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Kiwi legend Ruben Wiki has been sent by the Warriors management to play for feeder side the Auckland Vulcans, signalling a deteriorating relationship with the club.
The other change sees Nathan Fien shift from hooker to five-eighth for the match against the Knights at Newcastle on Saturday.
Wiki was yesterday named to play against Sydney's Western Magpies on the No 2 field at Mt Smart on Saturday, an ignominious appearance in front of what is normally a minute crowd, no way for someone of such stature in the game to end his career.
"With Steve [Price] back and Russell [Packer] on the way up, we have a lot of choices at prop at the moment," said coach Ivan Cleary. "Ruben has had a couple of niggles. We want him in peak form and he'll be back in the NRL side soon if he does that."
It's curious that the 35-year-old prop wasn't just rested to allow him to fully repair injury and recover form.
His agent Jim Banaghan has met the Warriors and confirmed the 35-year-old prop's intention to see out his contract to the end of the season. "When I read in the Sunday papers that he was retiring I nearly choked on my toast. It's nonsense."
Banaghan said Wiki was still keen to look at opportunities in England in 2009. He had struggled with niggling injuries but that was true of all players that went on to his age and their workload had to be managed, Banaghan said. "The smarter coaches have learned to caress the older players through the system. Terry Lamb [who holds the record for most premiership games at 349] was down to training one day a week at the end. It's not a matter of letting them off easy, it's a matter of getting the best out of the player," Banaghan said.
"I'm hoping he [Wiki] gets caressed through the season and that he is able to deliver the true value of the Wiki brand. He's not a centre for Canberra any more. He's not a starting prop for a winning Kiwis team. But he's certainly playing at first-grade level for the Warriors, no doubt about that."
Banaghan said Wairangi Koopu, whose contract also expires at the end of this season, had told the club he was intending to look to Super League too. The club is negotiating to extend the term of another of Banaghan's players, under-20s prop Leeson Ah Mau who is signed through 2009.
With regular five-eighth Michael Witt again not considered because of a groin injury, the switch from Jerome Ropati to Fien comes as they seek more invention on attack. But that change means they bring four big forwards off the bench. Bench hooker Ian Henderson starts but he is not an 80-minute player so when he needs relief. Lance Hohaia is most likely to shift up to the dummy-half role.
"We still see Jerome as an option at No 6 but he has missed a lot of football through injury recently and is working back to full match fitness," said Cleary. "Nathan has a background in the halves and he'll be able to help us in that role this weekend."
Wing Patrick Ah Van is the only casualty in the fallout after the big loss to the Roosters, dropped for Aidan Kirk who shifts to left wing, Michael Crockett coming back to the right.
The Knights are without their State of Origin players Kurt Gidley, broken cheekbone, and prop Ben Cross who has a broken thumb. Mitchell Sargent comes into their side, one of his last games for Newcastle as he has been told to look elsewhere. Wes Naiqama plays fullback as he did against the Tigers.
Other Warriors playing with Wiki on Saturday are Koopu, centre Ryan Shortland and prop Herman Retzlaff.
