NRL: Cleary's choices becoming clearer

Simon Mannering (centre) wants the right this season. Photo / Getty Images

The answers to many of the questions surrounding the 2011 Warriors should be on display at North Harbour Stadium in this evening's final trial match against Manly.

Certainly the match will provide the clearest indication yet of how coach Ivan Cleary plans to use Feleti Mateo - favoured for his right centre-wing combination - and what will be the initial pecking order among the logjam of backrow talent.

Mateo and last year's preferred halves combination of Brett Seymour and James Maloney are in a squad together for the first time this pre-season. Seymour is a lock for the opening night halfback slot. Whoever partners him tonight will almost certainly be in to face Parramatta at Eden Park in a fortnight.

Expect it to be Maloney. Cleary declined a request to discuss his selections ahead of the trial, but has previously stated that incumbent five-eighth Maloney's long kicking game would be particularly important early in the season.

Captain Simon Mannering taking his season bow - with fellow Kiwis veteran Lance Hohaia - should reveal how the backrow dominoes will fall. Mannering has spent much of his career on the left in a deadly trio with Jerome Ropati and Manu Vatuvei, but last season was used more often on the right. He was guarded about his future, but a read between the lines suggests it will be on the right.

"We've got a lot of guys in that second row position, there are a lot of options there, Mannering said. "Feleti does mainly play on the left. He's going to be a key guy for us this year. There's Lewis Brown in that bracket as well. I'll take any position I can get, but I'm definitely feeling more comfortable on the [right] side now."

Having sat out the pre-season action so far to help recuperate from an arduous 2010 that ended with a lengthy Kiwis campaign, Mannering said he was ready for some action.

The recurring hamstring complaint that troubled him last season hasn't completely disappeared, but is no longer paramount in his thinking.

"Last season it was a bit of a struggle for most of the year," he said. "It feels a lot better this year but I'm still doing a lot of rehab to keep on top of it. I'm able to do pretty much all the training everyone else does so it's not much of a hindrance any more, which is a big load off my shoulders."

The absence of Vatuvei, nursing a corked thigh, probably won't muddy the right flank picture too much. If Bill Tupou stands in for Vatuvei on the left - as he did several times last season - a combination of Joel Moon, Kristnan Inu and a stronger looking Kevin Locke should fill the right centre and wing positions.

The absence of emerging star Glen Fisiiahi from that picture is the major surprise of the 22-man squad named by Cleary. Fisiiahi was the star turn of the first three trial matches, scoring five tries from fullback and wing.

Promising hooker Alehana Mara is another notable absence, suggesting new recruit Shaun Berrigan and Aaron Heremaia will begin the season sharing the hooking duties.

Warriors v Manly
* NRL trial, North Harbour Stadium
* Tonight, 6.00