NRL: Cleary loath to rule out Vatuvei

Manu Vatuvei. Photo / Getty Images

The Beast is coming back, the question is when.

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary will run his eye over key winger Manu Vatuvei at a training session on the Gold Coast today before making a final decision on whether he will face the Titans tomorrow.

Shortly after arriving in Queensland yesterday, Cleary said he would be taking no chances with his oft-injured strike weapon but stopped short of ruling him out of the Titans match altogether.

Vatuvei hasn't played since damaging a knee in round one. He was originally expected to be out for eight weeks, a timeframe that would see him back in action tomorrow.

"He's been going well, but at the end of the day we are not going to risk him," Cleary said. "He'll have a run with us [today], but at this stage we are looking at next week [against Newcastle]."

With five Warriors involved in last night's Anzac test, Vatuvei won't be the only player under assessment today. Cleary said a call on whether captain Simon Mannering, fullback Lance Hohaia, centre Lewis Brown and props Ben Matulino and Sam Rapira would play would largely come down to the players. If they indicate they are keen and ready to go they will likely be selected.

Joel Moon, Bill Tupou, Shaun Johnson, Sione Lousi and Jeremy Latimore have all travelled with the side as cover.

The Titans may be riding a six-match win streak against the Warriors - including a three-match sweep last season - but they head into tomorrow's match without two of the players who have done much of the damage in those previous encounters.

Warriors-bound hooker Nathan Friend is out for an extended period after undergoing shoulder surgery, while Matt Rogers has retired.

The loss of two of their older and wiser heads has been reflected in a lack of composure displayed by the Titans this season. With Rogers responsible for shaping the attack and Friend routinely topping the competition's tackle count, the Titans are weaker at both ends of the field.

They have, however, been much improved since William Zillman switched from fullback to five-eighths and still boast match-winners in the shape of halfback Scott Prince and fullback Preston Campbell.

While Cleary was aware of his side's struggles against the Titans it wasn't something he was dwelling on.

"We played them three times last year and each time we were in a position to win the game," he said. "It's not like they have comprehensively outplayed us or anything. Obviously we have had some problems with them the last couple of years but I'd like to think that just brings us closer to a win."

Rogers was the key figure in the last two meetings between the sides. He scored two tries to spark a Titans comeback in Auckland in round 21 last year, and then orchestrated a three-try blitz in the space of nine minutes to turn the qualifying final on the Gold Coast on its head.

"[Rogers] was certainly good pretty much every time we played them and you could probably say the same about Preston Campbell," Cleary said.

"They are key players and they always seem to play well [against us], which is often enough to win any game of football. Hopefully we can play well ourselves and try to limit their key players."