Ford injured as Warriors face in-form Dolphins
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Jackson Ford's a long-term casualty for the Warriors Kurt Capewell but Sam Healey return for wing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak’s milestone appearance in the round 17 clash against the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium.
It has been confirmed the 28-year-old Ford will be out for 10-12 weeks with a pectoral
tear which forced him off the field 20 minutes into Sunday’s 38-20 win over the Cowboys
in Christchurch.
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The interruption to Ford’s superb 2026 season sees Tanner Stowers-Smith coming into
the starting front row alongside captain Mitchell Barnett.
While co-captain James Fisher-Harris (calf), second rower Leka Halasima (hamstring)
and winger Alofi’ana Khan-Pereira (leg) are still unavailable, Queensland second rower
Capewell returns after missing the North Queensland clash as does Healey, who was a
late scratching last weekend.
In a match which pits the second-placed One New Zealand Warriors against the third-
ranked Dolphins, Watene-Zelezniak will become the 33rd player to join the club’s 100-game roll of honour.
Linking up with the Warriors midway through the Covid era in 2022, the 30-year-old
Watene-Zelezniak has set exceptional try-scoring standards for the club, his try in the
win over the Cowboys taking him to 15 in 14 games this season.
Scoring a club record 25 tries in 2023, he now has 74 tries in his 99 appearances for the
Warriors so far, a strike rate of 0.74 tries a game which puts him ahead of record holder
Manu Vatuvei’s 0.67 tries a match (152 in 226 appearances).
Watene-Zelezniak is one of only three players in line to maintain a sequence of playing in
every match so far this campaign alongside hooker Wayde Egan and loose forward Erin
Clark.
The Warriors have named an unchanged backline to face the Dolphins while Capewell
and Stowers-Smith come into an amended starting pack.
Marata Niukore, who started in the second row against North Queensland, moves to the
six-man bench which also includes Healey, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Demitric Vaimauga,
Kayliss Fatialofa and Luke Metcalf.
When the two teams met in Wellington on Anzac Day the Warriors held on for a 20-18
win but since then the Dolphins have been in the hottest form in the competition putting
together seven wins on end over the Storm, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Cowboys,
Roosters and Wests Tigers.
Warriors: Taine Tuaupiki, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Ali Leiataua, Adam Pompey, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Te Maire Martin; Tanner Stowers-Smith, Wayde Egan, Mitchell Barnett, Jacob Laban, Kurt Capewell, Erin Clark. Interchange: Sam Healey, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Demitric Vaimauga, Marata Niukore, Kayliss Fatialofa, Luke Metcalf. Reserves: Makaia Tafua, Jye Linnane, Jason Salalilo.
