Parramatta v Warriors
Sydney, 9.30 tonight
The Warriors plan to be active in the player market when the sweeps open on the talent rich free-agent class of 2011 - but the club is not sitting on a sizeable war chest.
With top earner Steve Price likely to come off contract at the end of next season,
fellow big earner Ruben Wiki having gone last year and the likes of Nathan Fien, Michael Witt and Grant Rovelli punted this season, the perception is that the Warriors will have the cash to flash in the pursuit of the likes of Jonathan Thurston, Jamie Soward and Anthony Watmough.
But chief executive Wayne Scurrah was keen to dampen expectations of a spending spree on marquee talent.
"Certainly, we are managing the cap but there is no war chest available," Scurrah said.
"It is a thing people presume with all clubs when they see top players leave, but what people have to understand is that you've got other people coming up from below and you've got obligations to upgrade them as well."
Money will certainly have to be spent on budding stars, such as Kevin Locke and Shaun Johnson, the promising halfback expected to be elevated into the top squad next season. But with the likes of Thurston, Soward, Watmough, Jarryd Hayne, Jamie Lyon, Michael Jennings and Feleti Mateo on the market, the Warriors will be expected to make some strong moves to help resurrect their fortunes when negotiations begin in November.
Scurrah indicated that would be the case, but insisted there was no great hurry. How much the Warriors have in the kitty will depend upon Price, with a decision on the club captain's future beyond 2010 to be made at the end of the current campaign.
With the evergreen prop turning 37 in March 2011 and his appearances to date this season tailing off to just 13 because of a range of injuries, it should be an easy decision.
And given this season's results, there are likely to be other casualties.
"I guess you'd judge the current squad based on performance," Scurrah said. "We don't know how that is going to be in 2010 but we are very disappointed in 2009." Promising centre Siuatonga Likiliki will make his first-grade debut against the Eels tonight. The 19-year-old is set to replace Jerome Ropati, who withdrew from the side with injury.
PARRAMATTA v WARRIORS
Parramatta
Jarryd Hayne
Luke Burt
Krisnan Inu
Joel Reddy
Eric Grothe
Daniel Mortimer
Jeff Robson
Tim Mannah
Matthew Keating
Fuifui Moimoi
N. Hindmarsh (c)
Joe Galuvao
Todd Lowrie
Interchange: Kevin Kingston, Broderick Wright, Ben Smith, Jeremy Latimore.
Warriors
Wade McKinnon
Kevin Locke
Siuatonga Likiliki
Joel Moon
Manu Vatuvei
Aaron Heremaia
Stacey Jones
Sam Rapira
Ian Henderson
Evarn Tuimavave
Simon Mannering
Ukuma Ta'ai
Micheal Luck (c)
Interchange: Lance Hohaia, Russell Packer, Jacob Lillyman, Lewis Brown.
