Boom fullback James Tedesco is set to make his return from injury after Wests Tigers named him in the team to take on the Cronulla Sharks in an NRL trial match this Saturday, February 21 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
Kick-off for the match is scheduled for 7pm, with gates opening at 12 noon.
Following an impressive 20-4 win over the Parramatta Eels in Alice Springs last Friday night, coach Jason Taylor has retained a similar side for this Saturday’s trial, with James Tedesco set to feature in his first match for the club since suffering a knee injury against the Canberra Raiders in Round 16, 2014.
Tedesco was named on the interchange bench, with Shannon McDonnell to start at fullback.
McDonnell has returned to the Wests Tigers this year after a few years playing in the UK Super League.
Luke Brooks has also been named alongside Mitchell Moses in the halves, with the former missing last week’s trial match due to his involvement with the NRL All Stars.
Having kept the Eels scoreless for more than 70 minutes last Friday night, Taylor said he was looking for another similar defensive effort this weekend against the Sharks, who have already shown strong pre-season form this year at the 2015 Auckland Nines.
“There’s still plenty to work on from the game,” Taylor said.
“We were happy with most of the game, but there were still some key areas that we need to improve in regards to our tackling and our ball control early on.
“This week is just a matter of continuing on with the stuff that we’ve been working hard on — keeping that strong defensive structure in place and working on our attacking composure, which we lacked a little bit last week.”
General admission adult tickets for the match are available for $12 at the gate and via Ticketek, while Wests Tigers members gain free entry.
The team is: Shannon McDonnell, Kevin Naiqama, Tim Simona, Chris Lawrence, Pat Richards, Mitchell Moses, Luke Brooks, Aaron Woods, Robbie Farah, Keith Galloway, Curtis Sironen, Sauaso Sue, Dene Halatau. Interchange: Ava Seumanufagai, Matthew Lodge, Martin Taupau, Brenden Santi, James Tedesco, Delouise Hoeter.
