NRL: No room for Inu against Brisbane

Krisnan Inu of the Warriors had a nightmare game against the Melbourne Storm last week and has been dropped for the Warriors' next game. Photo / Getty Images

Krisnan Inu has paid the price for an error-ridden performance against Melbourne last week and can't find a place at centre or fullback when the Warriors host Brisbane on Saturday.

Inu made a couple of errors that led to opposition tries in the 32-14 defeat to the Storm, including one horrible mistake when he dropped the ball only 10m from his own line.

Konrad Hurrell will take his place at centre and Jerome Ropati returns from injury to start at fullback, where Inu spent 75 minutes of the game against Melbourne after regular fullback Kevin Locke went off with a painful sternum injury that could sideline him for up to four weeks.

Inu has been included on an extended five-man bench.

Ropati has recovered from the hamstring strain that ruled him out of the Anzac Day match against Melbourne and will provide plenty of experience at the back. Glen Fisiiahi would have been another option in the No 1 jersey, especially after scoring another two tries for the Auckland Vulcans last Saturday, but is expected to be out for a week with a groin strain.

Hurrell, who appeared in the club's first four matches of the year, is named in the centres with fellow Junior Warriors graduate Ben Henry. The 20-year-old last played for the NRL side against Gold Coast on March 24 but comes back into the side on the back of scoring two tries in the Vulcans' 42-38 win against Wentworthville last Saturday.

"Jerome was going really well for us at fullback against South Sydney until he was forced off with his hamstring injury so it's great that he can come back into the side now Kevin is out injured,'' coach Brian McClennan said.

"Konrad was impressive for us earlier in the season but we also wanted to see him getting in more minutes, which he has been able to do with the Vulcans.''

Halfback Shaun Johnson, who missed the Melbourne game with a shoulder injury he picked up in his Kiwis debut in the Anzac test, also comes back into the side for Pita Godinet, who shifts to the interchange bench.

McClennan said prop Jacob Lillyman, who has been sidelined since February with a bicep injury, was in contention to play but still needed to be cleared. Lillyman trained fully with the squad at Otahuhu College yesterday but admitted he won't be 100 per cent and the battle for him was to be mentally ready after so long out.

"It's going to be a bit sore for probably the next few weeks, just got a lot of scar tissue and that in there,'' he said. "It does have its moments, hurts a bit when you make contact.

"Basically [it will be] how confident I am in it and how confident the surgeon is in it, so we'll assess that during the week.''

The Broncos come into the match as one of the competition's outstanding sides this season. They lost their second game to North Queensland but have since won six on the trot to lie second on the ladder behind the unbeaten Storm. Last Friday night, the Broncos beat Gold Coast 26-6 with their Kiwi connection _ Alex Glenn, Gerard Beale and Josh Hoffman _ scoring four of their five tries.

The Warriors have won three and lost five in a scratchy start to the season.

Warriors team to play Brisbane at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, on Saturday: Jerome Ropati, Bill Tupou, Ben Henry, Konrad Hurrell, Manu Vatuvei, James Maloney, Shaun Johnson, Russell Packer, Nathan Friend, Ben Matulino, Elijah Taylor, Simon Mannering (c), Feleti Mateo. Interchange: Lewis Brown, Ukuma Ta'ai, Sione Lousi, Pita Godinet, Krisnan Inu.