League: Winning outside Auckland is elusive

The Warriors have made nine forays to the provinces since 1995 but are yet to win away from Ericsson Stadium.

Their best effort was a 24-all draw with the Bulldogs in 2001, when Francis Meli, Clinton Toopi and Henry Fa'afili all scored between the 75th and 79th minutes.

That game attracted a record crowd, 26,547 turning out at the Cake Tin. Their support in Wellington has since dwindled after successive losses and it will be interesting to see how many turn out for the match against Parramatta in Hamilton tonight and for the Warriors' next match against Wests Tigers in Christchurch.

They lost 28-18 to the Eels in Hamilton mid-2005 and have been beaten by the Wests Tigers in both games that the Sydney club shifted across the Tasman, 50-4 in 2004 and 24-6 last season.

They have won just six of 17 encounters with the Eels.

It is hard to see the Warriors improving that record tonight as they struggle with a new game plan that has already been disrupted by the two-week suspension of Sione Faumuina.

His replacement, Jerome Ropati, was best five-eighth in the Bartercard Cup when called up from that competition and it is to be hoped he has lost none of the skills he displayed for Marist-Richmond. He proved his versatility with a two-try performance in the Anzac test last year from fullback but was mostly preferred at centre for the Warriors.

New halfback Nathan Fien showed he was keen to take the line on last weekend and Ropati likewise is given to running with the ball. Together, they may cause some headaches for the Eels around the ruck.

But Parramatta shape as a team with too much individual brilliance to be dominated by the Warriors, despite the great go-forward the Auckland side gets from its veteran props Steve Price and Ruben Wiki. If they get the ball wide to Timana Tahu and Eric Groethe on the left side the Warriors are in trouble, Tony Martin and Todd Byrne are likely to be out-muscled. On the right they have 2005's top try-scorer for the team, Ben Smith, and speedster Luke Burt.

Eels captain Nathan Cayless rates their half Tim Smith as a superstar of the future. Smith has shown a tendency to make bad decisions under pressure and there my lie the Warriors hopes. But if Parramatta get on a roll, it will be a long night.

Ball control will go a long way towards the winning of the game. Neither side produced the expected completion rate last weekend. Errors, especially at the wrong end of the field, could decide things.

NZ Warriors v Eels, Waikato Stadium, 7.30 tonight

NZ Warriors:  Brent Webb, Todd Byrne,Tony Martin, Clinton Toopi, Manu Vatuvei, Jerome Ropati, Nathan Fien, Ruben Wiki, Lance Hohaia, Steve Price (c), Awen Guttenbeil, Micheal Luck, Louis Anderson.
Interchange: Grant Rovelli, Wairangi Koopu, Epalahame Lauaki, Evarn Tuimavave, Sam Rapira 18th man.

Eels: Wade Mackinnon, Luke Burt, Ben Smith, Timana Tahu, Eric Groethe, John Morris, Tim Smith, N. Cayless (c), Mark Riddell, Paul Stringer, N. Hindmarsh, Chad Robinson, Glenn Morrison.
Interchange: PJ Marsh, Dean Widders, Josh Cordoba, Michael Vella, Daniel Wagon.