Rugby League: Drug cheat Howe expecting stormy reception

By Peter Jessup


Melbourne Storm prop Rodney "Roid-knee" Howe expects to cop plenty of needling from the Ericsson crowd when he makes his return after a 22-week drugs ban tonight.

The Warriors hope he's right, and would also like the crowd on referee Brian Grant's back to ensure he gives their forwards the 10 metres they need to get on a roll.

Storm coach Chris Anderson has sufficient faith in the former State of Origin star to throw him straight back in the deep end tonight. Howe has apparently been training the house down.

The 26-year-old said he expects to be "verballed" by the opposition and dumped on by the Warriors fans. "I hope I am. It will be good for my character. I am the one who copped all the flak, so I have to prove to myself that I am a quality player."

Another good crowd is expected and the Warriors coaching team hope fans will generate the sort of unfriendly-to-thevisitors atmosphere they (and the Storm, beaten 6-16 in round two) encountered at Leichhardt.

Last Saturday, the Tigers supporters kept the Warriors on-side and encouraged ref Paul Simpkins not to penalise their team for off-side.

In the intimidatory fog Joe Vagana was penalised when he should have been awarded a penalty, Lee Oudenryn was flattened off the ball, and Shane Walker escaped repercussion.

The club has been reluctant to focus on poor refereeing results, preferring to do its talking on the field, but has requested an audience with refereeing chief Mick Stone, and judiciary commissioner Jim Hall, who reviews videos and lays charges.

The National Rugby League yesterday signalled that it perceives a problem for the Warriors by agreeing to send the pair across the Tasman today for discussions.

The Warriors went through two sharp training sessions yesterday, testing the new combination of Tony Tatupu and Sean Hoppe in the centres and Stacey Jones and Gene Ngamu working hard on their kicking games.

There is a good deal of confidence in the side given their 4-0 record over the Storm and especially on the back of the win in the pre-season Country Carnival.

In that game in Brisbane, the side started with their second-tier players and still maintained a significant edge, doing serious damage on defence.

"We smashed them over," one player said. "We reckon we can do it again."

The Trans-Tasman Cup that is on offer each time the pair meet was yesterday sitting on a filing cabinet in the club's reception area.

If it's still in Auckland tomorrow morning, the management should back that spirit by building a front-office trophy cabinet for its silverware.

Auckland Warriors: Cliff Beverley, Odell Manuel, Sean Hoppe, Tony Tatupu, Lee Oudenryn, Gene Ngamu, Stacey Jones (c), Brady Malam, Jason Death, Terry Hermansson, Ali Lauitiiti, Bryan Henare, Logan Swann; interchange Joe Vagana, Shane Endacott, Joe Galuvao, Wairangi Koopu.

Melbourne Storm: Robbie Ross, Matt Geyer, Paul Bell, Tony Martin, Marcus Bai, Scott Hill, Brett Kimmorley, Glenn Lazarus (c), Richard Swain, Rodney Howe, Ben Roarty, Robbie Kearns, Aaron Moule; interchange, Russell Bawden, Wayne Evans, Paul Marquet, Danny Williams.
Kick-off 7.30pm.