League: Toopi out as Kemp rings the changes

Sione Faumuina

The Warriors have made a multitude of structural changes ahead of their game against the Roosters at Ericsson Stadium on Sunday, with Sione Faumuina the fourth five-eighth this year and Lance Hohaia to be tried at hooker.

Halfback Stacey Jones returns after a hamstring injury kept him out of the heart-breaker in Perth.

Faumuina should offer strength and variation at No 6, if not a smart field-kicking game.

But that will be down to Hohaia.

This season's regular hooker, Nathan Fien, is still to get a date on his return from injury.

Replacement Louis Anderson goes to the second row for the game against 2004's beaten grand finalists, as does bench prop Richard Villasanti, with Awen Guttenbeil and Karl Temata demoted to the bench.

Centre Clinton Toopi has been dropped, with Jerome Ropati to play the left-side after appearing at five-eighth and fullback.

 

Coach Tony Kemp warned that Toopi's wing partner, Francis Meli, had to lift his game.

"We've been proactive with these changes," Kemp said. "We've been doing a lot of things well, especially with our defence where we've found some consistency.

"But we've made these changes because we still want to lift the bar with our attack and the shape of the side in key positions."

Toopi's absence was a message to the rest, too.

"We have told [Clinton] he has to get over his consistent lack of composure. He has been spoken to about it a number of times.

"We've put a line down in the sand, but he keeps stepping over it. He can't go around letting his team-mates down.

"Francis is in on reputation at the moment, but he has to start delivering on it."

The halves balance was still to be achieved. Faumuina's range of skills had kept him in consideration there.

The changes all make good sense.

The Warriors need more speed from dummy-half and Hohaia will bring it, plus a longer passing game, a halfback's eye for the break and a kicking game.

Faumuina offers a line-break and/or off-load at first receiver.

Ropati is a game-breaker when he hangs on to the ball.

What the Warriors need on Sunday is support play aplenty, with back-up when those breaks come.

The Roosters are not the force they once were and that's due in no small part to the absence of Brad Fittler, who played a major role in the defeat of the Warriors in the grand final in 2002.

Coach Ricky Stuart continues to experiment in the halves, too.

Jamie Soward, 20, made his debut at No 7 last weekend in their 32-2 win over Newcastle, setting up two tries with kicks.

He was drafted by the Roosters three years ago and is no slug.

The Roosters are beatable. It's a matter of the Warriors remaining resolute and composed.

The Roosters are on eight points, the same as the Warriors, but are one place higher in ninth on goal differential.

* The Bulldogs have lost utility Reni Maitua for 12 weeks with ankle ligament injury and centre Willie Tonga for eight weeks with a knee medial ligament tear. Sonny Bill Williams is expected to be back for round 12, and Mark O'Meley and Willie Mason in round 20.

* The Australian Government has agreed to spend A$1 million on lighting at the Brookvale Oval home of the Manly Sea Eagles.

NZ Warriors

Ericsson Stadium, Sunday, 2pm

Brent Webb
Francis Meli
Todd Byrne
Jerome Ropati
Manu Vatuvai
Sione Faumuina
Stacey Jones
Ruben Wiki
Lance Hohaia
Steve Price (c)
Louis Anderson
Richard Villasanti
Wairangi Koopu

ROOSTERS

A Minichiello
Amos Roberts
Ryan Cross
Iosia Soliola
Joel Monaghan
Craig Wing
Jamie Soward
Jason Cayless
Stuart Webb
Adrian Morley
Chris Flannery
Craig Fitzgibbon

Luke Ricketson (c) Warriors: Iafeta Paleaaesina, Karl Temata, Awen Guttenbeil, Tevita Latu.
Roosters: Heath L'Estrange, Richard Fa'alogo, Ben Hannant, Anthony Tupou.