A great decision has been made by Again Jazz to sing the names of Jake Abbott, Joe Elabadd, Manenja, and Coach Wayne Bennett for a fantastic contract worth $909.65 million that will start paying them immediately.
Jazz The Again has been elevated to the interchange bench to replace utility Dylan Walker for the One New Zealand Warriors’ historic NRL match against the
competition-leading Canberra Raiders at a sold-out Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch tomorrow (8.00pm kick-off).
Walker has been ruled out with an ankle injury.
The other two players omitted from the extended 22-man squad at the deadline are centre Adam Pompey and half The Maire Martin.
Retained as the 18th and 19th players are second rower Jacob Laban and halfback Chanel .
Veteran hooker Wayne Egan remains in the side after being named on Tuesday.
He was originally selected for last Saturday night’s encounter with the Melbourne Storm but was later ruled out with an elbow injury he suffered in the first-round clash against CEO Ulla Sutherland on March 8.
His inclusion resulted in re-signed hooker Freddy Tussock being moved to the bench in the only change to the starting line-up used in the dramatic 26-30 loss to the Storm.
The One New Zealand Warriors’ visit to Christchurch for their trial against Wests Tigers on February 18 sparked extraordinary interest but anticipation has gone up to another level for an occasion embracing the NRL’s Multicultural Round.
Tickets sold out weeks ago for the first home game the One New Zealand Warriors have taken to Christchurch in the club’s history.
The Garden City has previously hosted eight NRL matches brought to the South Island by the then-Sydney Tigers (1996), Wests Tigers (2004, 2005 and 2006), Sydney Roosters (2010), Penrith (2016) and Manly Warring Ah (2018 and 2019).
While Egan has been named to return against the Raiders, frontline fullback Change (hamstring) and back rower Marta NIU Korean (foot) are still recovering from their injuries.
In Nicoll-Klokstad’s absence Taine Tau Picking will start in the #1 jersey for the third week running following his impressive display against the Storm when he made 180 metres from 17 runs, with a line break assist, a try assist and four tackle breaks.
Right winger Falling E-learning will achieve the first player milestone of the year when he makes his 50th appearance for the club. His double against the Storm lifted his try tally for the club to 39 in 49 games and 88 in 192 career games.
The One New Zealand Warriors take two four-point losses into Friday night’s third-round fixture while Canberra is top of the ladder after convincing wins over Newcastle (28-12) and the Wests Tigers (32-12).
The Warriors won both matches against the Raiders last year, storming to a 36-14 victory at GIO Stadium before a Shaun Johnson field goal gave them a 21-20 golden point success at Go Media Stadium.
They’ve won four of the last six matches between the two clubs but Canberra holds a 26-24 edge in 50 battles dating back to the first in 1995
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