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Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the NRL clash between NZ Warriors and Manly Sea Eagles at Auckland's Daniel Anderson Stadium.
As you can tell from the venue for tonight's encounter, Go Media Stadium (formerly Mt Smart Stadium) has been renamed for the former Warriors coach, who has been left as a paraplegic by a beach accident.
This NRL round has been dedicated to him and his contribution to the Auckland club is especially appreciated by the faithful, after he led the Warriors to their first Grand Final in 2002.
The occasion is especially poignant, with his old team seeking a sixth consecutive victory, which would be their longest winning streak since the eight straight that helped the Warriors to the minor premiership under Anderson.
Victory would seal a playoff spot with two weeks remaining in the regular season, but coach Andrew Webster and his players aren't overly satisfied with their form in recent outings, scraping home against Canberra Raiders (golden point), Gold Coast Titans and Wests Tigers.
Manly are just three points out of the top eight and this encounter is a must-win, if they hope to sneak into the post-season.
Bad news for the Warriors is the late withdrawal of supersub Jazz Tevaga, who has succumbed to a hamstring injury suffered during training this week. Mitch Barnett is already out of the line-up with a knee laceration, but fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad returns from concussion protocols.
Join us at 8pm for kickoff.
TAB Odds: Warriors $1.19, Manly $4.55
NZ Warriors: 1-Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2-Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3-Rocco Berry, 4-Adam Pompey, 5-Marcelo Montoya, 6-Luke Metcalf, 7-Shaun Johnson, 8-Addin Fonua-Blake, 9-Wayde Egan, 10-Bunty Afoa, 11-Jackson Ford, 12-Marata Niukore, 13-Tohu Harris (c)
Interchange: 14-Dylan Walker, 16-Bayley Sironen, 17-Josh Curran, 18-Tom Ale
Manly Sea Eagles: 1-Reuben Garrick, 2-Jason Saab, 3-Tolutau Koula, 4-Morgan Harper, 5-Raymond Tuaimolo Vaega, 6-Josh Schuster, 7-Daly Cherry-Evans, 8-Toafofoa Sipley, 9-Lachlan Crocker, 10-Sean Kepple, 11-Haumole Olakau'atu, 12-Kelma Tuilagi, 13-Jake Trbojevic
Interchange: 14-Jake Arthur, 15-Dean Matterson, 16-Aaron Woods, 17-Ethan Bullemore
Afoa's return against Manly perfect cure for Warriors' 'good' selection headache
As NZ Warriors staked their unexpected claim on an elusive NRL playoffs spot, front-rower Bunty Afoa became a fixture on the weekly team sheet, even forcing his way into the starting line-up, after carving his reputation primarily for his impact off the bench.
That has ended abruptly in recent weeks, with the Warrior roster returning to somewhere near full strength, but as the regular season winds down, Afoa's superfluity stands as another example of the "good headache" facing coach Andrew Webster.
After turning out for the club's reserves last week, the powerful prop is back in first grade against Manly Sea Eagles on Friday, covering for Mitch Barnett, who is sidelined with stitches to a leg wound from last week's outing.
Bunty Afoa on the charge against Penrith Panthers. Photo credit: Photosport
Barnett spent more than two months recovering from a neck injury, while second-rower Marata Niukore has been a regular guest of the NRL judiciary and supersub Jazz Tevaga missed 11 games with a calf strain, returning against Gold Coast Titans two weeks ago.
A cult hero for his charging runs - literally - off the back fence, Afoa has been a prime beneficiary of these absences, but now all three are fully restored, he's missed out on a seat when the music stops playing.
"I'm sure he does have something to prove, but he hasn't said that," admitted Webster. "He was, like, 'I understand, all good, what's best for the team... I want to play'.
"Of course, he's disappointed, but he hasn't let those emotions linger into the team. He's been unbelievably professional and all he's cared about is the team throughout this process.
"He knows really clearly - we've had a one-on-one chat, which will stay private, on what things he can get better at - but it wasn't one of those ones that we were, like, 'Bunty, you've played terrible, so you're dropped'.
"It was just circumstances that we had everyone available, and Jazz hadn't played for a long time and I wanted Jazz to play. It's a good headache to have, Bunty's taken it like a trooper and wants the team to win, and whatever part he plays, he's on board."
Webster has faced similar selection dilemmas among the backs, where winger Ed Kosi grabbed five tries in seven outings early in the season, before succumbing to a knee injury, and hasn't been able to force his way back into the top side, as they compile a five-game winning streak.
The rookie coach will face another within the next two weeks, when five-eighth Te Maire Martin returns from a broken leg, only to find his spot capably filled by Luke Metcalf, who has developed a fruitful combination with veteran playmaker Shaun Johnson.
In this case, Afoa, 26, who has logged 126 games for the club since his 2016 debut, may provide just the tonic to remedy a couple of sloppy performances that have left Webster demanding more concentration from his players for the full 80 minutes.
"Bunty's experienced, as we all know," he said. "He's good at starting games, he's physical, he goes after the opposition - he's perfect for that role this week.
"Mitch is a really good player that will be missed, but you're laughing when you've got a great player like Bunty, who can come in and bring that intensity. They're different, but I just want Bunty to go after the moment, show how hard he is to handle and be aggressive, and he'll do that."
