A familiar question lingers over Warriors captain Tohu Harris.
After suffering a knee injury two weeks ago, the availability of the 31-year-old remains up in the air ahead of Sunday night’s clash in Newcastle.
Harris was injured in the side’s win over the Canterbury Bulldogs in Auckland and althoughnamed to play last weekend, was a late withdrawal from the squad.
There is a similar question over his selection this weekend. Harris has been named to start at lock, but coach Andrew Webster could not say with any certainty that Harris would be on the pitch in Newcastle.
“It’s hard for me. I just don’t know how he’s feeling and how he’s going,” Webster said.
“He’s a very experienced player, he’s the captain of our club, he knows his body and wants to play. He knows that every week is a big game, so if he says he’s right to go, and his knee’s feeling that way, then I trust him.
“The medical staff, I’ll trust their opinion too, but right now it’s in the balance; it could be in the balance next week and it could be in the balance the week after. That’s how this injury works, there’s not a clear-cut timeframe. It’s going to be around ‘can he move and can he do that job?’ We’ll know more later in the week.”
Warriors coach Andrew Webster and captain Tohu Harris. Photo / Getty Images
While Jazz Tevaga was strong in deputising at lock last week - defensively he made 41 tackles with just one miss - Harris’ inclusion for the Warriors would be a lift.
He is consistently among their leading tacklers, takes plenty of carries, and has the skills and touch to provide an additional ball-playing option on attack.
Like Webster, Harris did not give anything away in assessing how his injury was tracking, but said he was ‘very optimistic’.
“It’s going alright; just ticking the boxes as it comes along and trying to give it every opportunity to be able to get back on the field,” Harris said.
“It’s too hard to call. I’m very optimistic and giving it every single chance to be out there on the field. It was hard watching the game on the weekend and just wanting to be out there on the field with the boys, but I’ve got to make sure that I’m doing the right things.”
While Harris’ status remains in the balance, the Warriors welcome back five-eighth Te Maire Martin who missed last weekend’s win over the Sharks, after sustaining a head injury the week prior.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak could be a late inclusion after missing the first five rounds of the season with a calf injury.
They will, however, be without second row forward Marata Niukore for the two weeks, after he took an early guilty plea and received a two-week suspension for a hip-drop tackle late in the first half against the Sharks. Bayley Sironen is in line to replace him.
Warriors: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Ed Kosi, Viliame Vailea, Adam Pompey, Marcelo Montoya, Te Maire Martin, Shaun Johnson, Addin Fonua-Blake, Wayde Egan, Bunty Afoa, Jackson Ford, Bayley Sironen, Tohu Harris.
