‘Mini-Beast’ steps up for Warriors

He may be known as the ‘miniBeast’ but Warriors winger Ken Maumalo has gone a long way to stepping out from Manu Vatuvei’s shadow this season.

It is never easy being compared to a club legend like Vatuvei, particularly for a young player trying to establish themselves in the NRL.

At 105kg and 1.91m tall, there was always hope Maumalo would would develop into a weapon on the left flank. But after making his debut in 2015, it has perhaps taken longer than many expected.

There were signs last year that Maumalo was on the up as he cemented his place in the team with 23 appearances.

But 2018 has seen him go to a new level. He hasn’t found the tryline as often as David Fusitu’a on the other side of the field, but his charges out of the backfield have been equally important.

The softly spoken 24-year-old has found a mean streak with the ball, regularly leaving defenders on their backs while averaging more than 150 meters per game.

He’s also cut down the errors while his defensive combination with Solomone Kata has taken a giant leap forward.

It’s a credit to his perserverance on the training field and Maumalo knows he is not the finished product.

He is still developing his aerial game and, and given his height, he could become a regular target for the Warriors’ kickers.

But after taking time to find his feet in first grade, Maumalo is now fully confident in his role within the team as the Warriors hunt down a finals berth.

‘‘It’s been a long process. I’m still working on my game but I feel like I’ve improved a lot,’’ Maumalo said. ‘‘I’ve always put a big emphasis on my work-rate and I feel like this year has been up there. Just my willingness to work through the middle, I don’t really get much ball on the edge but I come looking for it.’’

Maumalo’s carries out of trouble cannot be underestimated, and it’s not just him.

The Warriors back five combined for almost 50 per cent of the team’s running metres in last week’s win over the Dragons.

With the battle of the ruck so crucial in determining the result of games, the Warriors rely heavily on Maumalo and co to get them on the front foot.

‘‘People don’t realise it but when it comes down to those grinding games you really need a hard carry from the backfield, otherwise you’re stuck down in your half for the rest of the set,’’ Maumalo said. ‘‘If we don’t start the sets off well the forwards can’t roll off the back of it.’’

What: When, where:

Knights:

The NRL serves up reminders on a weekly basis that no team in the competition can be under-estimated.

month of the regular season.

With three of the final four games at Mt Smart Stadium, and just one opponent inside the top eight, the Auckland club has one of the more favourable runs home.

Following tonight’s clash against the 11th-placed Knights, the Warriors are away to the Bulldogs (13th) before finishing with consecutive home games against the Panthers (fifth) and Raiders (10th).

Currently in eighth place on 26 points – four points above the Wests Tigers – two more wins will probably be enough to break their seven-year finals drought, while three will lock them into the top eight.

But the prospect of the Warriors making a run is not out of the question.

That may still not be enough to get them into the top four, unless they can give their points differential (currently on -14, the worst of the top eight) a significant bump.

There is plenty of incentive to finish in fifth or sixth place, which would guarantee a home playoff in the opening week.

The NRL serves up reminders on a weekly basis that no team in the competition can be underestimated, as the Warriors have discovered on a few occasions this year.

The Knights, Bulldogs and Raiders are more than capable of playing the spoiler role.

Depending on Saturday’s result against Manly, the Bulldogs could head into their game against the Warriors on a three-match winning streak.

However, with all three teams