Manu Vatuvei of the Warriors scores a try during the Warriors v Bulldogs game today. NRL rugby league, Eden Park, Auckland. 13 April 2014 New Zealand Herald Photograph by Sarah Ivey
The Warriors have included most of their biggest names in a preliminary squad of 22 players revealed today for the NRL Auckland Nines at Eden Park later this month.
Halfback Shaun Johnson will again captain the side over the weekend of January 31-February 1, alongside club captain and Kiwis skipper
Simon Mannering, and together with record-try-scoring winger Manu Vatuvei, fullback Sam Tomkins, front rower Ben Matulino and hooker Nathan Friend plus all four new signings, Ryan Hoffman, Jonathan Wright, Bodene Thompson and Matt Allwood.
Other established NRL players named are Ben Henry, Sione Lousi, Sebastine Ikahihifo, Ngani Laumape, Suaia Matagi, Chad Townsend and Dominique Peyroux.
Making up the balance of the squad are five of the club's most exciting young prospects from the 2014 NYC premiership-winning Junior Warriors - Tuimoala Lolohea, Solomone Kata, Sam Lisone, Ken Maumalo and Nathaniel Roache (Lolohea and Kata were both in the club's 2014 NRL Nines team).
A total of 12 of the initial squad played at the inaugural 2014 Nines - Johnson, Tomkins, Lousi, Ikahihifo, Lolohea, Kata, Laumape, Matagi and Peyroux all turned out for the Warriors while Hoffman captained the Melbourne side, Wright was in Cronulla's line-up and Thompson was in the Wests Tigers squad.
