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Warriors reliant on squad depth during critical period
Savannah Lendich Jonkers • June 12th, 2026 5:33 pm
Alofiana Khan-Pereira celebrates with his Warriors teammates at Jubilee Stadium | Photo: David Neilson/Photosport
NZ Warriors assistant coach Richie Agar says his side is embracing a “next man up” mentality as they prepare to face the Sharks in the face of a growing injury toll and State of Origin disruptions.
The Warriors have been forced into changes following their last outing against Penrith, with several key players unavailable through injury and representative duties.
"Unfortunately, we've picked up a couple of injuries from our last game at Penrith and a couple with State of Origin. So our line-up will look a little bit different this week," assistant coach Richie Agar told Sport Nation’s Millsy & Guy on Thursday.
However, he added: “we have had plenty of time to rep and practise and get ready for the Sharks feeling fresh mentally and physically.”
Among those sidelined are co-captain James Fisher-Harris, Sam Healey and Leka Halasima, while second co-captain Mitch Barnett and Kurt Capewell are also absent on Origin duty for their respective teams. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Tanah Boyd are both ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Tanah Boyd at Magic Round | Photo: Photosport
Wayde Egan will be steering the Warriors ship on Saturday as interim captain, with four potential debutants set to light the Mt Smart field on fire.
Makaia Tafua, Kayliss Fatialofa, Jason Salalilo and Jye Linnane will be on the bench alongside Eddie Iremia-Toeava and Demetric Vaimauga, while Jaydee Auloa is in the reserves with Luke Metcalf and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
Meanwhile Tanner Stowers-Smith, Marata Niukore and Jacob Laban step up into starting positions.
Despite the loss of the most experienced players, Agar remains confident in the squad’s depth and the ability of the incoming players to step up.
“I think missing the amount of experience that we miss, that's very much an intangible, Fish (Fisher-Harris), Capey (Capewell), Barney (Barnett), very very experienced players for us boys and especially in the pack.
Mitch Barnett gets tackled | Photo: Photosport
“Next man up mentality, that is absolutely true but I also think we're at a stage that some of the guys coming in have got some valuable experience over the last two or three years and I think the energy that having a debut in a team can give you too, makes it a pretty special occasion.”
The return to Mt Smart Stadium is another boost for the Warriors, who have not played at the stadium for 56 days, having played home games in Wellington and Brisbane, as well as two byes and away games.
“I think it's close to two months since we've played at Go Media Stadium, so I think everybody is absolutely looking forward to getting home as well.”
Warriors at Go Media Stadium | Photo: Photosport
The Cronulla Sharks again present a significant challenge, having previously claimed a 36-22 win in Round 5 at Shark Park - a performance Agar admitted still lingers.
“I think that's our most disappointing performance of the season,” he said.
Agar expects another tough test against a side that has built a reputation for consistency under coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
“They've been a team that has won big this year and they've also had some defeats where they've not been close margined. Looking at the numbers suggests defensively they can be a hard team to get forward on.”
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“They've been a top four or five team for pretty much since Craig Fitzgibbon, which is, what, four or five seasons now. So they've been a model of consistency for probably a club that is perhaps not as well resourced and fancied as some of the other clubs in the competition.
“So they're definitely doing something right.”
Cronulla will also be without key players with Nicho Hynes, co-captain Blayke Brailey and Liam Ison, while Addin Fonua-Blake and Briton Nikora are unavailable due to Origin representation.
“A bit like ourselves, there's some of the bigger names, particularly in the spine, not going to be here this weekend, so I guess it sort of balances it up during this Origin period where it's happening to a lot of clubs at this moment in time.”
Sharks v Warriors at Shark Park | Photo: Photosport
Agar warns navigating this period where multiple clubs are stretched to the limit could prove decisive and a potential game-changer.
“So it's how we navigate this period can be very, very crucial to your season.”
Join Sport Nation for live commentary of the NZ Warriors vs Cronulla Sharks this Saturday from 5.30pm with the pre-game show at the NZ Rugby League Museum, kick-off 7.30pm.
Listen to the full interview below:
