Offseason signings James Fisher-Harris and Erin Clark have both been named to start for the NZ Warriors against Cronulla Sutherland in the first Pre-season Challenge clash at Sharks Stadium in Sydney on Friday night
The 29-year-old four-times NRL premiership winner Fisher-Harris will make his Warriors
debut after joining the club on a four-year contract from Penrith.
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The Kiwi captain and 203-game veteran lines up in an experienced front row alongside
his 2018-2019 Panthers teammate Wayde Egan and Mitchell Barnett.
Clark (27) will run on at loose forward for his first outing in a Warriors jersey in eight
years after returning home from the Gold Coast Titans.
After making his NRL debut for the One New Zealand Warriors in 2017 he returned to the
first-grade scene in 2020, amassing 94 games for the Titans in the last five seasons.
Rounding off the starting pack are second rowers Kurt Capewell and the Warriors’ 2024
NRL rookie of the year Jacob Laban.
For the first Preseason Challenge match, One New Zealand Warriors head coach Andrew
Webster has paired Luke Metcalf and Te Maire Martin in the halves. Not considered for
the opening trial were the club’s other two frontline halves Chanel Harris-Tavita and new
signing Tanah Boyd, who both have niggles.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is at fullback, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak on the right wing and
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck on the left flank with Adam Pompey and Ali Leiataua in the centres.
A further 15 players are named on an extended bench including seasoned forwards
Dylan Walker, Marata Niukore and Bunty Afoa plus fullback Taine Tuaupiki, winger
Edward Kosi and hooker Freddy Lussick.
Young NRL players Demitric Vaimauga and Moala Graham-Taufa are also named along
with a host of the club’s promising players.
Outside back Sio Kali, halves Luke Hanson and new signing Jett Cleary, forwards Eddie Ieremia-Toeava and Tanner Stowers-Smith, hooker Sam Healey – signed from Cronulla Sutherland – and former Penrith wing Daeon Amituanai. Amituanai is back with the Warriors after being in the club’s first SG Ball Cup side in 2020.
Warriors: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3 Ali Leiataua, 4 Adam Pompey, 5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6 Te Maire Martin, 7 Luke Metcalf, 8 James Fisher-Harris,
9 Wayde Egan, 10 Mitchell Barnett, 11 Jacob Laban, 12 Kurt Capewell, 13 Erin Clark
Interchange: 14 Demitric Vaimauga, 15 Marata Niukore, 16 Moala Graham-Taufa
17 Sio Kali,18 Edward Kosi, 20 Luke Hanson, 21 Jett Cleary, 22 Taine Tuaupiki,
23 Daeon Amituanai, 24 Bunty Afoa, 25 Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 26 Sam Healey,
27 Dylan Walker, 28 Tanner Stowers-Smith, 29 Freddy Lussick