Debutant Kiwi hooker Siliva Havili returns to New South Wales Cup football for the Vodafone Warriors’ ninth-round game against the Mounties at Eden Park on Saturday (12.40pm kick-off).
Over the last four weeks he has made his first three NRL games and also his first outing for the Kiwis in last Friday night’s Anzac Test in Sydney.
While stepping up to the highest level Havili has had limited game time over the past month with a combined total of just 67 minutes on the field for the Vodafone Warriors against Canterbury-Bankstown, St George Illawarra and Canberra.
Also coming into the line-up is Vodafone Junior Warriors co-captain Mason Lino, who will start at halfback replacing the injured Tuimoala Lolohea.
Three Vodafone Warriors who played for Toa Samoa in Saturday night’s Pacific Test win over Fiji Bati will be fielded in the first game of the club’s tripleheader at Eden Park this weekend. Dominique Peyroux starts in the centres and Carlos Tuimavave is at standoff while utility Michael Sio is on the bench.
Lolohea’s absence means there will be no player after this match who has appeared in every match this season.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v MOUNTIES
Eden Park, Auckland
12.40pm, Saturday, May 10
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 STEVE WAETFORD (c)
2 BRAXTON STANLEY
3 DOMINIQUE PEYROUX
4 DANE NIELSEN
5 JARROD TUA
6 CARLOS TUIMAVAVE
7 MASON LINO
8 NATHANIEL PETERU
9 SILIVA HAVILI
10 CHARLES P GUBB
11 AGNATIUS PAASI
12 RAYMOND FAITALA-MARINER
13 JOHN PALAVI
Interchange:
14 ABRAHAM PAPALII
15 ALBERT VETE
16 UPU POCHING
17 MICHAEL SIO
COACH: ROHAN SMITH
