League: Ropati still out of play for Warriors

The Warriors will be without Jerome Ropati for at least one more weekend, and try-scorer Manu Vatuvei for up to three more games.

Sione Faumuina is again the five-eighth for the game against the Raiders in Canberra on Saturday night and last weekend's debutant Patrick Ah Van keeps the left wing spot.

It will be Ruben Wiki's 250th game in the Aussie premiership since he made his debut for the Raiders in mid-1993.

He is now the second New Zealander in number of games played, behind Stephen Kearney who had 264 for Wests, the Warriors and the Storm between 1991 and 2004, and will overtake Kearney's mark this season if he remains injury and suspension-free. Wiki is 49th all up since the premiership started in 1908; the leader is Terry Lamb, with 349.

The Canberra club is expecting Raiders fans to give Wiki a positive reception.

"He played 225 games for us, he was a warhorse for 12 seasons," a spokesman said. "They're still pretty supportive of him around here."

Travelling as 18th man for the Warriors is hooker Lance Hohaia, who missed last weekend's Bartercard Cup game for WaiCoa Bay Stallions because of a knee injury but has since been cleared of any serious problem.

"We need to show some real improvement in Canberra," said coach Ivan Cleary. "We were disappointed with our performance against Manly on Sunday. We were off the pace in the first half and our decision-making wasn't what we would expect it to be."

Rookie of the year last year, Simon Mannering, is in full training after an extended layoff with a stress fracture in his leg. He's expected to be available to play for his Bartercard Cup side the Wellington Orcas in a week.

Centre Sonny Fai is still a few weeks away from a playing return after off-season shoulder surgery.

The Raiders have lost centre Adam Mogg to injury and Craig Frawley moves one in to replace him, with Marshall Chalk to the wing. Coach Matt Elliot said big young prop Dane Tilse would debut against the Warriors after his shift from Newcastle.

The Raiders have gone for bulk rather than speed, with five forwards named on the interchange.

On Monday Canberra signed North Queensland assistant Neil Henry as their coach from next season until 2009. Henry was a lower-grade player with the Raiders from 1982-84 before having a year at Hull in 1986 then returning to coach club football in Canberra. He was at the Adelaide Rams as an assistant, returned to the Raiders in 1999 to take their SG Ball side then shifted to Townsville with Graham Murray in 2004.

Teams tend to respond to this sort of news in one of two very different ways: dropping their bundle as if there is no further need to impress the current coach, or else playing a blinder to impress the newcomer.

* Parramatta will have a new coaching staff in 2007 after their assistant Peter Sharp signed yesterday to take over at Hull, where England coach John Kear's resignation came after a run of losses.

Sharp, 51, will be the oldest coach in the Super League and makes it seven out of 12 clubs that will be coached by Aussies. Hull have had an Australian in charge since 1988 when they signed current Eels head coach Brian Smith, who is headed to Newcastle in 2007.