NRL: Mr Fixit on cards for centre

Lance Hohaia. Photo / Getty Images

Lance Hohaia is the Warriors' Mr Fixit and he could be the answer to the question of who replaces Brent Tate at centre. It would be a shame, though, if that eventuated.

Sadly, Sonny Fai, who is being honoured during today's match against the Rabbitohs, was just the type of player the Warriors would have called on in Tate's absence because he could play centre and in the second row.

Instead, Patrick Ah Van is taking over from Tate, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against the Broncos last weekend. Joel Moon, Simon Mannering and Aidan Kirk remain other options, as well as Hohaia.

"Absolutely he's an option," Warriors coach Ivan Cleary says. "That's the great thing about Lance, because he can play just about anywhere on the field. He's probably the fittest guy in the club. He could easily be a starter, but firstly he has to get back on the field."

Hohaia is still out with a knee injury but could be back as soon as next weekend's trip to Newcastle.

He has played 11 games at centre - four in 2006 and seven in 2007 - for a return of three tries and last year showed he can adapt to a new role when he filled in admirably at fullback for the injured Wade McKinnon.

Playing centre, though, is not something he covets.

"I think I am probably best suited in this style of game coming off the bench, playing hooker at some stage," says Hohaia, who is in negotiations to prolong his Warriors contract which expires at the end of this season. "If Ivan wants me playing 80 minutes and at centre, I'm happy to do that. I would just have to change my mindset about what position I am playing, like I did last year.

"Probably out of all the positions, I like centre the least. Fullback, hooker, halves - they are positions pretty central to the team and pretty important because you handle the ball a lot.

"At centre, you're often waiting for opportunities whereas I like doing it the other way round. I like creating things for other people. Hopefully the players selected fit in there nicely and I can keep doing what I do. But if I was offered it, I wouldn't turn it down."

Hohaia is arguably the best small interchange player in the NRL. Not only can he cover a number of positions but he is also adept at taking advantage of tiring defences, just as he did against the Eels in the first game of the season.

He has great acceleration, his short stature can make him difficult to tackle and he is dangerous around the ruck area.

In just 18 minutes of action against Parramatta, the 26-year-old nabbed two tries, made two line breaks and produced one offload.

The quickening of the game under the two referees was tailor-made for Hohaia and he knows it.

"I definitely noticed in the limited amount of time I spent on the field that the ruck area is a lot faster," he says.

"There are a lot more opportunities to run the ball and create things around the ruck because there's a bit of commotion there and tacklers have to get off so quickly."

Hohaia, then, deserves his spot in the 17 and is best suited to coming off the bench.

That means Cleary will be forced to make a tough decision on who to leave out when Hohaia returns. Five little guys - Hohaia, Nathan Fien, Stacey Jones, Ian Henderson and Moon - don't fit into four positions.

"I hope I get to make that decision, but given the number of injuries we're being hit with ..."

Cleary has indicated Moon is his preferred choice at five-eighths and the former Bronco has made a reasonably good fist of it.

He was particularly impressive against the Eels, scoring a try and setting up another, and he has proved himself a dangerous offloader with nine in three games.

The 20-year-old, who played mostly at centre for the Broncos, is also a stout defender in the middle of the ruck.

It's hard, then to see him dropped, although he is a chance of shifting to the centres if other options don't work out.

"I'm pretty happy with how he's going," Cleary says. "The early signs have been good. It would be a shame to move him [to centre] but that's the nature of the game. When you get injuries, your apple cart is upset and you have to come up with ways to patch things up."

Henderson is a livewire at hooker. He's tough, unpredictable and defences find it hard to reel him in. His ball distribution is also tidy, so it's hard to see him falling out of the side.

That, therefore, leaves Fien and Jones fighting it out for the halfback's job.

Fien started there in the first three rounds but has shifted back to the bench in favour of Jones for today's match.

The Little General turned back the clock in his matchwinning display against the Sea Eagles and it's hoped that by starting he will be able to have more of an influence on the match.

Fien is a traditionally slow starter but was excellent towards the end of last season for both the Warriors and Kiwis.

He has missed 11 tackles so far this season - ninth equal in the NRL and the most of any Warrior - and his kicking game against the Broncos was indifferent, perhaps making him the most obvious candidate to miss out. It would be a harsh call, but Cleary can't play them all.

"I just try to manage it by picking the best side for each game," Cleary says. "The little guys are all a little bit different - Stacey, Lance, Fieny, Hendo, even Aaron Heremaia.

"We have guys who are all different and it's a great thing to have because the mix we go with might be down to how we are travelling at the time and who we are playing. It gives us different options.

"You never know with injuries and form but I feel like we have things covered this year."