Issac Luke to start pre-season clash against Gold Coast

  • 10/02/2016
Issac Luke (Getty Images)
Issac Luke (Getty Images)

Issac Luke will pull on the Warriors jersey for the first time this weekend, named to start in their NRL pre-season game against the Gold Coast Titans in Whangarei.

The Kiwis hooker missed last weekend's Auckland Nines with a few injury niggles.

Warriors coach Andrew McFadden is excited at the prospect of Luke playing in the game.

"He's going to have a run, he obviously missed out on the Nines last week, and while he's probably not going to play a whole lot of time, it's a great opportunity for us to give him a little bit of a hit," McFadden said.

"I would have loved to have played him in the Nines, but unfortunately that week he fell short a bit, and fortunately the nature of the tournament wasn't really going to suit him at this time."

Also getting their first run of the year at Toll Stadium on Saturday will be winger Manu Vatuvei and second-rower Ben Henry.

Vatuvei - whose wife, Jennifer, gave birth to the couple's fourth daughter this week - is making a return from off-season surgery.

Henry was sidelined for most of 2015 with his second serious knee injury in two years.

A number of frontline players will miss the match, including Tuivasa-Sheck and star playmaker Shaun Johnson, who were both part of the Nines.

Warriors team: Tomas Aoake, Ken Maumalo, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Matt Allwood, Manu Vatuvei, Ata Hingano, Erin Clark, Albert Vete, Issac Luke, Charlie Gubb, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Ben Henry, Ligi Sao. Intercharge: Viliami Kaveinga, James Gavet, Upu Poching, Ofahiki Ogden, Jazz Tevaga, Bunty Afoa, Marata Niukore, Kane Telea, Semisi Tyrell.

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