League: Luck reaches 100 games in Warriors finale

Tireless back rower Micheal Luck winds up his first season with the New Zealand Warriors by making his 100th career appearance in Sunday's National Rugby League match against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.

The 24-year-old began this year as one of the club's three new signings along with fellow Queenslanders Grant Rovelli and George Gatis.

In Sunday's season finale in Brisbane he'll become one of only two players - Rovelli being the other - to finish the season by appearing in all 24 of the Warriors' games.

"I've never had a season where I played every single match before," said Luck, who began his NRL career with 76 appearances for North Queensland from 2001-2005.

"So it's great to be able to get through a year without any problems and to finish it by playing my 100th game.

"It'll also be nice to do it only about 100km away from where footy started for me in Gatton."

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary has retained the same side that beat the Sydney Roosters 42-16 at Auckland on Sunday.

That sees hooker Nathan Fien confirmed on the bench after coming into the team late last weekend following a two-match absence with a back injury. He emerged from Sunday's match with no further problems.

Luck's landmark appearance is the latest in a run of individual milestones and moments over the last month as the Vodafone Warriors try to finish their 2006 campaign with their fifth consecutive win, a feat which hasn't been achieved since the club's finals run in 2003.

Since beating the Roosters in June, the Vodafone Warriors have won eight of their last 11 matches after securing only four wins in the first 12 matches of the season.

"But now we have to lift to take on a Brisbane side that has played extremely well to win its last two matches away against the Bulldogs and Parramatta," Cleary said.

"They've been outstanding defensively in not conceding a point against two of the competition's top two teams and their strike players, especially Justin Hodges, have been impressive.

"They're also out to secure a home semifinal when they play us.

"While we've shown a lot of improvement over the season this is going to be a very tough task in our last match of the year."

After 23 rounds, the Warriors still have easily the third best points for and against differential - plus-113 - in the competition.

They are behind only the top two sides, Melbourne and the Bulldogs while the Broncos are fourth with a plus-81 reading.

Team: Brent Webb, Patrick Ah Van, Lance Hohaia, Simon Mannering, Manu Vatuvei, Jerome Ropati, Grant Rovelli, Ruben Wiki, George Gatis, Steve Price (captain), Awen Guttenbeil, Micheal Luck, Louis Anderson. Interchange: Nathan Fien, Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki, Sam Rapira

- NZPA