The Warriors have lost an experienced trio to injury as the side attempts to bounce back from a shock loss to the Gold Coast Titans.
Coach Andrew Webster will be forced to face the Redcliffe Dolphins at Go Media Stadium on Friday without key players James Fisher-Harris, Wayde Egan andChanel Harris-Tavita – as the trio join an injury list full of experience, alongside Mitch Barnett, Luke Metcalf, Rocco Berry and Ali Leiataua.
Captain Fisher-Harris will be sidelined for two games after suffering a calf injury, while half Harris-Tavita will only miss the Dolphins clash, also with a calf issue. Egan, meanwhile, is following NRL concussion protocols after suffering a head knock in the Warriors’ 24-16 loss to the Titans.
Rookie hooker Sam Healey has been brought into the starting 13 to replace Egan, in what will be his third NRL appearance of the season.
Te Maire Martin will shift from the bench to start in the halves alongside Tanah Boyd, and Demitric Vaimauga replaces Fisher-Harris in the front row.
Utility back Taine Tuaupiki has been named on the bench alongside hooker Freddy Lussick, who is in line for his first NRL game of the season.
Centre Kurt Capewell will lead the side in Fisher-Harris’ absence.
The Warriors remain in fourth place on the NRL ladder despite the shock loss to the Titans, who were at the bottom of the ladder heading into the game. The fifth-placed Penrith Panthers sit three points behind the Warriors.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, are in eighth place after a bye last week. The last time the two sides met was back in round 11 in Brisbane, with the Warriors holding off a late comeback to win 16-12 in a low-scoring thriller.
“We’ve just got to get together, sit back down and go over what went wrong out there and just fix it,” winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck told The Big League Podcast this week.
“I’m still gutted about what just happened. We are definitely gutted about the result and how we played.”
Warriors team: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4. Kurt Capewell (c), 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Te Maire Martin, 7. Tanah Boyd, 8. Demitric Vaimauga, 9. Samuel Healey, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Leka Halasima, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Erin Clark
Interchange (from): 14. Taine Tuaupiki, 15. Jacob Laban, 16. Freddy Lussick, 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 18. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 20. Bunty Afoa, 21. Edward Kosi , 22. Kalani Going, 23. Makaia Tafua
