Warriors bring in veteran backs
Shaun Johnson and Charnze Nicoll-klokstad are both back from sideline stints for the New Zealand Warriors’ 22nd-round match against the Parramatta Eels at a sold-out Go Media Stadium tomorrow night (8pm kick-off).
Halfback Johnson has recovered from the long-standing chronic Achilles tendinopathy complaint which sidelined him following the round 16 loss to the Titans five weeks ago.
Nicoll-klokstad succumbed to a calf injury late in the first half of the 13-12 golden point loss to the Bulldogs on July 6 but has been cleared to slot back at fullback in his 13th match of the season.
Also coming off the injury list this week are standoff Luke Metcalf and fullback Taine Tuaupiki, who will line up for the club’s New South Wales Cup side against the Eels tomorrow night.
Metcalf has been out since breaking his leg nine minutes into the round four contest with Newcastle more than four months ago. Tuaupiki returns after following NRL concussion protocols last week.
While Johnson, Nicollklokstad and Metcalf are set for comebacks, forward Jackson Ford is out until round 25 or 26 with a knee injury. It ends his run as the only player to have appeared in each of the Warriors’ 19 games so far this season.
The backline has undergone another shuffle with Johnson and Nicoll-klokstad back.
In his 265th career appearance, Johnson will have goal kicking standoff Chanel Harristavita as his starting halves partner for the first time since late in the 2022 season, although they were both in harness for most of the fourth-round match against Newcastle earlier this season after Metcalf was injured.
After playing the last 15 matches at standoff or halfback, Te Maire Martin moves to the extended bench.
With Nicoll-klokstad on deck again, Roger Tuivasa-sheck is switched to the left wing for Ed Kosi with Marcelo Montoya still out with a groin injury. Moala Graham-taufa, coming off a strong performance in the 28-16 win over Wests Tigers, is again in the centres for his third NRL match for the club.
Ford’s spot on the bench has been taken by Tom Ale, the Warriors’ 18th man against the Tigers. He played 41 minutes in the New South Wales Cup curtain-raiser, making 162ms from 11 runs plus 21 tackles. The starting pack remains the same for the fourth match on end following a dominant display against the Tigers when Addin Fonua-blake (222 metres), Dylan Walker (163), Mitchell Barnett (138), Kurt Capewell (97) and Marata Niukore (88) were all impressive.
Parramatta are among the Warriors’ least frequent visitors and opponents in recent years, this being the first time the Eels have played at Go Media Stadium in more than seven years.
Their last visit finished in a 22-10 win for the Warriors in round six in 2017.
It’s also the seventh successive season that the two clubs have met just once.