Jackson Ford will make his long-awaited return from a pectoral injury off the bench as the One New Zealand Warriors face the Dolphins in Saturday’s NRL qualifying final at Go Media Stadium.
Ford has missed 10 matches since being injured against North Queensland in June, while Leka Halasima, Kurt Capewell and Wayde Egan also return after sitting out last weekend’s 31-30 win over Manly. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak remains sidelined with a broken clavicle, meaning Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad stays on the right wing for his 150th NRL appearance.
The Warriors enter their 11th finals campaign after a record-breaking regular season featuring 18 wins, only six defeats and 728 points scored. Saturday’s contest shapes as another tight encounter after the Warriors beat the Dolphins 20-18 in Wellington earlier this season before losing the Brisbane rematch 26-24.
Halasima will also celebrate his 50th Warriors appearance, while Erin Clark is set to play his 50th consecutive match for the club.
