League: Warriors to let their footie do the talking

The battle for territory up front promises to be the most critical component of the Warriors game against the Cowboys at Ericsson Stadium tomorrow.

Both sides boast damaging props who like to run and off-load. And they're explosive props with speed.

Warriors skipper Steve Price has been leading the metres gained stats in the NRL. Iafeta Paleaaesina comes in to replace the suspended Ruben Wiki and much will depend on how he goes handling a revived Carl Webb.

The Cowboys have given Kiwi prop Paul Rauhihi the captaincy for this game, usual skipper Travis Norton tearing a bicep muscle from the bone. Rauhihi will want to make the same impact he did at Ericsson last season when he led the visitors to a 28-26 victory.

After that game the home side complained about sledging and niggling tactics from Rauhihi and former Warrior David Myles, among others.

"We're a different side this year," said Warriors coach Tony Kemp. "If Paul Rauhihi decides to sledge there's not a lot our players can do about it.

"It's part of the game," Kemp said, but he expected the referees to do something if it went too far. "The referees came over here to speak to us and said they would handle dissent and if sledging is part of dissent then the refs should do something about it."

Referees coach Robert Finch said it was unfair to expect referees to hear everything said on the field. "The referee has a managerial role. If that [sledging] led to something else, then obviously they'd step in. There's plenty of things said out there, things go pretty quick," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Surely this is not another thing a ref has got to do?"

Cowboys coach Graham Murray denied Rauhihi was a purveyor of what former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh once described as "mental disintegration".

"I would say that Paul is protective of his team-mates," said Murray. "I will not tell the players to go out there and have a go at him, him and him. I don't believe in going on with that stuff."

The Warriors trained well yesterday, as well as they did before the win over Brisbane. Kemp will wait until after the final training session today before deciding whether to go with Karl Temata or Richard Villasanti as bench prop. Villasanti has done everything asked of him after returning from a shoulder tear. "Both are training really well and I'd like to keep the competition for that spot high," he said.

Fullback Brent Webb has had a back strain this week but is expected to play.

No one else is in doubt.

The Newcastle Knights had further bad news with Danny Buderus ruled out until round nine after recurrence of injuries suffered during the Tri-Nations. Buderus had recovered from an ankle operation and was expected back after the Knights' bye this weekend but must now undergo further surgery to correct a floating bone chip in his elbow and a shoulder problem.

Manly financier Max Delmege has said he will offer John Hopoate a job with his property business, either in construction or sales.

Ericsson Stadium, tomorrow 2pm

WARRIORS
Brent Webb
Todd Byrne
Tony Martin
Clinton Toopi
Francis Meli
Jerome Ropati
Stacey Jones
Iafeta Paleaaesina
Nathan Fien
Steve Price (c)
Awen Guttenbeil
Wairangi Koopu
Monty Betham
Reserves: Tevita Latu, Karl Temata, Louis Anderson, Sione Faumuina, Richard Villasanti.

COWBOYS
Matt Bowen
Ty Williams
Josh Hannay
Paul Bowman
Matt Sing
Johanathan Thurston
Chris Sheppard
Paul Rauhihi (c)
Aaron Payne
Carl Webb
Steve Southern
Justin Smith
Luke O'Donnell
Reserves: Rod Jensen, Leigh McWilliams, Michael Luck, Shane Tronc, David Myles 18th man.