2023 NRL Preview Round 14: Warriors Vs Dolphins
Dylan Jhugroo previews the Round 14 match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Dolphins.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
New Zealand Warriors Vs Dolphins
Venue: Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Date: Saturday June 3, 3:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Rocco Berry 4. Adam Pompey 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Luke Metcalf 7. Shaun Johnson 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Bunty Afoa 11. Jackson Ford 12. Marata Niukore 13. Tohu Harris 14. Dylan Walker 15. Josh Curran 16. Mitchell Barnett 17. Bayley Sironen 18. Tom Ale 20. Taine Tuaupiki 21. Demitric Sifakula 22. Ronald Volkman 23. Ali Leiataua
Dolphins: 1. Kodi Nikorima 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Euan Aitken 4. Brenko Lee 5. Tesi Niu 6. Anthony Milford 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Herman Ese’ese 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Connelly Lemuelu 13. Ray Stone 14. Jarrod Wallace 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Mason Teague 17. Valynce Te Whare 18. Harrison Graham 19. Max Plath 20. Poasa Faamausili 21. Kurt Donoghoe 22. Oliver Gildart
Referee: Grant Atkins
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
The New Zealand Warriors and the Dolphins come head-to-head for the first time in NRL history this Saturday afternoon, in a top-eight clash nobody would have predicted coming into this season.
The Warriors had a tough outing last week against an extremely resilient Broncos side filled with young guns looking to prove themselves in the absence of the club’s Origin stars. Andrew Webster’s men fell agonisingly short of taking the game to golden point, as their late comeback was stifled by a shirt-pulling call from the bunker. New Zealand do welcome back a great deal of quality this week, in the form of hooker Wayde Egan, forward Mitch Barnett and utility Dylan Walker. With a near full-strength side and the return to Auckland, the Warriors will come into this one with a real point to prove, looking to consolidate their spot in the top half of the table.
On the other side of the park, the Dolphins come into this clash off the back of a relatively comfortable win against the Dragons last week. Wayne Bennett has elected not to name his Origin players for this game, which sees Kodi Nikorima retain his fullback jersey after an impressive showing in Round 13. Anthony Milford will get another opportunity to showcase his ability in the halves, and hitman Ray Stone lines up in his preferred lock position. Like the Warriors, the Dolphins have shown to be a consistently hardworking side this year, and it should be fascinating to see the two similar ethos’s compete this Saturday.
KEY STAT: This will be only the fourth time that the Dolphins have travelled outside of Queensland, with their only win in the sunshine state coming against the Knights in Round 3.
LAST TEN MATCHES
First Meeting.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Warriors by 6 points.
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