Fears of a hooker injury headache at the Warriors have eased after new signing Wayde Egan confirmed he and Karl Lawton are both on track to be fit for the first round of NRL action.
A recent team injury update indicated Egan (shoulder) wouldn’t be fit enough for the Kiwi club’s trial games while Lawton (shoulder) was an early-season returnee and Nathaniel Roache (knee) wouldn’t be sighted until mid season.
The injury-prone Roache’s recovery from an ACL remains on the slow burn but Lawton is now targeting a return in the first trial against Melbourne in Palmertson North on February 22 while Egan should be ready to face the Wests Tigers a week later in Rotorua.
It sets up what Egan describes as a straight fight between the two Australians for the starting berth in round one against Newcastle.
“We’ve been swapping in and out of the starting team. I guess whoever’s playing the best footy around that trial team will probably get the nod,” Egan said.
“That’s fair enough. Whatever’s best for the team, needs to happen.”
Egan, 22, has been the Warriors’ sole off-season signing and is favoured to claim the No.1 hooker berth following the departure of veteran Issac Luke to the Dragons.
After four seasons in Penrith, the past two in first grade, Egan sought greener pastures last October when the Panthers snapped up Manly’s Api Koroisau as his first-choice rake for 2020.
The Warriors have signed former Newcastle coach Nathan Brown to work with the young Warriors hooker group over the off-season.
Utility Lawton has made just four starts at hooker during his two seasons in Auckland while Roache’s career has been hampered by injuries.