KEY POINTS:
The Warriors have Jerome Ropati back for their clash with the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday night and the home team are hoping their star fullback Matt Bowen will also return.
Ropati's inclusion at left centre is the only change to the side that beat the Bulldogs. Ryan Shortland proved himself a valuable back-up in the three weeks Ropati was out with ankle ligament damage and that was acknowledged by coach Ivan Cleary when he named his side yesterday. "It's great for us to know we have back-up of that quality. That's what you aim for when you try to build depth in your squad."
The Warriors have not won in Townsville since 2002, when Lance Hohaia scored a try on debut in a 50-20 victory. Hohaia becomes the 12th player to make 100 appearances for the club when he runs out on Saturday.
Bowen had surgery to repair a knee injury during the off-season and has since suffered complications with it and has been sidelined and on cortisone injections but is a possibility to return on Saturday night.
The Cowboys have turned a corner after a bad start, with victory last weekend away to the Dragons in Wollongong.
This is not an easy assignment for the Warriors but it is one they should enter with some confidence given their good performance in beating the Bulldogs. It is away wins that will determine their season.
They were thrashed in Townsville in the play-off eliminator last season but the Cowboys take no comfort from that, their spokesman said. "We watched their game against the Bulldogs while we were flying home from Wollongong, the Warriors played well. We're wary. The result last year is not a factor, they'll be looking to prove a point about that. Also there are ex-Cowboys in the team who will want to prove a point."
That's Micheal Luck, 56 games on the trot for the Auckland side since changing clubs in 2006 and hooker Nathan Fien, serious contender for the Kiwis job.
Both teams resurrect old jerseys as part of the NRL's heritage promotion in league's centenary year. The Warriors wear their red away strip from the 1999-2000 seasons and the Cowboys don the colours worn by the 1963 North Queensland side that beat the touring Great Britain team 19-17 in 1963.
Elsewhere, Kiwis prospects Setaimata Sa and Bronson Harrison are out of contention, both gone for at least six weeks with knee injuries. Mark Gasnier will miss the May test after suffering a torn calf muscle that will keep him out four weeks. Anthony Watmough is out of Manly's game at Parramatta with an ankle problem. Titans five-eighth Mat Rogers has pleaded guilty to a dangerous throw charge but will appear before the judiciary to contest the grading, which would have him out four weeks.
The top-level game of league in this country this weekend takes place at the home of the Glenora Bears in Glen Eden where the Auckland Vulcans meet the Cronulla Cobras at 2.30pm, with the home team Bears hosting Northcote Tigers in round four of the Fox Memorial as the curtainraiser, kick-off 1pm.
Warriors: Lance Hohaia, Patrick Ah Van, Brent Tate, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Michael Witt, Grant Rovelli, Sam Rapira, Nathan Fien, Ruben Wiki (c), Simon Mannering, Logan Swann, Micheal Luck; interchange Ian Henderson, Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki, Sonny Fai.
Cowboys: Ashley Graham, Ty Williams, Mark Henry, Ben Harris, John Williams, Justin Smith, Johnathan Thurston (c), Ray Cashmere, Aaron Payne, Carl Webb, Steve Southern, Jacob Lillyman, Luke O'Donnell; interchange Anthony Watts, Sam Faust, Shane Tronc, Dayne Weston, Matthew Bartlett.
