Roosters v Warriors: Crichton, Hutchison to start; Lodge ruled out
The Roosters and Warriors will clash for the 42nd time in NRL history on Easter Sunday in a top eight battle between two in-form sides at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The Tricolours came from behind against the Broncos last week to secure their third win of the season while the Warriors have strung together three straight wins after back-to-back losses early in the season.
Shaun Johnson's return to the line-up in recent weeks has been a blessing for the New Zealand outfit with his battle against halves Sam Walker and Luke Keary among the highlights of the fixture.
The Roosters have won the past four outings between the two sides by an average margin of 24. Prior to that the Warriors had won four in a row from 2016, three of which were by four points or less.
The clash will mark a special occasion for the Roosters, who will be celebrating their 20th year anniversary of the 2002 grand final win over the Warriors.
Sportsbet Betting preview: Roosters v Warriors
The Rundown
Team news
Roosters: A couple of late positional switches before kick-off with Drew Hutchison to start at hooker, shifting Sam Verrills to the bench. Angus Crichton will also start in the back row, moving Nat Butcher to the pine. Teen sensation Joseph Suaalii has been called up to make his first NRL appearance of the season on the wing, in place of Paul Momirovski. Suaalii played five matches last season after being given permission to debut before his 18th birthday but suffered a foot injury and underwent surgery in July. He is one of three changes to the Roosters line-up before kick-off, with Connor Watson and Sio Siua Taukeiaho (calf) dropping out. Daniel Suluka-Fifita replaces Taukeiaho on the bench.
Warriors: A late change for the visitors with Aaron Pene to start after prop Matt Lodge was ruled out with injury. Taniela Otukolo comes onto the bench. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak comes onto the wing after Marcelo Montoya received a four-game ban at the judiciary on Tuesday for using a homophobic slur during the game against the Cowboys.
Match: Roosters v Warriors
Round 6 -
home Team
Roosters
away Team
Warriors
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Roosters is number 1 James TedescoFullback for Warriors is number 1 Reece Walsh
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Winger for Roosters is number 2 Daniel TupouWinger for Warriors is number 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
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Centre for Roosters is number 4 Joseph ManuCentre for Warriors is number 3 Jesse Arthars
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Centre for Roosters is number 5 Kevin NaiqamaCentre for Warriors is number 4 Adam Pompey
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Winger for Roosters is number 23 Joseph-Aukuso SuaaliiWinger for Warriors is number 5 Edward Kosi
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Five-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Sam WalkerFive-Eighth for Warriors is number 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita
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Halfback for Roosters is number 7 Luke KearyHalfback for Warriors is number 7 Shaun Johnson
Forwards
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Prop for Roosters is number 8 Jared Waerea-HargreavesProp for Warriors is number 8 Addin Fonua-Blake
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Hooker for Roosters is number 24 Drew HutchisonHooker for Warriors is number 9 Wayde Egan
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Prop for Roosters is number 10 Lindsay CollinsProp for Warriors is number 16 Aaron Pene
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Sitili Tupouniua2nd Row for Warriors is number 11 Euan Aitken
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 16 Angus Crichton2nd Row for Warriors is number 12 Bayley Sironen
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Lock for Roosters is number 13 Victor RadleyLock for Warriors is number 13 Josh Curran
Interchange
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Interchange for Roosters is number 9 Sam VerrillsInterchange for Warriors is number 14 Kodi Nikorima
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Interchange for Roosters is number 11 Nat ButcherInterchange for Warriors is number 15 Bunty Afoa
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Interchange for Roosters is number 15 Fletcher BakerInterchange for Warriors is number 17 Eliesa Katoa
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Interchange for Roosters is number 22 Daniel Suluka-FifitaInterchange for Warriors is number 18 Taniela Otukolo
Reserves
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Replacement for Roosters is number 18 Lachlan LamReplacement for Warriors is number 25 Valingi Kepu
Match Officials
- Referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski
- Touch Judge: Dave Munro
- Touch Judge: Kasey Badger
- Senior Review Official: Alan Shortall
Last updated:
Key match-up
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves v Addin Fonua-Blake: Two passionate international enforcers go head-to-head in a battle for the ages at the SCG. JWH has set the tone in recent weeks, none more so than getting under the skin of the Broncos in round five. Fonua-Blake has relished the captaincy in recent weeks, averaging 171 running metres and proving a handful in the middle with his offloading ability.
Stat attack
The Warriors lead the competition in a couple of quirky areas including charge downs (3), intercepts (3) and 40/20 kicks (2), indicating they're search for those momentum swinging plays. The Warriors (1,700) and Roosters (1,693) are also in the top four for most tackles made after five rounds.
