KEY POINTS:
Young winger Patrick Ah Van is relishing the National Rugby League education he is getting by partnering experienced centre Brent Tate.
Ah Van and Tate have been the New Zealand Warriors' outside back combination on the right-hand side for the first four matches of the season.
They are
paired again for the clash with the Bulldogs in Auckland on Sunday.
Ah Van, just turned 20, already has 31 first-grade appearances under his belt.
But former Brisbane Bronco Tate has well over 100, as well as 12 State of Origin matches for Queensland and 15 caps for Australia.
"He's a big influence," Ah Van said today, pointing in particular to Tate's tips on positional play.
"He's just teaching me and I've learned a lot off him so far."
Ah Van said their combination was still gelling, and would only get better as the campaign progressed.
The Warriors have been lifted by their home defeat of Newcastle last Sunday, six days after they were humiliated by Manly in Sydney.
Ah Van said "respect", as in the need to regain it after being dusted 52-6 by the Sea Eagles, had been a key word in last week's build-up.
He went on to score the decisive runaway try in the 26-20 victory over the Knights, grabbing an opposition crosskick deep on defence and racing 95m to dot down.
"I was running on adrenaline," he said.
"We had had about five sets on our line. I just wanted to get out of our red zone and get up the other end of the field. I had no one by me, so I just took off."
During his gut-busting run, hotly pursued by last defender Scott Dureau, whose despairing dive he evaded, Ah Van wore a smile that he described as part grimace.
"When I passed that dude, I was smiling, because I knew I was going to get through," he said.
"But before that, when I smiled, I was pretty much struggling."
The Warriors have won both home matches this season and Ah Van described the Mt Smart Stadium crowd as a big factor in lifting the players' performance.
But he was also wary of a wounded Bulldog unit, beaten 40-12 last weekend by the Sydney Roosters in a grudge match in which former Bulldog Willie Mason scored two tries.
"They'll be like us, trying to get some respect back."
A Junior Kiwi, Ah Van said his thoughts hadn't yet turned to trying to force his way into the Kiwis for the end-of-year World Cup.
He had his hands full trying to keep his place in the Warriors with competition from the likes of Michael Crockett and Malo Solomona.
Crockett and Solomona both scored for the Auckland Vulcans last weekend in a 23-22 win over the Newtown Jets in the New South Wales Premier League.
"I'm just trying to play well and cement my spot," Ah Van said.
"I'm not looking that far at the moment. I'm just concentrating on my game from week to week."
- NZPA