Hingano eyes Foran’s jersey at Warriors
Ata Hingano is determined to take another step towards replacing Kieran Foran in the Warriors’ No 6 jersey next year when they pair up for the first time against the Rabbitohs.
Starting in place of the injured Foran last week, Hingano took his opportunity with both hands as he stood out with his running game despite the team suffering a sixth straight defeat.
While Foran is back for tonight’s clash in Sydney, it was enough for the 20-year-old to retain his place at the expense of Mason Lino with coach Stephen Kearney opting for his fifth starting halves combination of 2017.
The Warriors attack has struggled all season but Hingano was a breath of fresh air against the Raiders, constantly testing the big Canberra pack as he ran for 114m with two line breaks.
He admitted to struggling at times with his organisation but having such an experienced operator alongside him to ease the pressure, Hingano believes Foran will bring the best out of his game.
‘‘A few times last week, the game got a bit messy, I was a bit lost at times,’’ Hingano said. ‘‘Having Foran there, he’ll organise plays around me and allow me to play off the back of him and see opportunities that I can take again.’’
As well as Hingano played against Canberra, he and Lino failed to make the most of their attacking opportunities, particularly early in the second half after enjoying a mountain of possession on the Canberra line.
Foran should add more polish to their sets. But for his part, the Kiwi five-eighth urged his teammates to be more alert when the likes of Hingano or Roger Tuivasasheck breach the defence.
‘‘I’m really looking forward to playing alongside Ata,’’ Foran said. ‘‘He showed everyone last week what he’s capable of and hopefully he can do that again this week because ... he can break a game wide open.’’
With Foran headed to the Bulldogs at the end of the season, Hingano is the most likely candidate to take his place, having signed a three-year contract extension in June.
The former Junior Kiwi and Tongan international started the first three games of the season alongside Shaun Johnson and again filled in for Foran in the round 16 win over the Bulldogs.
However, his progression hit a setback last month when Lino was given the nod to replace Johnson after the star halfback hurt his knee. Hingano spent the next two games covering dummy half before dropping down to reserve grade. But the snub only gave him more motivation to improve.
Meanwhile, Jazz Tevaga has been called into the Warriors lineup after Nathaniel Roache went down with a leg injury at training on Wednesday.
Tevaga has been named at hooker in the provisional 21-man squad although veteran Issac Luke, who is currently on the bench, is a chance of taking the starting role against his former club.