Warriors looking to make statement against Roosters, Cowboys

A wounded Roosters side stand in the way of the Warriors this weekend.

Coach Andrew Webster has named an unchanged lineup to the one that beat the Knights in Wellington but the next fortnight against Sydney and the Cowboys will serve as the perfect early season test to see how good this side really is.

“I just don't want complacency,” Webster said.

“We can't set the bar low, we have to set it high and if we want that, we can't be happy with what we did.”

Second rower Mitch Barnett said the two away games are the perfect chance to keep pushing that bar with both sides finishing in the Top 8 last year.

“They're two teams we really want to get a win over because of where they finished,” he said.

“It would give us a good test of where we are at.”

First up are the Roosters who remain one of the competition favourites despite falling to the newcomer Dolphins in round one.

“They probably did some damage to themselves in terms of the way they played, drop ball and that type of thing,” Barnett said.

To add to the Warriors’ challenges is a timely return for the chooks with Joseph Manu back on deck.

Tasked with containing the Kiwis star is one of the Warriors fresh faces, Brayden Willame.

“He's a once in a lifetime sort of player,” Willame said.

“I'm keen to test myself against him – he's a gun player… but we are not taking a backwards step.”