NRL: Cleary plays boldest stroke of career

Lance Hohaia. Photo / Dean Purcell

Welcome to Warriors 2.0.

Coach Ivan Cleary has rebuilt his line-up from the ground up, announcing a raft of changes to the side that dropped the opening three matches of the NRL season.

A coach who has tended to favour the conservative route, Cleary's axing of Kiwis fullback Lance Hohaia, senior halfback Brett Seymour and centre Joel Moon represents the boldest stroke of his career.

Coupled with the loss to injury of senior back Jerome Ropati and the positional switches of captain Simon Mannering (back row to centre), Feleti Mateo (back row to five-eighth), Shaun Berrigan (hooker to centre) and James Maloney (five-eighth to halfback), Cleary's changes are a full-blown revolution.

With young guns Glen Fisiiahi (fullback), Bill Tupou (wing), Elijah Taylor (bench utility) and hooker Alehana Mara - who is named as the 18th man - called in, all of a sudden the future is now.

Cleary typically declines to discuss his selections when naming his side on Tuesdays, preferring instead to issue quotes via a written release. However not even that was forthcoming yesterday, with captain Mannering left to address the situation.

"As players, we're all disappointed with the way we've started this season," Mannering said. "We haven't been performing to the standards we expect of ourselves. With the changes, it has been made clear to us that everyone has to perform to hold on to their spots. We've got depth in our squad and there's plenty of competition for positions. There's a long way to go this season but those of us who have been given the opportunity against Cronulla this week know we have to come up with a much-improved effort."

Mannering last played centre in the Kiwis' Four Nations final victory over Australia. He also filled the role in the 2008 world cup final.

Facing Cronulla at Owen Delany Park in Taupo might not rival those occasions, but for a Warriors side in danger of slipping out of contention inside the first month of the season, Sunday's match carries no shortage of importance.

Fisiiahi, who was injured in his NRL debut on the wing against Parramatta on March 12, returns to start at his favoured fullback position, while winger Bill Tupou comes into the side for the first time this season to link with Berrigan in an all-new right flank combination.

On the opposite flank wing Krisnan Inu pairs up with Mannering. Tongan powerhouse Ukuma Ta'ai makes his first appearance of the season, starting alongside Lewis Brown in the second row.

Kevin Locke has been relegated to a five-man bench.

Hohaia's axing comes as no surprise given his struggles under the high ball, however it deprives the side of one of its few creative outlets.

Seymour has been a shadow of the player who helped bring about last year's transformation, while Moon's fate appeared to be sealed when he was yanked off after just 20 minutes in Sunday's defeat by the Dragons.

Taupo, 2pm Sunday

WARRIORS
Glen Fisiiahi
Bill Tupou
Shaun Berrigan
S. Mannering (c)
Krisnan Inu
Feleti Mateo
James Maloney
Jacob Lillyman
Aaron Heremaia
Russell Packer
Lewis Brown
Ukuma Ta'ai
Micheal Luck

CRONULLA
Nathan Gardner
Matthew Wright
Ben Pomeroy
Colin Best
John Williams
Albert Kelly
Wade Graham
Kade Snowden
John Morris
Luke Douglas
Jeremy Smith
Anthony Tupou
Paul Gallen (c)

Warriors: (one to be omitted) Kevin Locke, Sam Rapira, Ben Matulino, Elijah Taylor, Alehana Mara.

Cronulla: Josh Cordoba, Broderick Wright, Paul Aiton, Dean Collis, Johnny Mannah, Taulima Tautai.