NRL: Mannering fired up for captaincy debut

Simon Mannering says he's glad to be back. Photo / Dean Purcell

Having sat out the season-opener on the Gold Coast on Sunday to give his damaged hamstring another vital week to recover, a fit-again Simon Mannering will take his bow as Warriors' captain at home against the Sharks.

The comfortable confines of Mt Smart Stadium will greet Mannering when he leads the way out of the tunnel on Saturday night, while their failure to seize a great chance to upset against the Titans means his team is also in familiar territory - desperately needing a victory to inject a dose of belief into their fledgling season.

That Saturday's opponent is another team tipped to struggle certainly dials up the pressure on the Warriors.

The Ricky Stuart-coached Sharks were one of just two sides to finish below the Warriors last season.

Having recruited widely but not necessarily out of the top drawer, the Sharks aren't expected to be at the top of the food chain this season.

They were hard to break down but not overly threatening in their opener against champions Melbourne on Saturday.

With a torrid schedule of away games against the Broncos and Bulldogs split by a home match against Manly to negotiate in coming weeks, a defeat on Saturday would leave the Warriors staring at a potentially bleak opening to their campaign.

"It is still only round two but you definitely have to start notching up those wins," Mannering said.

"It is a big morale booster when you are winning games and it is never nice to be losing."

Given the backdrop, it's no surprise the return of his new leader has gladdened the heart of coach Ivan Cleary.

"It's a significant boost for us to have him back to lead the side on Saturday night," Cleary said.

The hamstring injury that wrecked the workhorse 23-year-old second rower's pre-season and delayed his captaincy debut has fully healed.

"It is nice to finally have a chance to get back on the field, it seems like it's been a while," Mannering said.

"It probably wouldn't have been smart to play [on Sunday]. Hopefully that extra wait is going to pay off."

Mannering didn't buy into the theory the Sharks were there for the taking.

"There are no easy games at all through the year. The Sharks are always tough, they are going to be no easier than [the Titans]."

Mannering's experience was certainly missed when the Warriors twice coughed up 12-point leads to lose to the Titans on Sunday despite dominating pretty much every statistical category.

"The team had the confidence and self belief to win so it is very disappointing when you don't get the win," he said. "There were positives to be taken out of it but there were a few lessons as well."

Mannering's return sees Ben Matulino move to the interchange bench, while last weekend's debutant Sione Lousi drops out with a lower leg injury.

Fullback Wade McKinnon has been slated for a return after pulling out of last week's match with an undisclosed infection. McKinnon, who has also battled an ankle injury, has been named on a five-man bench.

Mt Smart Stadium, 7.30pm Saturday

WARRIORS
Lance Hohaia
Kevin Locke
Brent Tate
Jerome Ropati
Manu Vatuvei
James Maloney
Brett Seymour
Sam Rapira
Aaron Heremaia
Russell Packer
Lewis Brown
S Mannering (c)
Micheal Luck

Interchange: Wade McKinnon, Jeremy Latimore, Jesse Royal, Ben Matulino, Joel Moon.