Prop Leeson Ah Mau and hooker Alehana Mara return to strengthen the Vodafone Junior Warriors for their second-round NYC encounter with Manly at Brookvale Oval in Sydney on Sunday.
Ah Mau (19) will make his first NYC appearance of the year after his NRL debut for the Vodafone Warriors in their 26-18 win against Parramatta last Saturday night.
And Mara, also 19, returns after injury kept him out of most of the team’s trials programme.
Both players were regular selections in the NYC’s debut season in 2008, Ah Mau making 22 appearances and Mara 17.
Another hooker returning from injury is Waikato’s Jarome Kutia, who turns 19 on Sunday. He has been included on a five-man bench and, if he plays, he’ll be making his NYC debut.
In the corresponding fixture between the two teams last year, the Vodafone Junior Warriors had their first NYC win, beating Manly 22-14 after losing their first two games to Melbourne and Parramatta.
This time they’ll meet the Sea Eagles on the back of a last-minute 26-28 loss to the Eels while Manly had a convincing 40-22 success against the Bulldogs last weekend.
With Ah Mau and Mara coming into the line-up, first-round starting prop Junior Afualo and hooker Kurt Kara have been named on the bench.
Fullback Kevin Locke, who kicked three goals last week, needs eight points to reach 250 in the NYC.
Brookvale Oval, Manly
12.45pm, Sunday, March 22, 2009
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
1 KEVIN LOCKE
2 THOMAS AH VAN
3 RUSTY BRISTOW
4 SIUATONGA LIKILIKI
5 BILL TUPOU
6 SHAUN JOHNSON
7 JODY HENRY
8 LEESON AH MAU
9 ALEHANA MARA
10 LUKE LABAN
11 MICHAEL AFIOGA
12 SIONE LOUSI
13 ELIJAH TAYLOR (c)
Interchange:
14 GOWAN DUFF
15 ELIJAH NIKO
16 KURT KARAI
17 JUNIOR AFUALO
18 JAROME KUTIA
COACH: TONY IRO
No comments:
Post a Comment