NRL

Williams is expected to end a 2171-day NRL hiatus against on Saturday night at GIO Stadium, with five matches for Toronto Wolfpack his only rugby league since leaving the Roosters in 2014.

The return of the former All Blacks ace comes at an ominous time for the Roosters’ NRL rivals, with reigning Dally M Medallist Tedesco involved in five tries last week and the premiers’ attack the best in the competition.

But with Williams in the team, superstar fullback Tedesco believes the Roosters will be even more dangerous.

They have blown the Newcastle Knights 36-6 at their home away from home in Tamworth, after leading 8-6 at halftime, to keep alive their top eight hopes.

It is the Warriors' first win over a top eight side this season and lifts them to ninth on the table, four points behind the Cronulla Sharks, who later beat the North Queensland Cowboys 28-12.

Captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck again led from the front, scoring two tries, saving another and running for more than 200 metres.

The sight of Taumalolo hobbling up the tunnel of McDonald Jones Stadium in the 53rd minute would have sent shivers up the spines of all North Queensland Cowboys fans.

He only managed 41 metres in his 32 minutes on the field in Sunday's 12-0 loss to the Knights, which is far below his usual standards.

In the round seven 32-30 win over the Knights in Townsville, Taumalolo ran for 297 metres in his 70 minutes input.

"It's a calf injury but I'm not sure of the severity. It's a fresh injury – he had no niggle coming into the game," said Cowboys coach Josh Hannay.

Of most concern is hooker Brandon Smith, who left the field late clutching his jaw, while five-eighth Ryley Jacks also went down with a hip injury.

The Storm could well be the first team to fall foul of a crusher tackle crackdown, with debutant half Cooper Johns and bench forward Albert Vete placed on report in the first half.

Eight young males were escorted from the ground by police during the first half of Penrith's 18-12 victory.

NRL acting CEO Andrew Abdo said the governing body took the matter extremely seriously.

"Racism and vilification will not be tolerated in our game," he said.

"Bringing communities and cultures together is part of rugby league. We pride ourselves on being inclusive and taking a leadership role in driving social change.

"Any fan found to have racially abused a player or another fan will not be welcome at our games.

The Daily Telegraph reports Tuivasa-Sheck is weighing up his future at the Warriors with concerns around what next season could be like for the Auckland-based franchise on his mind.

The major concern is if the team would have to be based in Australia again like they have this season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has meant Tuivasa-Sheck has had to spend an extended amount of time away from his young family.

The 35-year-old and his family will leave their Sydney hotel quarantine on Thursday night, just before the Roosters take on Melbourne Storm at the SCG.

After completing a medical examination he will have his first training session with the Roosters at the weekend. He has been using gym equipment while in the two weeks quarantine and although he has had minor knee surgery, he is expected to hit the ground running after his recent stint with Toronto in the Super League.

Williams, counting down his final days in mandatory quarantine in a Sydney apartment before joining his Roosters teammates, said it was hard to believe he was on the verge of an NRL comeback.

The 35-year-old former All Blacks and Roosters premiership player has signed a short-term NRL deal.

His return to the NRL comes after a stint with Toronto was cut short because of the pandemic that has forced the Wolfpack to withdraw from the remainder of the 2020 Super League season.

The Eels are level on points with the Melbourne Storm, just a point behind the table-topping Penrith Panthers, who the Warriors play this Friday.

The Titans earlier beat the North Queensland Cowboys 30-10 on the Gold Coast to now be the top ranked side in the state.

They're up to 13th, just ahead of the Cowboys and the Brisbane Broncos.

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Another potential candidate is no longer in the mix for the job, with interim coach Todd Payten turning down an offer from the club to take the role on a permanent basis.

The embattled club has been searching for a fulltime replacement since they sacked Stephen Kearney six weeks ago, with playmaker Kodi Nikorima among those who had called for the process to be wrapped up as soon as possible.

But, in the wake of Payten's revelation he had turned down the job, chief executive Cameron George said they were committed to taking their time to find the right person.