Former Titans half Tanah Boyd will face off against former Warriors half Kieran Foran - but for opposite teams. Photo: RNZ/Liam Swiggs
NZ Warriors v Gold Coast Titans
Kickoff 5pm Saturday, 26 July
Go Media Stadium Auckland
Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
History
Of all the current NRL clubs, only the Dolphins (3-2) and Wests Tigers (23-16) have provided NZ Warriors with better winning records than Gold Coast Titans (20-14) at 58.8 percent.
The Warriors have a 9-5 advantage at their Go Media Stadium home, but haven't enjoyed success there since 2019.
In fact, now-Warriors halfback Tanah Boyd has brought agony on his current team in the last two outings at Mt Smart, kicking a field goal for victory in 2022, while scoring a try, and kicking three conversions and a field goal on Anzac Day last year.
Despite their struggles, the Titans have won five of their last six meetings with the Warriors, including a 66-6 whitewash across the Tasman in their last meeting, when winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira scored four tries.
They also prevailed 44-0 at C'bus Stadium in 2021 and those two results stand as the club's biggest-ever wins.
The Warriors' best result was a 42-0 win in 2014, when English fullback Sam Tonkins scored two tries, and Shaun Johnson had a try and kicked 7/7 from the tee.
Form
After recording back-to-back losses against Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos, the Warriors have emerged from a bye week with back-to-back wins over Wests Tigers and Newcastle Knights.
They needed a miraculous last-ditch, 40-metre solo try from teenager second-rower Leka Halasima to secure a 20-15 win over the Knights, but are now on a countdown to secure a playoff berth, with seven games remaining and six points clear of ninth-placed Cronulla Sharks.
They'll likely need four more wins, and their run to the post-season includes Gold Coast twice, St George-Illawarra Dragons and Paramatta Eels, all outside the top eight.
The Titans sit bottom of the NRL table with 14 points - two behind the Knights and South Sydney Rabbitohs. They have suffered four straight defeats, the most recent a heart-wrenching 21-20 loss to the Tigers, with lock Adam Douehi kicking a field goal for victory.
On paper, they have a talented roster, which has just not produced to its potential this season. Only North Queensland Cowboys have conceded more than their 503 points, an average of 29.6 points per game.
They are equal with the Cowboys for worst points differential (-157).
Teams
Warriors: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3 Adam Pompey, 4 Kurt Capewell, 5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6 Chanel Tavita-Harris, 7 Tanah Boyd, 8 James Fisher-Harris, 9 Wayde Egan, 10 Jackson Ford, 11 Leka Halasima, 12 Marata Niukore, 13 Erin Clark
Interchange: 14 Te Maire Martin, 15 Jacob Laban, 16 Demitric Vaimauga, 17 Tanner Stowers-Smith
Reserves: 18 Taine Tuaupiki, 20 Sam Healey
Fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is the big return for coach Andrew Webster, after nursing a knee injury back to health over the past four weeks.
He replaces Taine Tuaupiki in the No.1 jersey, while Kurt Capewell retains his spot in the midfield, despite leaving the field with a knee complaint against Newcastle last week.
Titans: 1 AJ Brimson, 2 Jaylan de Groot, 3 Brian Kelly, 4 Jojo Fifita, 5 Phillip Sami, 6 Kieran Foran, 7 Jayden Campbell, 8 Moeaki Fotuaika,19 Sean Mullany, 10 Jaimin Jolliffe, 11 Chris Randall, 12 Beau Fermor, 13 Klese Haas
Interchange: 14 Jacob Alick-Wiencke, 15 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 16 Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui, 17 Josh Patston
Reserves: 18 Arama Hau, 20 Tom Weaver
After his spectacular locker-room blow-up last week, when he dragged his players out of the showers for a dressing down, coach Des Hasler gets to celebrate his 500th game as an NRL, amid speculation over his future at the helm of the bottom-placed team.
He's lost the services of superstar forwards Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (knee) and David Fifita (ankle) through injury, with Klese Haas promoted to the starting line-up.
On Friday, Hasler made a later change at hooker, with Sam Verrills remaining in Australia for the birth of his first childe and Sean Mullany taking his place.
Player to watch
Literally one of the Titans' favourite sons, Jayden Campbell, is the offspring of the club's inaugural signing, Preston Campbell, and inherits many of his dad's off-the-cuff instincts for the game. Campbell Jr was a major inflictor of pain in last year's 60-point thrashing of the Warriors, scoring a try and kicking 11/11 from the tee for 26 points.
Kiwi to watch
Veteran five-eighth Kieran Foran chalked up 17 games for the Warriors in 2017, but has signalled this will be his last NRL campaign in a 17-year career that has seen him log more than 300 games, despite persistent injuries.
What will happen
The Warriors can't afford to sleepwalk through this game, like they did last week, and expect to grab the two competition points. Hopefully, the desperate nature of the Knights win will act as a wake-up call.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
