The hits just keep on coming for the exiled Warriors who must stop their season spiralling out of control against a Roosters side looking to make someone pay after slipping back from the front of the pack.
Coming off what stand-in coach Todd Payten described as their worst loss of the season, and labelled "soft" by both Payten and veteran forward Tohu Harris, the Warriors must also cope with the departure of a quartet of homesick players.
Payten identified physicality as a problem against the Sharks so you can be sure he will spend the week revving up his big men to launch themselves at the star-studded Roosters.
The fifth-placed Roosters have lost two of three and suffered a string of injuries to key players but still come armed with a potent attack ready and willing to put the wounded Warriors to the sword.
Match: Warriors v Roosters
Round 11 -
home Team
Warriors
13th Position
away Team
Roosters
4th Position
Venue: Industree Group Stadium, Gosford
The Rundown
Team news
Warriors: Adam Pompey comes in at centre for Patrick Herbert, who failed a HIA in round 10. Wayde Egan (hip) and Agnatius Paasi (shoulder) are sidelined.
Karl Lawton starts at hooker with Jazz Tevaga at lock and Jack Hetherington moving to prop, with Adam Blair benched while Eliesa Katoa starts in the back row. Chanel Harris-Tavita and Lachlan Burr return on the bench with Agnatius Paasi also making way.
Herbert and Josh Curran were omitted when the squad was cut to 19 players 24 hours from kick-off and Jack Murchie and Adam Keighran were trimmed from the reserves on game day. The Warriors have won four of their past five games on the Central Coast.
Roosters: Boyd Cordner is out with Sitili Tupouniua starting in the second row and Poasa Faamausili joining the bench. Mitch Aubusson starts in the back row for Angus Crichton, who is out for up to a month with a knee injury.
Isaac Liu starts at lock with Siosiua Taukeiaho shifting to prop and Lindsay Collins to the bench. Daniel Fifita was omitted from the extended squad an hour before kick-off after Ryan Hall and Drew Hutchison were dropped from the reserves on Friday. The Roosters have outscored the Warriors 74-6 in their past two clashes.
Match: Warriors v Roosters
Round 11 -
home Team
Warriors
away Team
Roosters
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Warriors is number 1 Roger Tuivasa-SheckFullback for Roosters is number 1 James Tedesco
-
Winger for Warriors is number 2 David Fusitu'aWinger for Roosters is number 2 Matt Ikuvalu
-
Centre for Warriors is number 3 Adam PompeyCentre for Roosters is number 3 Josh Morris
-
Centre for Warriors is number 4 Peta HikuCentre for Roosters is number 4 Joseph Manu
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Winger for Warriors is number 5 Ken MaumaloWinger for Roosters is number 5 Brett Morris
-
Five-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Kodi NikorimaFive-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Luke Keary
-
Halfback for Warriors is number 7 Blake GreenHalfback for Roosters is number 7 Kyle Flanagan
Forwards
-
Prop for Warriors is number 8 Jamayne Taunoa-BrownProp for Roosters is number 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
-
Hooker for Warriors is number 9 Karl LawtonHooker for Roosters is number 9 Jake Friend
-
Prop for Warriors is number 10 Jack HetheringtonProp for Roosters is number 10 Siosiua Taukeiaho
-
2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Eliesa Katoa2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Mitchell Aubusson
-
2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Tohu Harris2nd Row for Roosters is number 15 Sitili Tupouniua
-
Lock for Warriors is number 13 Jazz TevagaLock for Roosters is number 13 Isaac Liu
Interchange
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 14 Chanel Harris-TavitaInterchange for Roosters is number 14 Lachlan Lam
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 15 Adam BlairInterchange for Roosters is number 16 Nat Butcher
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 16 Isaiah Papali'iInterchange for Roosters is number 17 Lindsay Collins
-
Interchange for Warriors is number 17 Lachlan BurrInterchange for Roosters is number 18 Poasa Faamausili
Match Officials
- Referee: Chris Sutton
- Touch Judge: Phil Henderson
- Touch Judge: Drew Oultram
- Senior Review Official: Jared Maxwell
Last updated:
Key match-up
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck v James Tedesco: The Warriors are in desperate need of inspiration and their captain has proven time and again that he is just the man to provide it.
He is one of the game's best ball-carriers, ranking fifth in that category with a shade under 2000m already in 2020, and always puts his hand up for tough runs off the goal-line. But he will have to do all that and more if he is to offset the impact of the game's best player, Tedesco, who is having a season for the ages.
Stat Attack
Anyone looking to read something into the Roosters slipping to a 6-4 record after losses to the Storm and Raiders in the past three weeks should keep in mind that they were also 6-4 after 10 games of the 2018 season - a year that ended in glory. Last year the Roosters were sitting pretty with an 8-2 record after 10 weeks of the season.
