‘Old’ Luke keen to go the distance

Issac Luke is determined to become a regular 80-minute man for the Warriors as the veteran hooker looks to continue his form revival.

Last year’s World Cup snub from the Kiwis has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Luke, who is the fittest he has been since moving to Mt Smart in 2016.

He has benefited from a full preseason under renowned trainer Alex Corvo and the results have been clear to see, with Luke rediscovering his spark around the ruck and running for over 100m in both of the Warriors’ opening victories.

Luke proved he could go the distance last week against the Titans after Isaiah Papali’i’s knee injury forced back-up hooker Sam Cook to be used in another role.

Cook has been replaced on the bench for this weekend’s game in Canberra by Jazz Tevaga, who can play at lock as well as dummy-half.

But Luke knows when it comes to game time, nothing is guaranteed.

‘‘I want to get back to playing 80 minutes but I’ve got to earn that,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s something we’ve been working on. I’m getting old but I want to be able to push that out and have the one (dummy-half) option. In saying that, I’ll do what’s best for the team and if I have to have a break then that’s cool.

‘‘The type of game that I play is for fast people so I’ve got to try and stay fit and stay fast.’’

As well as his conditioning, Luke credits his return to form to the depth the Warriors have at hooker.

The 30-year-old was pushed throughout the pre-season by Cook, Tevaga, Manaia Cherrington and Nathaniel Roache, before the latter was ruled out for the season.

Luke has also relished capitalising on the momentum generated by the team’s second phase play, something he did not see much of last year.

‘‘It did feel a bit different that the team wasn’t throwing the ball around but we’ve managed to get back to that freestyle play,’’ Luke said. ‘‘We have a structure in place but we don’t want the boys to have limits, we want them to be be able to pass the ball.’’

The Raiders forward pack is one of the biggest in the NRL and offloads could be key for the Warriors as they look to wear down the likes of Shannon Boyd, Josh Papali’i and Junior Paulo.

With coach Stephen Kearney calling for the team to be more direct following the Titans game, prop Adam Blair says they have to find the right balance.

But Blair feels the game in general is becoming more expansive, regardless of the opposition.

‘‘It just comes with opportunities, using our big boys in better positions than other people and finding space to be able to get those offloads,’’ the Kiwis captain said.

‘‘Moving teams around, that’s what the game has turned out to be like now, making those big boys make decisions and that goes with every team you’re up against.’’

With Papali’i out and Simon Mannering still recovering from a shoulder injury, the Warriors’ forwards depth will be tested against a Raiders side desperate for their first win.