Warriors v Titans
Mt Smart Stadium, 2pm tomorrow
Warriors' chief executive Wayne Scurrah has downplayed suggestions the club is lining up a megabucks move for superstar halfback Johnathan Thurston.
Scurrah confirmed he and football manager John Hart had met Thurston's agent Sam Ayoub last week when they were in Sydney completing negotiations with Brett Seymour.
But discussions with Ayoub had revolved around Warriors players already under the agent's management.
"That's been blown out of all proportion," Scurrah said of claims on Channel Nine's Footie Show that the Warriors were in hot pursuit of Thurston.
Thurston, the game's number one playmaker, is contracted to the North Queensland Cowboys until the end of next year. The Herald understands Thurston will not even listen to offers until the end of this season at the earliest.
Whether the Warriors will be among what are certain to be numerous suitors remains to be seen. But with Stacey Jones retiring, Nathan Fien, Michael Witt and Grant Rovelli being released and captain Steve Price likely to retire at the end of next season, speculation that the club is clearing the decks to make a huge offer to Thurston is unlikely to go away.
Meanwhile, Kevin Locke's fend should be in pretty good shape when he makes his first start as fullback against the Titans tomorrow.
Certainly it has been getting plenty of use this week. Mainly, he's been fending off accusations there was an element of skulduggery in the position becoming available when Wade McKinnon slept in and missed a recovery session in Sydney last Sunday to earn himself a one-match stand-down.
"I was his roomie so all the boys have been a bit hard on me, saying 'you didn't want him to wake up so you could take his spot this week'," Locke said. "So it is quite hard. I feel a bit of guilt. I tried to wake him up but he told me to go away."
Locke's elevation from promising junior to superstar appears to be progressing with almost indecent haste. This week he was named in a 45-man Kiwis train-on squad for the end of year Four Nations tour.
One of his childhood idols, Leeds fullback Brent Webb, was also included in the squad but it would be a surprise if Locke doesn't make the final cut despite having played just seven first grade games.
His success may not be a surprise to those who have followed his development, but Locke - who describes his approach as "weaving in and out of players trying to avoid getting hurt" - admits it has come as a shock.
He isn't the only one out to prove a point against the Titans. There will be plenty of interest in the debut of Elijah Taylor, 19, considered one of the better prospects in the club's junior ranks.
Lewis Brown gets a first run in his preferred hooking position, and Aaron Heremaia gets a chance in his favoured five-eighth position.
Kiwis centre Jerome Ropati and hooker Ian Henderson join McKinnon as the major casualties of the shake-up, while Isaac John was also dropped after a run of three starts at standoff.
Coach Ivan Clearly insisted he wasn't already focusing on next season. "I guess it is finding a balance between answering a few questions you might have in your head but still making sure it doesn't jeopardise your chance to win," he said.
The Warriors have signed 23-year-old Melbourne playmaker James Maloney. Capable of playing halfback or five-eighth, Maloney made four first-grade appearances at the Storm but struggled for game time after the signing of Brett Finch.
WARRIORS v TITANS
Warriors
Kevin Locke
Patrick Ah Van
Elijah Taylor
Joel Moon
Manu Vatuvei
Aaron Heremaia
Stacey Jones
Sam Rapira
Lewis Brown
Russell Packer
Simon Mannering
Ben Matulino
Micheal Luck (c)
Interchange: Lance Hohaia, Evarn Tuimavave, Jacob Lillyman, Ukuma Ta'ai.
Titans
William Zillman
Kevin Gordon
Mat Rogers
Jordan Atkins
David Mead
Preston Campbell
Scott Prince (c)
Luke Bailey (c)
Nathan Friend
M Henderson
A Laffranchi
Mark Minichiello
Josh Graham
Interchange: Aaron Cannings, Matthew White, Brad Myers, Chris Walker, Will Matthews (one to be omitted).
