KEY POINTS:
Aidan Kirk was under the tutelage of Warriors coach Ivan Cleary at the Roosters before the pair teamed up in Auckland.
There is no one who knows better than Cleary as to whether Kirk, who turns 22 on Sunday, has the goods to make it in the NRL when he steps out as Wade McKinnon's replacement at fullback to make his debut against the Storm in Melbourne on Monday.
Cleary yesterday named Kirk ahead of the other two who trialled in the No 1 jersey in pre-season, Patrick Ah Van who gets the left wing and Lance Hohaia who is a bench utility.
At 1.81m and 90kg Kirk is similar in frame to McKinnon, 1.83m and 91kg, and appears as fast in training. What he doesn't have is McKinnon's 99 NRL games, nor his understanding of when to come in to take the off-loads from the Warriors forwards or halves Grant Rovelli and Michael Witt.
Kirk was a feature in the Auckland Lions last year until a knee injury curtailed his season and he returns after surgery.
"He's had time as back-up, he's had a good off-season," Cleary said, "he's ready."
There were other options available but Cleary wanted to concentrate on game one and Kirk had the chance to cement the spot.
Simon Mannering shifts to his preferred spot in the second row and newcomer Brent Tate is right centre, forming a potentially devastating speed-and-power partnership with Manu Vatuvei.
The rest of the starting side is as per most of 2007, bar Ruben Wiki coming from the bench. That adjustment follows Mannering's move in and fits Cleary's desire to keep senior leadership on the field at all times, Wiki allowing for captain Steve Price to be interchanged.
It is Rovelli and Witt's second year together and they can be expected to be more involved and more dominant, confidence coming with consistency of performance and consistent selection.
On the bench, Cleary has gone for three forwards and Hohaia as utility. He has some luxury in the latter's ability to play at hooker, halfback, five-eighth, centre or wing. "Lance covers more positions than probably anyone else in the NRL does," Cleary said yesterday. "He gives us a lot of options."
Cleary is pleased with the balance of the squad generally and feels they will handle the shift from 12 to 10 interchanges without undue problems.
"Our squad is very flexible and I think that's very important," he said. The Storm named Russell Aitken, 22, who has just eight NRL appearances since his debut in 2003, as replacement for star five-eighth Greg Inglis who has a shoulder problem. Kiwis prop Jeff Lima starts and another former Kiwi in Adam Blair rejoins the Storm bench.
Elsewhere, Parramatta's halfback Tim Smith will play for Wentworthville as he returns from shoulder injury while Jarryd Hayne has been dropped after the early morning shooting in Kings Cross. Souths recruit Craig Wing starts at halfback.
At the Dragons, coach Nathan Brown is off-contract after this season and CEO Peter Doust has drawn up a list of possible replacements, including Wayne Bennett, former Kiwis and Warriors coach, Daniel Anderson, who is leaving St Helens at the end of the year, and Graham Murray, said to be facing the sack from the Cowboys.
* SQUADS
WARRIORS
Aidan Kirk, Patrick Ah Van, Brent Tate, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Michael Witt, Grant Rovelli, Sam Rapira, Nathan Fien, Steve Price (c), Simon Mannering, Logan Swann, Micheal Luck. Interchange: Lance Hohaia, Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki, Ruben Wiki.
STORM
Billy Slater, Steve Turner, Will Chambers, Israel Folau, Anthony Quinn, Russell Aitken, Cooper Cronk, Jeff Lima, Cameron Smith (c), Brett White, Jeremy Smith, Ryan Hoffman, Dallas Johnson. Interchange: Matt Geyer, Adam Blair, Sika Manu, Sam Tagatese
