League: Warriors bank on Price's return

Steve Price

The Warriors will be hoping skipper Steve Price comes through tonight's State of Origin game without injury and can lead them against Wests Tigers at Ericsson Stadium on Sunday.

Price sat out early Origin training sessions to rest a back injury, as is his routine with the Warriors early each week, but was named yesterday in a team altered only for his inclusion.

The Warriors will be looking for their first back-to-back win since September 2003.

But the Tigers are in form, confident and playing smart football that is exciting and well-executed.

They gave the high-flying Canberra Raiders a 28-16 lesson last weekend.

The Tigers beat the Warriors 24-6 in Christchurch earlier in the season, but the home side have finally started to show some consistency and will benefit from the stability of using much the same team and the same halves combination.

Five-eighth Nathan Fien and wing Francis Meli reach the 100-game milestone on Sunday.

Awen Guttenbeil is on a six-man bench, but must pass a fitness test on the calf injury that kept him out last weekend.

* Queensland coach Michael Hagan has not ruled out using a tandem attack on New South Wales dangerman Mark Gasnier in tonight's State of Origin opener at Suncorp Stadium.

While Hagan confirmed hooker Cameron Smith would be Queensland's first-choice goal kicker ahead of skipper Darren Lockyer, he was undecided about whether Shaun Berrigan or Paul Bowman would get the defensive assignment on Gasnier.

Berrigan and Bowman both play left side for their NRL clubs.

Hagan could alternate them to keep the defensive heat on Gasnier, whose clever footwork, speed, fend and strength take some harnessing.

Selector Gene Miles - a champion centre for Queensland and Australia in the 1980s - felt Bowman's defence was best suited to nullifying Gasnier's dangerous attack.

Hagan's decision to hand Cameron the goal-kicking job appeared motivated by his desire to lighten the heavy load on Lockyer.

Despite rival coach Ricky Stuart's reputation for making last minute changes, Hagan expects New South Wales to take the field as programmed.

"They've got a test calibre back row and front-row so I can't really see any changes to their forward pack and or anywhere else to be honest," he said.

* Ericsson Stadium, 2pm Sunday

Warriors

Brent Webb, Francis Meli, Todd Byrne, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Nathan Fien, Stacey Jones, Ruben Wiki, Lance Hohaia, Steve Price (c), Louis Anderson, Awen Guttenbeil, Wairangi Koopu,

Wests Tigers

Brett Hodgson, Matt Reick, Shane Elford, Paul Whatuira, Pat Richards, Benji Marshall, Scott Prince, A. Laffranchi, Robbie Farah, John Skandalis, Ben Galea, Chris Heighington, Liam Fulton

Interchange:

Warriors: Richard Villasanti, Karl Temata, Tevita Latu, Clinton Toopi.

Tigers: Daniel Fitzhenry, Bronson Harrison, Dene Halatau, Bryce Gibbs.

- additional reporting AAP