Sam Rapira in place of Russell Packer.

Having appeared in all four rounds so far, Packer gets a spell with the Vulcans.

"We had quite a few changes the week before, so continuity should be a little better this week," Cleary said.

Victory over the Sharks lifted the Warriors up a place to 14th on a compressed table where only four points separate top and bottom.

The Roosters are also backing up after a win, downing an injury-hit Wests Tigers 24-6 last Sunday.

That result broke a two-match losing streak and lifted them to seventh on the table with four points.

The Warriors go into the match at Mt Smart Stadium with history on their side, having won 15 of their 26 fixtures against the Roosters, lost 10 and drawn one.

Their dominance has been particularly marked in recent times, with the Aucklanders on a four-match winning streak over the Sydneysiders.

- NZPA