Got this from NRL.com
https://www.nrl.com/News/Latest/NewsArticle/tabid/76/NewsId/872/Default.aspx
Winning at home paramount for Warriors
Friday, April 21, 2006 - 6:26 PM
The New Zealand Warriors' first priority is to establish a winning habit at home rather than just beat South Sydney on Saturday to move off the bottom of the ladder.
The NRL's 14th and 15th-placed teams meet in Auckland with Souths searching for their first win of the season and the Warriors looking to get off zero points.
The Warriors wiped out their four-point penalty for salary cap breaches with two wins away from home but have since slumped to consecutive defeats and are yet to taste victory at Ericsson Stadium in 2006.
"If you can't win your home games you're facing a long year, really," NZ Warriors coach Ivan Cleary said.
The rookie coach said with the amount of travelling the New Zealand team does it could do without the pressure of needing to beat opposition in away games.
"It should be a bonus when we win (away) rather than it having to be forced upon us because we can't win at home.
"It's not so much who we're playing or where we are on the table or whatever."
Both the Warriors and the Rabbitohs gave up handy leads to lose over Easter and have been hit by growing injury lists.
Warriors interchange forward Richard Villasanti ruled himself out of Saturday's clash because of a knee injury.
He joins five-eighth Jerome Ropati and wingers Manu Vatuvei and Patrick Ah Van on the sidelines.
Shaun McRae's Souths, meanwhile, lost winger Shannon Hegarty and prop Luke Stuart for the season in going down to the Bulldogs 26-18 last Monday.
But Cleary insists the Rabbitohs won't be pushovers.
"I think Souths are probably in a similar position to us - down a few games but certainly in a position to win," he said.
"I'm sure they'll bring a really strong game and be very competitive."
Misi Taulapapa, 24, will debut for the Warriors on the wing and, for the second time, the coach has preferred ex-Rooster recruit Grant Rovelli as starting standoff.
"I think he can get better at this stage, it's worth another go," Cleary said.
Rovelli, a 22-year-old in his first season as a first grader, said he and fellow Queenslander halfback Nathan Fien had clicked during practice.
"I've known Nathan for a while and we've always combined well at training," he said.
"I think that's where the coach has got the idea from.
"Nathan's been a good mentor to me since I've been here so we really complement each other's game."
Rovelli said the Rabbitohs had shown they were a handful for all NRL opponents.
"They've led in most of their games, I think, and they've just sort of fallen away in little areas but they're a very dangerous team.
"We're obviously confident but very wary, I suppose, of Souths for sure."
Excellent overconfidence is just what they need. I hope they stomp the bunnies. We only have a differential of -12 so 2 converted tries to get us in the positives there aswell. Could be important come the end of the season if we're struggling to get into the top 8.
https://www.nrl.com/News/Latest/NewsArticle/tabid/76/NewsId/872/Default.aspx
Winning at home paramount for Warriors
Friday, April 21, 2006 - 6:26 PM
The New Zealand Warriors' first priority is to establish a winning habit at home rather than just beat South Sydney on Saturday to move off the bottom of the ladder.
The NRL's 14th and 15th-placed teams meet in Auckland with Souths searching for their first win of the season and the Warriors looking to get off zero points.
The Warriors wiped out their four-point penalty for salary cap breaches with two wins away from home but have since slumped to consecutive defeats and are yet to taste victory at Ericsson Stadium in 2006.
"If you can't win your home games you're facing a long year, really," NZ Warriors coach Ivan Cleary said.
The rookie coach said with the amount of travelling the New Zealand team does it could do without the pressure of needing to beat opposition in away games.
"It should be a bonus when we win (away) rather than it having to be forced upon us because we can't win at home.
"It's not so much who we're playing or where we are on the table or whatever."
Both the Warriors and the Rabbitohs gave up handy leads to lose over Easter and have been hit by growing injury lists.
Warriors interchange forward Richard Villasanti ruled himself out of Saturday's clash because of a knee injury.
He joins five-eighth Jerome Ropati and wingers Manu Vatuvei and Patrick Ah Van on the sidelines.
Shaun McRae's Souths, meanwhile, lost winger Shannon Hegarty and prop Luke Stuart for the season in going down to the Bulldogs 26-18 last Monday.
But Cleary insists the Rabbitohs won't be pushovers.
"I think Souths are probably in a similar position to us - down a few games but certainly in a position to win," he said.
"I'm sure they'll bring a really strong game and be very competitive."
Misi Taulapapa, 24, will debut for the Warriors on the wing and, for the second time, the coach has preferred ex-Rooster recruit Grant Rovelli as starting standoff.
"I think he can get better at this stage, it's worth another go," Cleary said.
Rovelli, a 22-year-old in his first season as a first grader, said he and fellow Queenslander halfback Nathan Fien had clicked during practice.
"I've known Nathan for a while and we've always combined well at training," he said.
"I think that's where the coach has got the idea from.
"Nathan's been a good mentor to me since I've been here so we really complement each other's game."
Rovelli said the Rabbitohs had shown they were a handful for all NRL opponents.
"They've led in most of their games, I think, and they've just sort of fallen away in little areas but they're a very dangerous team.
"We're obviously confident but very wary, I suppose, of Souths for sure."
Excellent overconfidence is just what they need. I hope they stomp the bunnies. We only have a differential of -12 so 2 converted tries to get us in the positives there aswell. Could be important come the end of the season if we're struggling to get into the top 8.
