Prop Tanner Stowers-Smith has moved a step closer to his NRL debut after being confirmed as the One New Zealand Warriors’ 18th man for tonight’s round seven clash against Brisbane at Go Media Stadium (7.30pm kick-off; match day sponsor: V Energy).
The 21-year-old Christchurch-raised Stowers-Smith was upgraded to the club’s top 30 NRL squad this season.
He could make his debut tonight if circumstances give the Warriors the opportunity to activate their 18th man.
Halfback Tanah Boyd was omitted to play for the club’s New South Wales Cup side in the curtain raiser against the Dragons along with hooker Sam Healey, utility forward Freddy Lussick and centre Morgan Harper, who all dropped out of the extended squad last night.
With fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (concussion), co-captain James Fisher-Harris (pectoral) and centre Rocco Berry (suspension) all out, head coach Andrew Webster made a number of changes in the squad announced on Tuesday.
Taine Tuaupiki was moved from the right wing to fullback, Jackson Ford replaced Fisher-Harris in the front row, second rower Kurt Capewell was moved into the centres for Berry, Edward Kosi onto the right wing and Leka Halasima into the second row to fill the vacancy created by Capewell’s shift.
Capewell has started in the centres 14 times before in his career as well as being used there at Origin level for Queensland. He was at centre for most of the second half against the Storm on Sunday after Nicoll-Klokstad was forced off the field.
The promotion of Ford and Halasima from the bench saw second rower Jacob Laban and halfback Te Maire Martin named to replace them on the interchange. However, Webster
With Fisher-Harris, Nicoll-Klokstad and Berry joining Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (wrist), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (hamstring) and Tom Ale (foot) on the unavailable list this week, the Warriors are without a total of 840 matches in NRL experience.
Now the most seasoned specialist back left standing, 26-year-old Tuakau-raised Adam Pompey plays his 100th NRL game. HE has been one of the club’s quiet achievers since making his debut in the Warriors’ 19-18 win over Cronulla Sutherland in Wellington in 2019. Becoming the 31st player to reach the 100-game mark for the club, he’ll join Simon Mannering (301), Jerome Ropati (145) and Bunty Afoa (140) as the only players on the 100 list to have played their entire first-grade careers for the Warriors.
In their first home outing in four weeks, the Warriors’ 30th anniversary encounter with their original opponents will have a strong Pasifika flavour as the club puts its own stamp on the NRL’s Multicultural Round.
To that end, the Warriors will be decked out in a distinctive Pasifika-designed jersey in a week when cultural connection has been to the fore for the club.
The club’s Jersey Flegg Cup and New South Wales Cup teams will also play at Go Media Stadium on Saturday as the Warriors seek to win their third straight NRL game at home after earlier successes against Manly Warringah and the Sydney Roosters.
They suffered a disappointing setback last Sunday when Melbourne’s first half blitz led to a 14-42 loss although the Warriors checked the flow of points with three of the four tries scored in the second half.
They face a Brisbane side also smarting after a 16-26 loss to the Roosters at Suncorp Stadium which leaves the Broncos on the same number of points as the Warriors (8).
