KEY POINTS:
Lance Hohaia reckons he has done all he can to earn a spot in the Warriors side to face Parramatta in next Saturday's NRL season opener.
Coach Ivan Cleary will name his first squad of the year on Tuesday and Hohaia is one of the borderline cases who
will be sweating plenty between now and then.
The stand-out performer of the trial matches against the Cowboys and Bulldogs, Hohaia is hoping he's done enough to force his way into Cleary's plans ahead of George Gatis and Michael Witt, the other likely candidates for the reserve utility half/hooker role.
An injury-plagued Hohaia spent much of last season on the outer, either languishing in the Bartercard Cup or rehabbing from ankle and knee problems.
After starting last season as Cleary's first-choice hooker, Hohaia lasted just two matches before being supplanted by Gatis and opting for arthroscopic surgery on his knee.
He appeared briefly against the Raiders in round six but didn't resurface until round 14, when he filled a bench role as the Warriors strung together four victories and an extra-time loss to the Bulldogs.
That defeat sent Hohaia back to the Bartercard Cup, with Gatis once again preferred.
Hohaia's season looked as good as over but, when Tony Martin succumbed to injury he slotted back in at centre, scoring two tries against the Cowboys in round 23 and holding down a starting position for the remaining three matches of the year.
Having started and ended the season in Cleary's top 17, Hohaia has high hopes that his impressive pre-season will have forced his name to the forefront of Cleary's thinking.
"I'll obviously be disappointed if I'm not in the starting 17 but it is up to the coaching staff," Hohaia said.
"I feel I have done everything I can to try and please them over the summer and in the trials so we'll just have to wait and see."
Pressed to rate his prospects of playing against the Eels, he said: "I wouldn't put a percentage on it. You'd have to speak to the coach.
"I'd like to think I'd be pretty close to being in the side but there are probably 25 guys who can fit into that 13 who go out on the field. It's just a matter of what combinations the coaches want and who they want in each position. We'll just have to wait and see."
Feeling fresh and injury-free for the first time in years, Hohaia is well positioned to make an impact in what looms as a huge season for a player whose career has drifted since being touted as the "next big thing" when he debuted against the Cowboys in 2002, just five days after his 19th birthday.
As in the way with New Zealand halves who show anything like potential, Hohaia was thrust into the Kiwis fold at the first opportunity, making his debut at five-eighth alongside Stacey Jones in a one-off test against Australia in October before heading to Europe to start every match of a five-test tour of Britain and France.
In the intervening four years, he has managed just one more test cap for the Kiwis, against Australia in the sensational 38-28 2005 Tri-Nations victory in Sydney, when he looked to be in sizzling form before collapsing in a heap after rolling his ankle in a non-contact situation.
Some argue that success came too early for Hohaia, but it's more likely that injuries, such as that freak occurrence in Sydney, have been the prevailing factor in his failure to date to fulfil his enormous potential.
At just 1.75m and 86kg, he is, after all, a little man playing in a big man's game. But there's no doubting that, when he's fit, he has the game to torment most opponents.
"Yeah, I've been feeling good physically and I guess it's showing out on the paddock," he says of his pre-season form.
"I'm doing okay.
"This time last year I was still getting over an ankle injury from the Kiwis tour and I missed a big part of the summer. I then had an arthriscope on my knee three or four weeks into the season and I only really came back and started playing all right at the end of the year."
Having failed to nail a regular spot in his preferred position in the halves has at least allowed him to demonstrate his utility value. Despite his stature, he has held his own at hooker and, more surprisingly, centre.
"At centre it is just a matter of getting the ball and running. You don't really think too much about what you have to do, just make your tackles. It's a role I pretty much enjoyed last year.
"I've always been used to being one of the smallest guys on the field and I think my defence is pretty good, so I back myself."
One of several players coming off contract at the end of the season, Hohaia's form will be closely monitored by the club.
"It is a big year for Lance," said Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah. "To his credit, he proved himself last year as a real class utility player. He has had three terrific trials and has trained really well in the off-season.
"Obviously we want to retain Kiwi players as a priority and we'd love to see Lance stay with the club."
For his part, Hohaia just wants to play. "At the moment, I just want to get in the side and play consistent football week-in, week-out."