A safer option might have been Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who has 41 NRL appearances at fullback and has led his country from that position but the 26-year-old is seen as the club's best winger and his ability on the flank is vital.
Coach Nathan Brown has also named a raw centre combination, with 20-year-old Rocco Berry and 19-year-old Viliami Vailea filling the edge positions.
The duo have only 10 NRL games between them (Berry eight, Vailea two) but have been preferred ahead of Adam Pompey (34 first grade matches) after strong pre-season form, while senior centre Euan Aitken will start 2022 in the back row, after making the positional switch in the final quarter of last season.
Prop Addin Fonua-Blake is confirmed as skipper, in the absence of club captain Tohu Harris, who will miss at least the first third of the season as he recovers from knee surgery.
Fonua-Blake quickly emerged as a leader following his arrival at the Warriors last year and led the team in six late season matches, after the departure of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
Following a three-way battle during the pre-season, Kodi Nikorima has claimed the five eighth spot outside Shaun Johnson, the 15-test Kiwi rewarded for his strong form in the All Stars match and the trial victory over the Melbourne Storm.
It's quite a turnaround for Nikorima, who ended the 2021 season as a dummy half option off the interchange bench and faced pressure from Ash Taylor and Harris-Tavita during the pre-season.
Johnson will run out in a Warriors jersey for the first time in 1281 days on Saturday.
The 31-year-old last represented the club in the finals defeat against Penrith in September 2018, before his shock departure to join the Cronulla Sharks after eight seasons and 162 first grade games for the Auckland club.
New signing Aaron Pene will make his Warriors debut on Saturday, with the former Melbourne Storm prop named on the interchange bench alongside Jazz Tevaga, Ben Murdoch-Masila and Bayley Sironen
Aitken, Eliesa Katoa and Josh Curran make up the starting back row. Aitken and Katoa performed well in the Storm trial, while Curran impressed for the Indigenous All Stars against the Māori.
Bunty Afoa will start in the front row alongside Fonua-Blake, in the absence of the suspended Matt Lodge.
The Dragons have historically been one of the toughest opponents for the Warriors, winning almost 70 per cent (22 of 32) of the encounters between the two sides.
But the Warriors have a decent recent record, with five successive victories before the painful 19-18 loss last July, when the Sydney club crossed in the dying seconds to force golden point, before winning the game in the extra time period.
Warriors v St George Illawarra-Dragons
Sunshine Coast Stadium,
7.30pm, Saturday, March 12
Warriors
1 Chanel Harris-Tavita
2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
3 Viliami Vailea
4 Rocco Berry
5 Marcelo Montoya
6 Kodi Nikorima
7 Shaun Johnson
8 Addin Fonua-Blake (c)
9 Wayde Egan
10 Bunty Afoa
11 Euan Aitken
12 Eliesa Katoa
13 Josh Curran
Interchange:
14 Jazz Tevaga
15 Ben Murdoch-Masila
16 Aaron Pene
17 Bayley Sironen
18 Jack Murchie
Head Coach: Nathan Brown
