The One New Zealand Warriors will be without three players but regain four others for Saturday night’s NRL showdown against the Parramatta Eels at CommBank Stadium in Sydney.
Co-captain Mitchell Barnett, centre Ali Leiataua and forward Marata Niukore have all been sidelined under concussion and head injury protocols following last week’s narrow 20-18 Anzac Day win over the Dolphins in Wellington. In response, Adam Pompey returns from suspension to slot back into the centres, while prop Tanner Stowers-Smith has recovered from a hamstring injury to take Barnett’s place on the interchange bench.
Halfback Luke Metcalf has also been named on the extended bench after missing three matches with a hamstring problem, while Te Maire Martin is back among the reserves after recovering from the broken fibula he suffered during the Māori All Stars match in February.
The Warriors’ starting side otherwise remains unchanged after their tense victory over the Dolphins. Winger Alofi’ana Khan-Pereira heads into the clash in red-hot form after scoring four tries across his opening three appearances for the club, while Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has crossed in four straight matches.
The Warriors head into round nine sitting second on the NRL ladder, while Parramatta are struggling in 15th place after losing four of their past five games.
