NRL: Mateo looking to spark Warriors

Feleti Mateo. Photo / Getty Images

Feleti Mateo will look to have more influence on attack against in-form National Rugby League opponents Cronulla on Sunday, as the New Zealand Warriors try to avoid creating an unwanted piece of club history.

The Warriors, for whom the match in Taupo is an "away" fixture, are still searching for their first win as the competition enters round four.

They have never gone 0-4 at the start of any of their previous 16 seasons and the only other time they have been threatened with that statistic was seven years ago.

However, the 2004 side managed to beat Manly to end their losing streak, although further poor results in subsequent weeks saw coach Daniel Anderson depart in mid-season.

Present coach Ivan Cleary's response to three successive defeats has been to revamp his line-up, including moving Mateo from the back row.

An off-season arrival from Parramatta, Mateo skippered Tonga from five-eighth, but wasn't used there on a regular basis by the Eels.

He will form a new halves pairing with James Maloney, who shifts from five-eighth to halfback to replace Brett Seymour, who is among those dropped.

While he is a prolific offloader, Mateo isn't noted for his kicking, which means those duties will fall to Maloney and hooker Aaron Heremaia.

A headline signing for the Warriors, Mateo has yet to hit top gear but he said was feeling "very comfortable" in his new environment and described the Warriors as "the tightest squad I've been in".

"I've probably not seen the ball as much as I would like to," he said.

"Last week I thought I got a few more touches. The gameplan is there in stone, but we haven't really been playing to it.

"If we can get into some rhythm and hold on to the ball, I think we'll start putting points on the board."

For Mateo to be able to work his magic, the Warriors need to subdue a bruising Cronulla pack who comprise a test back three of skipper Paul Gallen, Anthony Tupou and Kiwis international Jeremy Smith.

"There's plenty of talk about their back row so it's probably a good thing I'm not in the forwards this week," Mateo quipped.

"But yes, their pack has been going really well and Nathan Gardner has been going really well too, so they're probably the hottest team in the comp right now."

Fullback Gardner has been a key attacking threat for Cronulla, averaging eight tackle breaks and 133m a match this season.

Having been tipped as wooden spoon candidates after they were thumped 40-12 by Canberra in round one, the Sharks have bounced back superbly by upsetting premiers St George Illawarra 16-10 and then hammering Penrith 44-12.

Given Cronulla's past fortnight, which has taken them into the top eight, the club's administrators could be forgiven for wondering whether it was a good idea after all to take this match away from their Sydney base.

Despite a tough start to the season, the Warriors remain the bookmakers' favourites to prevail at Owen Delany Park.

However, they will not have one aspect of history on their side because they have won just two of the 12 matches they have played in New Zealand away from Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium.

- NZPA