Rookie to debut as Warriors look to snap Anzac Day losing streak

The Warriors will field at least one debutant on Thursday as they look to end a horror run of results in the annual clash against the Melbourne Storm.

With Solomone Kata ruled out on compassionate grounds on Wednesday morning, Patrick Herbert has been named to make his NRL Telstra Premiership debut in the centres, while rookie Hayze Perham – who can play at fullback or in the halves – has been included in the extended reserves.

The Warriors haven't won on Anzac Day since 2014, and in last year's game were blown off the park in the opening exchanges as the Storm ran in six converted tries in the 30 minutes, in an eventual 50-10 victory at AAMI Park.

Warriors prop Adam Blair, who has also experienced the game as a Melbourne player previously, said history shows a slow start leaves you with little hope against the Storm.

"Melbourne always start real fast, I guess we have learned that from the past," Blair said.

"I think last time we got ambushed a bit. We turned up just letting the occasion or game get to us.

"We have got to turn up with the right attitude to get a kick on from the start.

"We have been down [to Melbourne] previously and we didn't come out on the right end of the scoreboard and they gave us a lesson.

"But we are ready, we have spoken about it, we have just got to go out there and do it now."

The Auckland-based outfit's cause isn't helped by the loss of winger David Fusitu'a to a rib injury, with the Mate Ma'a Tonga representative the only Warrior to score a try in the last three Anzac Day games.

Following back-to-back defeats at the hands of South Sydney and North Queensland, the Warriors are now staring down the barrel of suffering three straight losses for the first time since 2017.

The club are also without a win at AAMI Park in their last four trips to the venue.

When asked if there were lessons to take out of last year's Anzac Day defeat, Warriors coach Stephen Kearney offered a frank reply. 

"Yeah, make sure that we're ready," Kearney said.

"[We were] full of ourselves going to Melbourne [last year] and they came out and started really quickly and came up with some tries I don't think I have seen before in the competition.

"It's just about being ready."