KEY POINTS:
Warriors wing Michael Crockett faces his former club tomorrow hoping nasty surprises are a thing of the past.
After notching four tries in the opening two matches, the nuggety wing seemed odds-on to enjoy a prolific first season with the Warriors.
But the dislocated elbow he suffered in the round-four loss to Manly put the brakes on his season.
Seven weeks later, his sending-off for a horrible high tackle on Cameron Phelps just five minutes into his comeback match against the Bulldogs threatened to end it altogether.
Having served a two-match suspension and worked himself back into favour, and having celebrated his second recall to first grade with a try against St George-Illawarra last week, Crockett has his gaze locked firmly on the future.
"There have been a couple of low points but you try to look at the big picture," he said.
"[The lows] didn't put me out for the season. I have the chance to come back and make amends and make something of the season.
"With seven games to go, hopefully I can show the club why they got me and what I am over here for."
While he couldn't even look at his dislocated elbow for fear of passing out, Crockett admits it was the first sending-off of his career that really sickened him.
"I was devastated. When the ref put his finger up and told me to go, my mouth dropped. I felt like I let the boys down. But at the moment it's not even in my mind. I just want to play for the boys and do what I'm meant to do."
Having notched five tries in seven matches for the Tigers last season, and five in six games this season - or "five in five games and two minutes", as he sees it - Crockett's try-scoring ratio is still impressive.
And he should get the chance to keep it that way tomorrow afternoon as the Warriors head to Campbelltown for the first time in five years, toting a backline that dwarfs that of the Tim Sheens-coached Tigers. Just 2kg separate the respective pack weights but the Warriors backs outweigh their opposites by a combined 38kg.
The Warriors will also have a significant size advantage off the bench, where Epalahame Lauaki and Evarn Tuimavave outweigh anything Sheens can pick from the six-man bench he has named to date.
Ruben Wiki's presence in the second row signals the Warriors will be out to overpower the Tigers but coach Ivan Cleary said his selections had more to do with players' form than their physical dimensions.
"It's just picking on form and what's best for us from week to week."
The absence of playmaker Benji Marshall and captain Brett Hodgson should make the Warriors' task easier as they look to improve on the 26-30 round 10 loss at Mt Smart. But demoralising defeats at home to the seriously weakened Sharks and Storm suggest the absence of the Tigers' key duo could be a mixed blessing.
Cleary wasn't worried about his side's habit of underperforming against sides missing their top players.
The past eight matches between the teams have all been played in New Zealand, with two of the Tigers' three wins over that span coming in Christchurch.
A win tomorrow would see the Warriors leapfrog the sixth-placed Tigers and they could finish the weekend as high as fifth. A loss, however, could see them drop as low as 14th.
Match
Campbelltown Stadium, 4pm tomorrow
Tigers
Shannon Gallant
Daniel Fitzhenry
Dean Collis
Paul Whatuira
Chris Lawrence
John Morris
Robbie Farah
Todd Payten
Dene Halatau
Keith Galloway
Taniela Tuiaki
Liam Fulton
Chris Heighington
Warriors
Wade McKinnon
Michael Crockett
Jerome Ropati
Simon Mannering
Manu Vatuvei
Michael Witt
Grant Rovelli
Sam Rapira
George Gatis
Steve Price (c)
Ruben Wiki
Logan Swann
Micheal Luck
Interchange
Tigers (from): Ben Te'o, Stuart Flanagan, Bronson Harrison, Ben Galea, Jarrod Saffy, Ryan O'Hara.
Warriors: Wairangi Koopu, Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki, Nathan Fien.
