Warriors reserve grade coach Stacey Jones has named a strong lineup for Sunday's ISP week two finals clash against the Newtown Jets.
Though the Warriors NRL season has ended ignominiously again, the progress of Jones' team has provided a glimmer of light at the club.
They qualified fifth in theregular season and knocked over eighth ranked Penrith 21-14 last Sunday in the first week of the finals.
Jones has been able to call upon 12 players with NRL experience for Sunday's clash, including Ken Maumalo, Nathaniel Roache, James Gavet, Jazz Tevaga and Ata Hingano.
Earlier in the season Maumalo scored nine tries in 10 ISP appearances before being promoted to the NRL side for 10 outings. In all he has 21 tries in 25 ISP games.
Roache has split his season between the club's NRL, ISP and NYC teams while Tevaga has alternated between NRL and ISP duty.
Jones has shuffled his backline resources with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, the only player to appear in every one of the team's games this year, named to start at fullback after originally being selected in the centres last week.
Matt Allwood comes into the centres alongside veteran former Newcastle and Wigan centre George Carmont. Maumalo and Henare Wells are on the wings.
The starting pack named comprises players who have all had NRL experience this year, ranging from 2016 rookie Toaf Sipley to Gavet, the most experienced forward in the team with 25 NRL appearances.
In two regular season matches against Newtown - Cronulla's feeder club - the Vodafone Warriors have a win and a loss. They won 20-18 at Mount Smart Stadium in March but were trounced 38-6 at Henson Park in June.
WARRIORS v NEWTOWN JETS Pepper Stadium, Penrith 6.35pm, Sunday, September 11
WARRIORS
1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Henare Wells 3. George Carmont 4. Matt Allwood 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Ata Hingano 7. Mason Lino (C) 8. James Gavet 9. Nathaniel Roache 10. Toafofoa Sipley 11. John Palavi 12. Shaun Lane 13. Jazz Tevaga Interchange 14. James Bell 15. Upu Poching 16. Patrick Sipley 17. Viliami Kaveinga 18. Erin Clark 19. Marata Niukore
