Simon Mannering

Mannering to start for the Warriors

With Leivaha Pulu forced to the sidelines after sustaining a foot injury in last weeks first loss of the season to the Broncos, Mannering will take Pulu's place on the left edge.

Filling Mannering's spot on the interchange is front rower Albert Vete who is yet to play a first grade game this season.

Warriors centre Solomone Kata was seen carried off the field last week with ankle trouble but has been named to start pending a fitness test.

Mannering to miss Warriors' NRL opener

Mannering failed to board the plane departing from Auckland on Monday after being unable to shake off a shoulder injury that's been plaguing him since last week's 20 to 14 pre-season win over the Gold Coast.

The 31-year-old could be looking at sitting on the sidelines for up to a month at the conclusion of his scan result, in what would be an enormous early-season blow for Stephen Kearney's side.

Possible replacements in the No.13 jersey for Saturday's match against South Sydney are Ligi Sao and young forwards Isaiah Papali'i and Bunty Afoa.

     

Mannering: Time to move on

It was perhaps the worst performance of the season against the club that looks set to pick up the NRL's wooden spoon for the third straight year, but the players are left with no choice but to dust themselves off and move on to Sunday's game against the Raiders.

That result ended any hope of the Warriors finishing in the top eight and they've got to get through four meaningless games before the season ends.

Mannering, who has played 276 games for the club, admitted it wasn't easy to get over the Knights defeat. 

"To be honest, it was hard," Mannering said.