WESTS Tigers are facing a battle to keep half-back Mathew Head from switching to the side they meet on Sunday - the Warriors.
It is understood the New Zealand-based side has sounded out Head's management after earmarking the 26-year-old as the man to cure their problems in the halves.
Warriors up 16-6 at half-time. Tries to Fien, Henderson and Fai and two conversions to Hohaia. Hopefully they can hold this lead and not blow it like in previous games
simon_hampton2008-06-29 16:52:00Warriors win 28-26. That was a disgraceful display of referring; warriors get 3 penalties in the opening 5 minutes, then nothing for the rest of the game, then proceed to have every possible call go against them, along with 7 consecutive penalties- if hodgson had got that kick it would have been a complete injustice
Pitbull2008-06-29 17:49:12Good to get a win, but almost blew it. How hard was the kick that Hodgsen took? I don't have Sky and just saw on some livescoring that they scored but missed the kick.
I know this isn�t directly related to the warriors but was very disappointed to hear Petrol-seventy-cents-a-litre was involved in an ugly confrontation with spectators at Parramatta Stadium, after he claimed he was called a "monkey" and told to "get back in his tree".
Civoniceva and Panthers trainer Carl Jennings confronted a group of spectators after the Queensland and Test prop was abused in the closing stages of his side's 22-16 win over Parramatta.
Civoniceva, one of the most respected players in the game, was so incensed at the racial attack he slapped a number of cups of beers off the fence in front of his abusers.
"I turned around and thought 'These blokes can't be serious'," Civoniceva said.
"They started going on with it. They were saying 'You're a monkey, why don't you get back in your tree'. That's why I took offence to it. I can get over being called 'You black so and so'. I have heard that since I was a kid playing footy.
"They were going a bit silly. They had all these beers on the edge of the fence and I knocked them over."
It was not the first time Eels supporters have overstepped the mark, with Manly centre Jamie Lyon pelted with coins last year as he made his return to the ground.
Racism is rife in the game, both in Engaln and in Aus. only now is it coming to a head!
Queenslander 3x a year.
Disgusted Penrith players say the racial abuse of their captain, Petero Civoniceva, by an alcohol-fuelled spectator at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday was not an isolated incident and that racial taunts could be heard coming from other spots in the crowd during the game against the Eels.
It has emerged that the person who abused Civoniceva was given a chance by the Queensland and Australia prop to withdraw his remark before he repeated it. The hide the spectator showed was what prompted Civoniceva to go to the fence and take a swipe at his cup of beer, knocking the contents flying.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
7.30pm, Saturday, July 12
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1
LANCE HOHAIA
2
MALO SOLOMONA
3
BRENT TATE
4
SONNY FAI
5
AIDAN KIRK
6
NATHAN FIEN
7
GRANT ROVELLI
8
RUBEN WIKI (vc)
9
IAN HENDERSON
10
STEVE PRICE (c)
11
SIMON MANNERING
12
LOGAN SWANN
13
MICHEAL LUCK
Interchange:
14
JEROME ROPATI
15
EVARN TUIMAVAVE
16
SAM RAPIRA
17
BEN MATULINO
18
MICHAEL WITT
Now wonder he is out form-someone took his sight
Now wonder he is out form-someone took his sight
Manu Vatuvei admits he may have "come back too early" to the NRL arena but hopes to be back on the Warriors wing in a few weeks.
The Kiwis flankman, who was in Christchurch for the Warriors Weekend promotion organised by the Canterbury Rugby League, made his return against Manly a fortnight ago after six weeks on the sideline with a broken leg.
Vatuvei scored the game's opening try when he swatted away two Sea Eagles tacklers on a 60m surge to the line.
"But I reinjured myself," Vatuvei said. "It's the same injury, a fracture to my tibia. It had healed around the bone, but it wasn't actually healed inside.
"I think I came back a bit early, but I was happy to play. I just want to get back on the field, but it won't be for a few weeks now."
Vatuvei said the injury was a blow because he had "started to find my form" after "a slow start to the season".
"It does frustrate me a bit ... but it's just part of the game. Some years you play every game and some years you seem to get injured all the time."
Vatuvei, 22, was one of the NRL's leading try-scorers with seven touchdowns until he suffered the leg fracture while scoring a try in a loss to the Gold Coast Titans on April 28. His try against Manly was his eighth in as many games and the 37th of his 66-match career.
He missed the Kiwis' centenary test against Australia in Sydney in May but should be fit for the World Cup tournament across the Tasman in October.
Vatuvei said that remained a goal, "but my first focus is the Warriors. If I play well for them and, after that, if the (Kiwis) selectors see me as one of the players for the World Cup, I will be keen for it."
He enjoyed his Christchurch visit despite the freezing weather. "It's the first time I've seen snow," the Auckland-raised Tongan said, but was disappointed the cold meant the "kids' games were cancelled".
He'll be a big loss for the next few weeks, but its best to wait until he is fully recovered to bring him into first-grade again. Hopefully he doesn't come back early and reinjure himself.
Still is in the top 5 line breakers in the comp, despite playing less than 10 games
Nothing needs to be said Pitbull2008-07-09 12:48:503 wins on the trot, 40-20 victory over the dogs tonight
The Vodafone Warriors will use the same line-up for the third week running in their 20th-round NRL encounter with defending premiers the Melbourne Storm at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday.
It�s a combination that put together successive wins against North Queensland (24-14) and the Bulldogs (40-22) in the last two weeks.
The Vodafone Warriors were missing Queensland State of Origin representatives Steve Price and Brent Tate when they beat Wests Tigers 28-26 on June 29.
By winning three games on end for the first time this season and collecting two points from their second bye, the Vodafone Warriors have accumulated eight points over the past four weeks to boost their total to 20. That leaves them 11th on the table.
But now they face the champion Melbourne side which beat St George Illawarra 26-0 last night to move to second place, just behind Manly, the side they beat in last year�s grand final.
�We�ve shown a lot of improvement in the past few weeks,� said coach Ivan Cleary.
�Obviously our defence needed to be better than it was and it has been.
�But while it�s helped our confidence to win our last three games, we now have to face up to one of the best sides the NRL has seen.
�There are so many outstanding players in the Melbourne side. They�re a class outfit and a huge challenge for us.�
When the two sides met in the opening round this season, Melbourne won 32-18 at the Telstra Dome, Slater scoring three tries.
While fullback Wade McKinnon and winger Manu Vatuvei are still unavailable, Cleary is pleased he has been able to use a settled line-up over the past month.
Since being shifted to the centres for clash against the Tigers, back rower Sonny Fai has scored a try in each of the last three wins while winger Aidan Kirk scored his first try away from Auckland last weekend and now has five tries in his last eight outings.
Fullback Lance Hohaia�s impressive display against the Storm included four line breaks as well as try and a try assist. Lying fifth on the club�s list of leading points-scorers, he needs four more points to reach 250 in his career.
Standoff Nathan Fien, loose forward Micheal Luck and second rower Simon Mannering plus props Sam Rapira and Evarn Tuimavave will continue their run of playing in every match for the Vodafone Warriors this year.
Luck is also in sight of the 700 tackles barrier for the season. He has 674 in 17 games (an average of 40 a game) with only Gold Coast�s Nathan Friend (705) ahead of him.
Against the Bulldogs, the Vodafone Warriors scored their most points (40) and tries (8) in a match so far this season.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v MELBOURNE STORM
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
2.00pm, Sunday, July 27
Referee: Jared Maxwell
VODAFONE WARRIORS
COACH: IVAN CLEARY
