Krisnan Inu is set to play in the centres. Photo / Getty Images
Warriors Coach Brian McClennan says Jerome Ropati and Krisnan Inu are likely to start in the centres in the first round of the NRL premiership, ahead of promising rookie Konrad Hurrell - and wants his team to aim for the top four.
Three months after taking over from Ivan Cleary, McClennan believes the club is in outstanding shape but needs to shed its 'roller-coaster' image of inconsistency.
"We want to have a lot more consistency about us. Too often at the Warriors we've been on a bit of a roller-coaster," he told Sydney's Sunday Telegraph. "Last year was a great run but if you want to win a premiership, looking at the history of it, it's been teams that have been consistently around that top four."
McClennan's comments were made before the Warriors overran the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles 68-10 in their final pre-season hit-out yesterday - with Inu scoring two tries and Ropati one as the Warriors ran in 13 touchdowns in all.
McClennan also confirmed his plans to use skipper Simon Mannering in the back row rather than the centres, where he said Ropati and Inu had the jump on Hurrell for round one selection.
He also tipped star halfback Shaun Johnson and ball-running forward Feleti Mateo to build on outstanding finishes to last season: "There's a lot more in Shaun's role that he needs to keep on developing in terms of steering the team around the park and better linking to his edges," McClennan said. "He's got a lot of developing to go so I think there's still a lot more improvement in Shaun and he's working hard at training to maximise his chances.
"Our halves should continue to develop with Nathan Friend playing hooker. The more games they play together you'd like to think the better they'll get.
"I think Feleti Mateo's going to have a really big year. He's in a really good space at the moment. He's put on about four kilos of muscle and he's getting better in his caliper tests every week. He'll play a lot of left edge but then we'll also rotate him around a little bit. He'll start off at lock because we've got Micheal Luck out for a little bit."
Ropati breathed a sigh of relief when the whistle sounded at Whangarei's Toll Stadium. The 27-year-old spent the last 10 months sidelined after seriously injuring his knee against St George Illawarra last season but made his comeback for the Warriors last night.
Named skipper for the match, Ropati led the side to a 68-10 drubbing over the Queensland Cup side and signalled he's set to enter his 10th NRL season fighting fit.
"For me mentally, this was a great hit-out," Ropati said. "It has put me in a good mindset to hopefully play in round one. I was a bit rusty but I'm pleased with my fitness. My knee held up pretty well. I started to feel it after some heavy tackling but it was fine."
Stamping his mark on the game, Ropati helped set up the Warriors' second try, sending big winger Ivan Penehe into score the first of his two tries, and scored one of his own in the second half. Hurrell, who penned a new Warriors deal during the week, dodged four defenders before offloading to Ropati in a show of strength. The 20-year-old rugby union convert has improved in each of the Warriors three pre-season hitouts, and impressed again last night with his pace and power fending off tacklers and gaining huge metres - showing that Ropati might not have things all his own way when it comes to selection.
- Additional reporting from Michelle Curran, Northern Advocate