Jett Cleary is poised to make his NRL debut as the Warriors face a serious halves crisis, with a fourth player sidelined just before the finals.
The Warriors announced on Saturday that Chanel Harris-Tavita has sustained a hamstring strain, and Te Maire Martin will also be absent for the match against Newcastle.
Harris-Tavita was essentially the last available halfback for the Warriors, following the season-ending injury to Tanah Boyd and Luke Metcalf's previous injury.
The club remains optimistic that both Harris-Tavita and Martin will participate fully in training ahead of next Saturday's final match against Manly, emphasizing that the decision is merely precautionary.
Despite these injury challenges, the Warriors have made a commendable run to the top of the NRL, with Sunday marking the ninth spine combination used by coach Andrew Webster this season.
Success in their last two games guarantees the Warriors a top-two finish, allowing them to stay in Auckland until the grand final week.
Martin has not played since tearing his hamstring in round 22, while Harris-Tavita reportedly experienced soreness during training this week.
As a result, Cleary will debut for the league-leading club on Sunday in Auckland, supported by Luke Hansen, who will play in his third NRL match at five-eighth.
Together, this duo will form the least experienced halves combination in the Warriors' history and the most inexperienced in the NRL since Jack Cogger and Brock Lamb at Newcastle in 2016.
Both Cleary and Hansen, former Penrith juniors, have the benefit of having played together in the NSW Cup over the past two years.
Cleary joined the Warriors in 2025 and played off the bench in last year's State Cup final on NRL grand final day, with his brother Nathan and father Ivan present.
The 21-year-old has been released to rejoin Penrith next year for his father's final season as an NRL coach.
Additionally, Luke Laulilii will make his first start on the wing after joining from Wests Tigers mid-season, filling in for Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who suffered a broken shoulder last week.
Watene-Zelezniak is expected to return for the finals, along with second-rower Jackson Ford, whose standout season was interrupted by a pec injury in June.