Tohu Harris of the Warriors after his 100th game. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Warriors coach Andrew Webster has rested some players and made a number of changes to his side for this weekend's final NRL regular season game against the Dolphins in Brisbane.
The Warriors are third on the table have have secured a top four finish which gives them two lives in the play-offs.
Of the 17 players used in last Friday night's win over St George Illawarra, seven are out this week.
Captain Tohu Harris is being treated for back spasms which have ruled him out with Luke Metcalf also sidelined after picking up a hamstring strain against the Dragons.
As well as Harris and Metcalf, Webster said Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Shaun Johnson, Addin Fonua-Blake and Wayde Egan will miss the game to enable them to recover from a range of niggling issues they've been playing with recently.
In Harris' absence, Dylan Walker comes into loose forward and will also captain the side.
Replacing the injured Metcalf in his first NRL match since Round 6 is Te Maire Martin, who impressed in his comeback for the club's New South Wales Cup side last Saturday.
Edward Kosi replaces Watene-Zelezniak on the right wing, Taine Tuaupiki makes his fifth appearance of the year for Nicoll-Klokstad, Ronald Volkman is in at halfback for Johnson, Barnett starts in the front row for Fonua-Blake and Lussick takes over from Egan at hooker.
Two others making first-grade returns are centre Brayden Wiliame and middle forward Tom Ale, both included on the interchange.
They go into Saturday's contest with the chance of equalling the club record of eight wins on end and 17 victories in the regular season (both achieved in 2002); their tally of 16 wins this year is the outright second best in the club's history.
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
1 TAINE TUAUPIKI
2 EDWARD KOSI
3 ROCCO BERRY
4 ADAM POMPEY
5 MARCELO MONTOYA
6 TE MAIRE MARTIN
7 RONALD VOLKMAN
8 BUNTY AFOA
9 FREDDY LUSSICK
10 MITCHELL BARNETT
11 JOSH CURRAN
12 MARATA NIUKORE
13 DYLAN WALKER (c)
Interchange:
14 BRAYDEN WILIAME
15 JACKSON FORD
16 BAYLEY SIRONEN
17 TOM ALE
Extended bench:
18 KALANI GOING
20 JACOB LABAN
21 BEN FARR
22 ZYON MAIU'U
23 PAUL ROACHE
