iSelect Titans’s Country Origin rep of 2014, David Mead, is fit to return from a hamstring injury and has been included in the preliminary squad of 18 players for the trip to Auckland to play the Warriors this weekend.
Mead first suffered the injury in the round 17 victory over South Sydney and returned for the round 21 clash with the Cowboys but aggravated it late in the game, so has missed six of the past seven games.
There is certainly an injury crisis in the forwards with eight players out of contention for the last two rounds including co-captain Nate Myles undergoing shoulder surgery. However coach Neil Henry has not given up hope of David Taylor returning for the final round clash with the Bulldogs at Cbus Super Stadium.
“His calf injury is improving and there is some chance he could play the following week against the Bulldogs,” said Henry.
“Dave Mead is right to go, and he’ll come into contention and we’ll look at that later in the week with one of our options playing Brad Takairangi in the forwards.”
The team v NZ Warriors in round 25 is:
1 – William Zillman
2 – Kalifa Faifai Loa
3 – James Roberts
4 – Brad Takairangi
5 – Anthony Don
6 – Aidan Sezer
7 – Daniel Mortimer
8 – Luke Bailey
9 – Beau Falloon
10 – Matthew White
11 – Mark Minichiello
12 – Paul Carter
13 – Greg Bird (capt)
INTERCHANGE
154– Mark Ioane
15 – Cody Nelson
16 – Tom Kingston
17 – Maurice Blair
19 – David Mead
The Holden Cup side is:
1 – Jayden Connors
2 – Brian Kelly
3 – Shaun Hudson
4 – Connor Broadhurst
5 – Zac Spring
6 – Deacon Fletcher
7 – Kane Elgey (capt)
8 – James Iodice
9 - Karl Lawton
10 – Mitch Sharp
11 – Jaiden Hawkes
12 – Anthony Colman
13 – Jackson Clarke
INTERCHANGE
14 – Joshua Berkers
15 - Caleb Morehu
16 – Sam Swift
17 – Sam Grant
18 – Hayden Schwass
19 – Nathan Portelli
