Rugby League: Warriors place faith in youth, maturity against Souths

Ball security will be top of the list for the Auckland Warriors in what is predicted to be dirty weather for the game against Souths on Sunday, with enthusiasm in tackling running a close second.

Never before has it been more important that the elder, established players show the way forward. The Warriors will blood two teenagers in Frances Meli at centre and Clinton Toopi at lock on Sunday and have three others in Ali Lauitiiti, Wairangi Koopu and Peter Lewis who have limited NRL experience.

Then there is Odell Manual and Cliff Beverley, who came to the side this year, both aged 20, and Joe Galuvao, who had a couple of starts last year, also 20, for an average age of 23 years.

And there is another young newcomer who may get a run, a blond pakeha who stood out like a sore thumb among the mainly Polynesian players at training this week.

Karl Dougherty is a running fullback and accurate kicker who has been watched and impressed in his last three games for Mt Albert. He is in coach Mark Graham's squad as 18th man, Graham deciding to wait until game-day before culling one.

It will be a big ask for Dougherty, stepping up from Auckland's second-division Regional Cup, should he get a start.

Souths, meanwhile, have an experienced squad bolstered by heavy off-season buying. Their oldest player is 25-test Kiwi Tony Iro at 31 and 19-year-old Craig Wing, shifted to standoff this week, is the only one under 23, for an average age of 26.

Graham described his work this week as "trying to educate them about rugby league, to improve their ability to understand the game." And on Sunday he will be looking to the returning Kiwis in Logan Swann, Joe Vagana, Stacey Jones and Sean Hoppe, and Syd Eru, back after wrist surgery, to show leadership.

Shane Endacott goes to the troublesome standoff position, as Gene Ngamu underwent surgery yesterday.

He has compartment syndrome, in layman's terms, his calf muscle is too big for the sac containing it and blood flow to muscles is interrupted. He could be out for anything up to three months.

Endacott's value as a utility grows weekly, adding standoff to shots at hooker, in the second row and at centre. He has been a solid defender and if he backs himself running off Stacey Jones, now has an opportunity to hold one position for more than one week.

The Rabbits will be wounded after the 52-6 battering by the Melbourne Storm last week. Auckland are rested after securing their easiest two points ever with a bye.

Motivation for Souths will be easy: they are a foundation club with 20 premiership titles fighting for survival in a competition about to be cut to 14 teams while Auckland are upstarts, cannot win, and are not even Australian. Motivation for Auckland should be establishing respect.

"We have to do something about that [attitude] now. We have to stand up for ourselves," Graham said.

"The call is simple - to play well."

Auckland Warriors: Cliff Beverley, Odell Manuel, Joe Galuvao, Frances Meli, Sean Hoppe, Shane Endacott, Stacey Jones, Joe Vagana, Syd Eru, Jerry Seu Seu, Tony Tatupu, Wairangi Koopu, Logan Swann; interchange Clinton Toopi, Peter Lewis, Ali Lauitiiti, Terry Hermansson, Karl Dougherty (one to be omitted).

South Sydney: Julian O'Neill, Tim Brasher, Brett Rodwell, Jason Nicol, Justin Loomans, Craig Wing, Darrell Trindall, Jeremy Schloss, James Smith, Tony Iro, Ian Rubin, Sean Garlick (c), Matt Parsons; interchange, Chris Caruana, Wayne Richards, Paul McNicholas, Robert Tocco, Lee Hookey (one to be omitted).