Ruby league: Signing adds to Warriors' depth

By PETER JESSUP

The signing of Wests Tigers wing John Carlaw yesterday marks another wise move for a youthful Warriors team seeking to build their experience.

Carlaw, 26, is mostly a centre, but was a wing for the Melbourne Storm and has experience at fullback.

He has played for four clubs after graduating from his home-town juniors side in Gosford to the Newcastle Knights.

He went to the Hunter Mariners during Super League, was traded to the Storm when the Mariners folded, left them to return north and was let go by the Tigers when they could not fit him under the salary cap.

He has played 101 NRL games, passing the century which master coach Wayne Bennett has said marks the point when players start to get really useful.

Only five Warriors have more - Stacey Jones, Kevin Campion, Ivan Cleary, Logan Swann and Justin Morgan.

Carlaw said the Warriors' last season was a major reason for his agreeing to a two-year deal.

He ran with the squad yesterday at Cornwall Park and was impressed by the ball skills of his new team mates: "I've got work to do to catch up."

Coach Daniel Anderson said he had put Carlaw on his wish list back in May, after the Tigers had beaten his side twice. "He's big, strong, (190cm and 98kg) and he scores up the middle of the field."

Anderson said the Warriors scored plenty of tries wide last season and he was looking for other attacking options and the robust and aggressive Carlaw fitted with the confrontational style he wanted.

Carlaw's acquisition means the Warriors have 24 players, with an average age of 23 years and seven months, and still have some room under the salary cap.

Negotiations continue to transfer centre-second rower Sione Faumuina across from Canberra. He is keen to shift, the Raiders having indicated they will do a deal on the last year of his contract with them, but then stalling.

Anderson said the team would be bigger, stronger and had to be smarter this season.

He had spoken about last season with each individual player, but saw little point in dissecting the finals thrashing at the hands of Parramatta.

Monty Betham will have a pin removed from his shattered leg next week and if everything goes according to schedule, will be in full training in time for Christmas.

The other new member of the squad is halfback Lance Hohaia, 18, from the Taniwharau club in Huntly, then the Manurewa Marlins.

Anderson said Hohaia had made a big impression and could force his way in.

The Warriors had lost games when teams had run small, smart players at their big, tired guys, and he wanted to do the same in return. P. J. Marsh and Hohaia were the types to do that.

Who Anderson chooses at five-eighth, where Marsh is the early frontrunner, is the No 1 question for the new season.

"Whoever takes the No 6 jersey has to take pressure off Stacey."

Anderson said he wanted players who could cover several positions, and was sure he would have to rest some during an arduous 26-game season starting on March 15. The Warriors have the first of their two byes on that date. The re-admission of South Sydney took the league to 15 teams.