Roosters star Lindsay Collins will miss his team’s clash with Penrith on Friday night due to illness, adding another blow to what has been a horror start of the season for the Chooks.
Hugo Savala comes into the bench for his NRL debut – the fourth debutant in the first two weeks for the Roosters.
The Coogee Wombats junior came through the grades as a half but won’t play that role against the defending premiers, with the 194cm giant to play anywhere he’s needed after he scored a try and kicked two goals in NSW Cup last week.
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“Hugo is a local boy who grew up in the area and has been a Roosters supporter since he was born,” coach Trent Robinson said.
“He’s come through as a half and I’ve loved training him. He’s brought so much energy to the team. I’ve moved him around a bit in the pre-season – and I know he plays in the halves – but he’s gone from wing to front row in all of our training sessions which has given him the capacity to play on the bench.”
Read on for the NRL Late Mail for Round 2.
THURSDAY MARCH 13
Newcastle Knights vs Dolphins at McDonald Jones Stadium, 8.00pm AEDT
Knights team: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. James Schiller 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Jack Cogger 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Tyson Frizell 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Jack Hetherington 16. Adam Elliott 17. Mathew Croker 18. Brodie Jones 19. Will Pryce
Players cut: 20. Logan Aoake 21. Matthew Arthur 22. Thomas Cant
Late Mail: To come.
Dolphins team: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Junior Tupou 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Felise Kaufusi 11. Oryn Keeley 12. Max Plath 13. Tom Gilbert 14. Kurt Donoghoe 15. Josh Kerr 16. Mark Nicholls 17. Ray Stone 18. Sean O’Sullivan 20. Kenny Bromwich
Players cut: 19. Max Feagai 21. Harrison Graham 22. Aublix Tawha
Late Mail: Kenny Bromwich was left on the extended bench at the 24-hour cut-off at the expense of Max Feagai in a further indication the veteran Kiwi could be on the cusp of his return.
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FRIDAY MARCH 14
New Zealand Warriors vs Manly Sea Eagles at Go Media Stadium, 6.00pm AEDT
Warriors team: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Taine Tuaupiki 3. Ali Leiataua 4. Adam Pompey 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Luke Metcalf 8. James Fisher-Harris 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitchell Barnett 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Marata Niukore 13. Erin Clark 14. Dylan Walker 15. Jackson Ford 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Leka Halasima 18. Samuel Healey 20. Te Maire Martin 21. Eddie Ieremia 22. Bunty Afoa 23. Edward Kosi
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
Sea Eagles team: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Lehi Hopoate 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Jazz Tevaga 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Corey Waddell 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Toafofoa Sipley 18. Clayton Faulalo 19. Tommy Talau 20. Gordon Chan Kum Tong 21. Jakob Arthur 22. Dean Matterson
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
Penrith Panthers vs Sydney Roosters at CommBank Stadium, 8.05pm AEDT
Panthers team: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Casey McLean 3. Izack Tago 4. Paul Alamoti 5. Brian To’o 6. Jack Cole 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Daine Laurie 15. Isaiah Papali’i 16. Matt Eisenhuth 17. Luke Garner 18. Brad Schneider 19. Luron Patea 20. Liam Henry 21. Luke Sommerton 22. Thomas Jenkins
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
Roosters team: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Mark Nawaqanitawase 4. Robert Toia 5. Dominic Young 6. Sandon Smith 7. Chad Townsend 8. Lindsay Collins 9. Connor Watson 10. Naufahu Whyte 11. Angus Crichton 12. Siua Wong 13. Salesi Foketi 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Makahesi Makatoa 16. Blake Steep 17. Taylor Losalu 18. Hugo Savala 19. Ethan Roberts 20. Ethan King 21. Max McCathie 22. Billy Smith
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
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SATURDAY MARCH 15
St George Illawarra Dragons vs South Sydney Rabbitohs at WIN Stadium, 3.00pm AEDT
Dragons team: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Toby Couchman 9. Damien Cook 10. Emre Guler 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack de Belin 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 17. Hamish Stewart 18. Dylan Egan 19. Tyrell Sloan 20. Lyhkan King-Togia 21. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga
Players cut:
Late Mail: After a solid performance in reserve grade last weekend, Tyrell Sloan is set to earn a recall via the wing. Code Sports reports that Sloan will replace Mat Feagai on the right wing.
Rabbitohs team: 1. Jye Gray 2. Isaiah Tass 3. Fletcher Myers 4. Campbell Graham 5. Bayleigh Bentley-Hape 6. Cody Walker 7. Jamie Humphreys 8. Sean Keppie 9. Peter Mamouzelos 10. Davvy Moale 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jai Arrow 13. Lachlan Hubner 14. Jayden Sullivan 15. Siliva Havili 16. Tallis Duncan 17. Tevita Tatola 18. Liam Le Blanc 19. Lewis Dodd 20. Jacob Host 21. Thomas Fletcher 22. Talanoa Penitani
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
North Queensland Cowboys vs Cronulla Sharks at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, 5.30pm AEDT
Last week’s Cowboys team: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Braidon Burns 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Thomas Duffy 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Sam McIntyre 11. John Bateman 12. Kai O’Donnell 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Karl Lawton 15. Harrison Edwards 16. Griffin Neame 17. Coen Hess 18. Jake Clifford 19. Jeremiah Nanai 20. Thomas Mikaele 21. Jaxson Paulo 22. Jason Taumalolo
Players cut:
Late Mail: Jason Taumalolo is expected to make a return to the field this weekend – but not in Cowboys colours. On the comeback trail from a Lisfranc injury, Taumalolo was named on the NRL side’s extended bench on Tuesday, but is instead expected to suit up for the Mackay Cutters in the Queensland Cup this weekend. It is a strong sign the star forward isn’t far from his NRL return, with the stint in Queensland Cup to help him get some minutes under his belt before coming back to the Cowboys. Taumalolo isn’t the only first grader expected to feature in Queensland Cup this weekend, with Jeremiah Nanai to play with the Northern Pride in their Saturday home clash against the Tweed Seagulls. Between the two of them, that’s about $2 million per season worth of big-name NRL talent in Q-Cup.
