Rugby league: Warriors' Chanel Harris-Tavita ready for responsibilities as NRL half

One of the Warriors' most promising youngsters, Chanel Harris-Tavita has been happy to learn as much as he can from the team's veterans.

But with the club moving on from Blake Green at the end of the season, the Harris-Tavita era could begin in 2021.

The 21-year-old impressed in his NRL debut early last year, and has been a consistent performer in his 17 appearances. The news broke last week that Green and centre Gerard Beale were not in the future plans of the club, with the 32-year-old off contract at the end of the season.

Harris-Tavita says he is ready for the responsibility.

"I'm confident that I can play halfback for the team," he told the Herald.

"I know I've got a very experienced veteran in front of me that played outstandingly last week – credit to him for carrying our team and getting us that win. I just have to learn as much as I can off him while he's here and that's only going to benefit my performance."

Chanel Harris-Tavita has held his own so far in his short NRL career. Photo / Photosport

Harris-Tavita is signed with the Warriors until the end of the 2022 season and said he was yet to have any discussions with the owners or the management group about the plans beyond this season.

While he's still a relatively new face in the NRL, Harris-Tavita says he is ready to become the face of one of the most scrutinised clubs in the competition.

"I believe that with experience comes maturity. The more games I play, the calmer and composed I'll be on the field and those are characteristics of a good halfback – you have to know exactly what your job is and you have to keep the team calm so everyone can do their job well."

There has been plenty of coverage of the Warriors off-field situations over the past few weeks, particularly with the news of Green and Beale's impending exits making headlines, but Harris-Tavita is trying to stay focused on the present, instead of the future.

"The more you stay away from social media, the easier it gets to avoid the distractions. I can sometimes get caught up in the news or social media and it messes with my thoughts before the game. The more I try and stay away from that and focus on what's important, that helps with my preparation.

"When I debuted in April last year, I knew that having Instagram and Facebook was going to affect my preparation. I just knew there would be a lot of people messaging me and congratulating me on the debut and I didn't want to take my focus away from the game. It worked for me those first few weeks, so I ended up staying off social media until just recently. Now I'm just looking to connect with some of my fans that have stayed loyal since I started playing."

Chanel Harris-Tavita will start in the halves for the Warriors against the Gold Coast Titans. Photo / Photosport

While he still has to wait for a fulltime role in the halves, Harris-Tavita will get another start on Friday night against the Gold Coast Titans, wearing the No 6 jersey alongside Green, with Kodi Nikorima ruled out due to concussion.

The Warriors go into the game buoyed by a win over the Brisbane Broncos, while captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and loose forward Jazz Tevaga also make their returns from suspension and injury respectively.

However, the team know their recent history in games after a win is not a pretty picture. The Warriors haven't won back-to-back games since May last year, and Harris-Tavita said it was something the team was focused on fixing this week against the 15th-placed Titans.

"I think this week's the perfect time to break that drought," he said.

"The Titans can pull your pants down when they're on fire, so we've got to be wary of that. I reckon if we take the confidence of last week's game and focus on how we can get better individually we should be able to put on a good performance."

Warriors' team to play the Titans:

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, David Fusitu'a, Patrick Herbert, Peta Hiku, Ken Maumalo, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Blake Green, Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, Wayde Egan, Adam Blair, Jack Murchie, Tohu Harris, Karl Lawton.

Interchange (from): Agnatius Paasi, Jack Hetherington, Isaiah Papali'i, Jazz Tevaga, Lachlan Burr, Gerard Beale, King Vuniyayawa, Adam Pompey.