Warriors prepare for Bulldogs clash in Sydney with unchanged lineup
Warriors maintain lineup for Bulldogs encounter
The One New Zealand Warriors are set to face the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs at Accor Stadium in Sydney. The team has named an unchanged lineup from 1-17 for the Round 21 NRL contest. This decision follows their 12th win of the season against the St George Illawarra Dragons last Saturday.
Head coach Andrew Webster has maintained the same combination, a notable move after recent weeks saw selections impacted by injuries and State of Origin commitments. The only change in personnel for the Warriors is on the extended bench, where centre Rocco Berry is listed in jersey number 23. Berry is returning from a shoulder injury layoff and scored a match-sealing try in an 80-minute performance for the club’s New South Wales Cup side against the Dragons.
The Warriors have consolidated their second-place position on the ladder as they head into the final seven rounds of the regular season. This follows a 32-6 victory over the Wests Tigers and a 20-12 win against the Dragons. This marks only the second week in the last two months that the Warriors have been able to field a combination including Mitchell Barnett, James Fisher-Harris, Kurt Capewell, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Alofiana Khan-Pereira, and Leka Halasima.
Barnett and Fisher-Harris each ran for almost 200 metres in their recent performance. Watene-Zelezniak contributed 227 metres from 22 runs. The Warriors currently sit one game behind ladder leaders Penrith as they pursue their first minor premiership since 2002.
Bulldogs welcome back Crichton
The Bulldogs will be boosted by the return of skipper Stephen Crichton, who was rested last week after an injury scare in Round 19 where he experienced a loss of feeling in one arm. Sean O’Sullivan, who played a significant role in Crichton’s absence against the Wests Tigers, will move to the bench. Star back-rower Viliame Kikau also returns to the starting side after recovering from injury, with Josh Curran moving to the interchange bench. Jed Reardon is a new addition to the bench.
The Bulldogs have shown strong form, winning four of their last five games, including a 32-0 shutout against the Tigers last week. They sit just one game outside the top eight. The team has recovered from a challenging start to the season, moving to 10th on the table. They also have a favourable record at Accor Stadium, having won four of their last five games there.
In their last encounter in Round 23 last year, the Bulldogs secured a win over the Warriors. The Bulldogs have also won their last three games against the Warriors. Bulldogs winger Jethro Rinakama has scored six tries in his last six games.
Key player statistics and match officials
Warriors winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira has scored 12 tries in 10 games this season. The Warriors have a strong record against teams outside the top eight, winning eight out of nine such matches. The match officials for the game include referee Adam Gee, touch judge Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, and senior review official Wyatt Raymond.
The game is scheduled for Saturday, with a 5.30pm kick-off local time in Sydney, which is 7.30pm NZT.
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Source: nrl.com
