NRL: Vatuvei to play in Manly trial

Warriors wing Manu Vatuvei in action for the NRL All Stars. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwis winger Manu Vatuvei will have his first National Rugby League trial of the year when he lines up against Manly at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday.

Vatuvei, 23, missed the club's opening trial against the Sydney Roosters on February 13 because he was playing for the NRL All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars at Gold Coast.

While he travelled with the squad to Cairns last week he was rested for the trial there against the North Queensland Cowboys.

As he prepares to start the 2010 NRL season, Vatuvei is just six games short of joining the list of players who have appeared in 100 first-grade games for the Warriors. He also boasts the best strike rate among the club's leading try scorers with 58 tries in 94 games.

With his return to the left wing, exciting Junior Warriors winger Bill Tupou makes way but is included on an enlarged interchange bench.

Coach Ivan Cleary said Tupou, who is still eligible for the NYC this year, had made the most of his chances in the 26-8 and 28-6 victories in the first two trials.

"We've been really impressed with what Bill has done and he'll get more game time at some stage in this trial against Manly," said Cleary.

Starting in the halves against the Sea Eagles will be off-season signings Brett Seymour and James Maloney with Joel Moon, who had the first 20 minutes at five-eighth against the Cowboys, moving out into the centres with Jerome Ropati.

Of the starting forward pack used against the Cowboys, the only changes see Kiwi Ben Matulino in the second row for promising 2008-2009 Junior Warrior Sione Lousi and Russell Packer starting in the front row instead of new recruit Jeremy Latimore.

While veteran centre Brent Tate hasn't been named in the squad it's possible he will come into the lineup for his first outing since his second major knee injury in three seasons.

Front-line players not considered for this match were captain Simon Mannering, prop Steve Price, hooker Ian Henderson and fullback Wade McKinnon.

Mannering and McKinnon are expected to be available for the first-round match against Gold Coast on March 14 while Henderson is sidelined for a few weeks with a knee injury and Price will miss the start of the season but could return soon after.

Warriors: Lance Hohaia, Kevin Locke, Joel Moon, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, James Maloney, Brett Seymour, Sam Rapira, Aaron Heremaia, Russell Packer, Lewis Brown, Ben Matulino, Micheal Luck (captain). Interchange: Alehana Mara, Jeremy Latimore, Sione Lousi, Patrick Ah Van, Shaun Johnson, Jesse Royal, Jacob Lillyman, Bill Tupou.

- NZPA