KEY POINTS:
The Warriors have to watch the Gold Coast Titans' one and six tonight.
Titans fullback Preston Campbell and halfback Scott Prince are the two lightest men on the field and two of the smallest, but they are also two of the most lethal on attack.
Prince kicks more than any other player in the NRL - chips and grubbers for his outsides.
Campbell is one of the most elusive players once the line is broken.
For the Titans' forwards, it's a matter of giving Prince room to move and making busts that Campbell can support once structure is broken.
That's where they may have a problem in the form of a bullocking Warriors defence.
After a slow start last weekend which allowed the Roosters a 16-0 leg-up, the Warriors will be primed to burst from the blocks and shudder the early ball-carriers for the Titans to set the tone for what should be an opening-up later on.
Both teams have the capacity and the inclination to spread the ball wide and back seeking holes.
But the Titans won't be doing that, apparently. Coach John Cartwright has warned his team about being drawn into a game of "touch football" with the Warriors. They probably couldn't stay with them if that happened, he offered.
"We need to stick to our strengths and limit their opportunities as much as possible. It is easy when you see a team throwing it around to get trapped into playing a similar style, but I don't think it will help our cause. We need to be very aware of the importance of ball control."
The Titans use 16 of the side that beat Wests Tigers 30-14 last weekend on the Gold Coast, where they have won seven of 10 games, losing only to the Cowboys, Bulldogs and Warriors.
Bench back Clint Amos is out, fractured cheekbone, but Michael Hodgson is back in the forward pack after injury. Mat Rogers it out with a knee problem and Luke O'Dwyer will play at centre.
The Titans are far less successful away from Cararra, beating just Penrith in round four and the Tigers in round 14 and losing their other seven away games.
The Warriors have a six-four winning record at home and have not been beaten at Mt Smart since the 4-2 loss to Melbourne Storm in round 13.
What will be worrying opposing coaches is their ability to score multiple tries quickly and from long-range - it's all very well kicking the ball deep but Wade McKinnon and Manu Vatuvei are creating and scoring 90-metre touchdowns.
Last weekend, the Warriors scored in the 25th, 27th and 33rd minutes to come from 16-0 down and lead 18-16 at the break. The week before they scored in the fourth minute and the sixth and again at 17, 22, 30 and 35 minutes to demolish the Knights 30-4 by half-time.
And last time on the Gold Coast in round 16 - the teams were six-all at the break, the Warriors cracking the Titans in the 52nd and 53rd minutes to take control of the game and scoring again at 70 and 77 minutes.
There remains some doubt over McKinnon, who has not trained all week, but he is walking freely on his turned ankle. If he were to pull out, Todd Byrne would come into the backline. The Warriors have no other injury concerns.
Former Kiwi Matt Utai makes his return from a long-term knee injury for the table-topping Bulldogs against the Auckland Lions in the premier league curtain-raiser.
The Lions have 20 points and with four games to go sit three points outside the top eight. They also take in a stable line-up, with Sonny Fai, Lui Tolomoana and Scott Jones having played all 19 games so far and wing Malo Solomona and captain Steve Buckingham playing 18.
Auckland Lions: Todd Byrne, Miguel Start, Tony Martin, Aidan Kirk, Malo Solomona, Steve Buckingham (c), Lance Hohaia, Wayne McDade, Corey Lawrie, Upu Poching, Louis Anderson, Sonny Fai, Scott Jones; interchange from Lui Tolomoana, Leeson Ah Mau, Fabian Soutar, Russell Packer, Marty Mitchell.
Bulldogs: Brent Crisp, Leon Bott, Ioane Victor, Andrew Emelio, Matt Utai, Tim Winitana, Daniel Holdsworth, Jon Green, Billy Ngawini, Nathan Armit, Corey Vlaciky, Gary Warburton, Adam Brideson (c); interchange Lee Te Maari, Daniel Green, Frank Winterstein, Tom Kerr.
NZ Warriors vs Titans
Mt Smart Stadium, 7.30 tonight
NZ Warriors
1. Wade McKinnon
2. Patrick Ah Van
3. Jerome Ropati
4. Simon Mannering
5. Manu Vatuvei
6. Michael Witt
7. Grant Rovelli
8. Sam Rapira
9. George Gatis
10. Steve Price (c)
11. Ruben Wiki
12. Logan Swann
13. Micheal Luck
Interchange: Wairangi Koopu, Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki, Nathan Fien.
Titans
1. Preston Campbell
2. Jake Webster
3. Luke O'Dwyer
4. Brett Delaney
5. Smith Samau
6. Josh Lewis
7. Scott Prince (c)
8. Luke Bailey (c)
9. Nathan Friend
10. Michael Hodgson
11. A. Laffranchi
12. Mark Minichiello
13. Josh Graham
Interchange: Daniel Conn, Ian Donnelly, Gavin Cooper, Luke Swain.
Epalahame Lauaki
* Born January 27, 1984, Tonga
* 184cm 104kg
* Secondrower
* NRL debut for the Warriors: 2004
"Hame" Lauaki was marked for big things from an early age.
Epalahame and big brother Sione were born in Tonga and their parents brought them to Auckland.
While at Kelston Boys High School he stood out in age-grade league at the Glenora Bears.
He was picked up by the Warriors development squad in 2003 and made his debut for the club in 2004. Then followed a hiatus, when his talent was obvious but so was his error rate.
He had an entourage who would watch training at the Bears with rap music blasting from their cars. They had to be told to go and he to focus.
Now that he is, the damage he does when coming off the bench is becoming a major attack weapon for the Warriors. Lauaki led the turnaround against the Roosters last weekend, when the Warriors were 16-0 down, sparking two tries with his tackle busts and off-loads and scoring one himself. He's a bit stunned by the attention he's drawing all of a sudden.
He's enjoying making such impact on the field, though, and hopes to push on and play more minutes.
Sione is a regular source of support. "He always texts before the game and afterwards. ... It's good to have a brother who picks on you and tells you where you're going wrong and if you're playing well."
Lauaki's season preparation was hampered by injury. Coach Ivan Cleary said he had been hitting peak fitness just in the past six weeks - six weeks that coincide with a big change of fortune for the club.
