Replacement centre knows team faces tough task against Dragons.
Warriors centre Jonathan Wright knows all eyes are on him as a surprise replacement for Konrad Hurrell for tomorrow's clash against the St George-Illawarra Dragons in Wellington.
Wright has played his previous 15 NRL games this season on the wing, but the 28-year-old is seen by coach Andrew McFadden as the most reliable man to replace the hot and cold Tongan international.
Wright has sympathy for Hurrell, but knows all about the roundabout nature of team selections and the importance of doing the job entrusted to him as the ninth-placed Warriors seek to halt a three-game losing streak.
"I've been in the same shoes before," said Wright. "Two weeks ago, I was dropped, too, and I was down and out.
"But it's just whatever is best for the team. We're all a part of a squad and we all work hard for each other, and the main goal is to win games and make the finals.
"So whoever plays in that jersey, as long as they're doing the job for the club that's the main thing.
"I look forward to the challenge of playing centre. It's a place I want to stay, if I can, and really build on this week."
Wright said his first season at the Warriors had already exceeded expectations but acknowledged the difficulties the side has had because of frequent changes disrupting the backline. Forming intuitive combinations with those around him has been hard with injuries, suspensions and form dictating selections week to week.
"We train together every week but it's when you go through moments in a game when you're under pressure and fatigued, making the right decisions with different combinations, it's quite hard," he said.
"The more game time you play, under fatigue and pressure, the better your combinations become so it's a work in progress.
"Coming over here to a new club [there's been] a lot of challenges and I've really thrived on the energy and culture here.
"[They're] a good bunch of blokes too and I want to make sure we finish the year strong."
Wet and windy conditions are forecast for the Westpac Stadium clash, and Wright says the Warriors will not try to overplay their hand against an experienced and well-balanced Dragons side.
"It brings it back to a simple game plan, running hard and tackling hard and making sure our talk and energy is good.
"The x-factor is the players they have, especially with [Josh] Dugan at the back and very strong running backs. So our kick-chase has to be really good and spot-on.
"And [Benji] Marshall but also [Gareth] Widdop, he's just a classy player. Coming from Melbourne Storm he adds that sort of composure and we've got a tough task on our hands."