Sharks team: 1. William Kennedy 2. Samuel Stonestreet 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Siosifa Talakai 16. Braden Hamlin-Uele 17. Thomas Hazelton 18. Tuku Hau Tapuha 19. Mawene Hiroti 20. Billy Burns 21. Jayden Berrell 22. Hohepa Puru
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
Canberra Raiders vs Brisbane Broncos at GIO Stadium, 7.35pm AEDT
Raiders team: 1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Albert Hopoate 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Tom Starling 10. Corey Horsburgh 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Morgan Smithies 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Matt Nicholson 17. Ata Mariota 18. Danny Levi 19. Trey Mooney 20. Chevy Stewart 21. Michael Asomua 22. Ethan Sanders
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
Broncos team: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Selwyn Cobbo 3. Deine Mariner 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Patrick Carrigan 9. Cory Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Jack Gosiewski 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Billy Walters 15. Corey Jensen 16. Xavier Willison 17. Brendan Piakura 18. Tyson Smoothy 19. Delouise Hoeter 20. Martin Taupau 21. Jaiyden Hunt 22. Jock Madden
Players cut:
Late Mail: Payne Haas left Broncos training early on Wednesday, however it has been confirmed he’s not battling any niggling injuries. Instead, according to Code Sports, he has been observing the Muslim practice Ramadan over the last two weeks. Haas has been fasting between sunrise and sunset, getting through Brisbane’s win over the Roosters during the period. “He got through that game doing it, I don’t know how he did it, but he’s a different human,” teammate Kobe Hetherington said. Michael Maguire gave Haas a 45-minute early mark, hoping to ensure his star prop retains his energy during the humid conditions in Red Hill during post-flood Brisbane.
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SUNDAY MARCH 16
Parramatta Eels vs Wests Tigers at CommBank Stadium, 4.05pm AEDT
Eels team: 1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Sean Russell 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Zac Lomax 5. Jordan Samrani 6. Dylan Brown 7. Ronald Volkman 8. Joe Ofahengaue 9. Brendan Hands 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Jack Williams 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Ryley Smith 15. Matt Doorey 16. Kitione Kautoga 17. Sam Tuivaiti 18. Dan Keir 19. Joash Papali’i 20. Wiremu Greig 21. Joey Lussick 22. Charlie Guymer
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
Tigers team: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Adam Doueihi 4. Starford To’a 5. Jeral Skelton 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Jarome Luai 8. Terrell May 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Fonua Pole 11. Samuela Fainu 12. Alex Seyfarth 13. Alex Twal 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Royce Hunt 16. Jack Bird 17. Sione Fainu 18. Charlie Staines 19. Latu Fainu 20. Tristan Hope 21. Tony Sukkar 22. Solomona Faataape
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
Canterbury Bulldogs vs Gold Coast Titans at Belmore Sports Ground, 6.15pm AEDT
Bulldogs team: 1. Connor Tracey 2. Blake Wilson 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Matt Burton 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Jacob Preston 13. Kurt Mann 14. Bailey Hayward 15. Sitili Tupouniua 16. Josh Curran 17. Jaeman Salmon 19. Harry Hayes 20. Kurtis Morrin 21. Blake Taaffe 22. Luke Smith 23. Jonathan Sua
Players cut:
Late Mail: Viliame Kikau is in some doubt to line up due to two bulging discs in his back. He’s hoping to avoid surgery but he’ll likely have to manage the pain all season. In a huge blow for the Bulldogs, prop Sam Hughes is set to miss up to six weeks after undergoing surgery for an ankle injury. General Manager Phil Gould said that the initial injury diagnosis was only a grade one syndesmosis but scans revealed a more serious setback. “We’ve had to rescan him this week. It’s a grade three. He’s been in and got surgery. So he’s out for six weeks, which is a big loss. I don’t think it was a misdiagnosis. I think it was just one of those ones … and unfortunately, it’s cost him six weeks,” Gould said on his Six Tackles with Gus podcast. In good news for the Dogs, Josh Curran returns from suspension, with Daniel Suluka-Fifita promoted to the starting side.
Titans team: 1. Keano Kini 2. Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3. Brian Kelly 4. Phillip Sami 5. Jojo Fifita 6. AJ Brimson 7. Jayden Campbell 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Sam Verrills 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. Klese Haas 12. Beau Fermor 13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 14. Chris Randall 15. David Fifita 16. Jaimin Jolliffe 17. Brock Gray 18. Jaylan De Groot 19. Arama Hau 20. Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui 21. Tom Weaver 22. Tony Francis
Players cut:
Late Mail: To come.
Bye: Melbourne Storm
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