Steve Deane: Warriors duo happy to put beefs behind them

Alehana Mara's breakthrough is seen as a tribute to his tenacity. Photo / Supplied

Promising young Warriors' hooker Alehana Mara has spent plenty of time watching fellow Wellingtonian Ben Matulino.

In his junior days in club footy as a livewire utility back for St George, the Porirua-born and raised Mara used to keep a good eye out for Matulino.

Playing alongside Roosters forward Mose Masoe for Randwick, Matulino's reputation as a hitman was already well established.

Eventually thrown together in Wellington rep sides and then picked up by the Warriors at the same time, Mara and Matulino became firm friends.

That wasn't always the case.

"We all had our beefs, we didn't like each other," recalls Mara. "Once we got to play together it was good, but when we used to play [Randwick] it was like 'watch out for Ben, watch out for Mose'."

Keeping an eye out wasn't always enough. Mara was a slippery customer but sometimes Matulino and Masoe got their man.

"A couple, eh," - Mara says when asked if Matulino ever landed a trademark big hit on him - "and a couple of hands in the face. Me being this little skinny guy, I just used to go 'oh it's sweet, no problems here'."

With fellow prospect Meli Koliavu, Mara and Matulino headed north to join the Warriors' junior programme in 2008. The three lived together in a house supplied by the club and worked as car valets when they weren't training or playing.

Their paths quickly separated. Matulino was fast-tracked into the NRL side, has already chalked up 55 games and established himself in Stephen Kearney's Kiwis.

Koliavu played two seasons of NYC and was then cut, joining the Vulcans NSW Cup side. Mara travelled the middle road, failing to crack first grade but being retained by the club on their second tier cap while turning out for the Vulcans.

Last week against Manly he finally made the step up, making an eye-catching debut as a replacement for the injured Ian Henderson.

His NRL career may be all of 22 minutes old, but Mara, who is still just 20, has already shown enough to suggest he will be a key figure in the club's future.

He has been playing hooker for just two seasons, but the club's decision to release Henderson a year early suggests Mara's development is nearly complete.

A star of the Wellington scene, Mara was used just about everywhere by his club coaches. He had pace and power, was an aggressive defender but lacked a polished kicking game.

Warriors assistant coach Tony Iro liked what he saw, but what he saw was a hooker in waiting.

"He is a tough kid with good vision and a good pass and speed, so I just thought he might be a good chance in that area," Iro said.

"Whatever he does this year, we are pretty sure he can get even better next year."

Mara's eventual breakthrough is a tribute to his tenacity and patience, says Iro. Plenty of other players with his ability never achieve the dream.

Plenty never even try. Mara, who left home at 17 to chase his dream, never lost his focus.

"I went from living with my grandparents and aunty who basically did everything for me to coming up here, where if I wanted clean undies I had to wash them myself. If I wanted food I had to cook it myself. It was a real big change.

"I missed home at the start but I had to keep on going just to play league.

"I was real desperate. My life was just go to work, come to training, go home, eat, sleep. Then the next day the same thing. I was real hungry for it.

"There are a lot of my mates back in Porirua that didn't come through. Just me and my best mate Male. Everyone else just kind of disappeared.

"I just didn't want to be one of those players with regrets. That's why I just kept going."