Wright set to make Warriors debut

With his suspension over, Jonathan Wright will make his debut for the New Zealand Warriors when they take on the Canberra Raiders.

Sam Tomkins

Sam Tomkins admits he's as much in the dark as anyone over the seriousness of his knee injury. (AAP)

Jonathan Wright will make his Warriors debut when the Auckland team take on the Canberra Raiders in the Australian capital.

Wright, who played 91 games for the Eels, Bulldogs and Sharks before being signed by the Warriors in the off-season, will play on the wing when the teams clash on Sunday after completing a three-match suspension.

The return of Englishman Sam Tomkins from injury is the other change in the team, though the selection of Wright and him means some backline reshuffling from the team who lost to Newcastle last weekend.

Last week's fullback Tuimoala Lolohea moves into the centres to replace the injured Konrad Hurrell, while Solomone Kata, who was on the right wing, moves into the centres ahead of Ben Henry, who moves to the interchange bench.

Assistant coach Tony Iro says Lolohea should fit smoothly into the centres.

"He has trained in the outside backs throughout the pre-season. Obviously he's a talented kid and we know what he's capable of."

The starting forward pack is unchanged, but Henry's move to the interchange bench means there is no place for Suaia Matagi in the starting line-up, with former Canberra back Matt Allwood being named as the 18th man.

Warriors: Sam Tomkins, Jonathan Wright, Tuimoala Lolohea, Solomone Kata, Manu Vatuvei, Chad Townsend, Shaun Johnson, Jacob Lillyman, Thomas Leuluai, Ben Matulino, Bodene Thompson, Ryan Hoffman, Simon Mannering (captain). Interchange: Nathan Friend, Ben Henry, Sam Lisone, Albert Vete, Matthew Allwood.


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Source: AAP


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