Graham Lowe: The kid's got true class

Kevin Locke. Photo / Brett Phibbs

They say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and I'm sure Warriors coach Ivan Cleary would agree after last Sunday's gutsy win over the Tigers.

In awful conditions you don't find beauty too often and usually both wins and losses are ugly.

Coach Tim Sheens and his Tigers went home with an ugly loss.

Winning ugly gets two NRL points, but more than that, it restores what may have been a missing link in the Warriors' recent make-up: character.

The win was full of character and it unveiled a new genuine star.

And again I refer to "beauty in the eye of the beholder".

I have seen - and at times coached - some real class players over many years, but occasionally a few young Kiwi kids have taken my breath away.

Stacey Jones and Lance Hohaia are examples of what I mean. As young kids they showed class.

There have been others, such as Gene Ngamu and Ali Lauitiiti, but really only Stacey has reached the heights of the all-time greats.

But on Sunday, another joined my "in the eye of the beholder" list.

I've said a bit about Kevin Locke before and against the Tigers in his first NRL game he backed up my belief that he is going to be a great player.

I was concerned about him playing on the wing because it's not his natural position, but players with genuine class can play anywhere (I'd be grooming him to take over as halfback when Stacey calls it a day).

Cleary has unearthed a champion. Some may scoff at this because he is still untested and young.

But Locke is the best young player I've seen at the Warriors since Ali Lauitiiti first broke into the team.

Mark Graham - rated as the best ever Kiwi - described Lauitiiti as the Michael Jordan of league.

It was a perfect description. I'd call Kevin Locke the Warriors' version of Billy Slater. Agreed: Locke has a lot to do to become a star like Slater. But he already has the main ingredients: speed, skill, courage and, most of all, that rarity of class.

He's too nice a kid to get big-headed. I'm sure all his mates will keep his feet planted on the ground.

Another bloke who will have noted Locke's performance with glee will be Stephen Kearney. Locke brings so many options to the table for the Kiwis coach and he is ready now.

Although the Warriors forwards dominated the Tigers pack and tackled them out of the game, it was Locke, Manu Vatuvei on the other wing and fullback Wade McKinnon who nailed the victory.

And maybe young Kevin is just the tonic McKinnon was looking for because he was back to his best.

One swallow does not make a summer, but Cleary needed a sign and he got it. It was a sign of improvement.

Sometimes coaching is the most frustrating job, but now and then you are rewarded for your faith in your players. It is a belief in the talent that others can't see.

It is in the eye of the beholder and Cleary wouldn't have cared two hoots if it was the most unattractive game of the season - it was a beautiful two points.

Intensity will be a key factor against the Sharks on Sunday.

I can't recall any team ever being under as much pressure as Cronulla are right now. Their coach Ricky Stuart will not be a nice bloke to be around at present.

Their problems, however, could work for them on the field, so they will be extremely dangerous.

The only way for them to quiet much of their criticism is on the field. Their deeds there must do the talking.

But if the Warriors take the right attitude to Cronulla I'm convinced it is them who will put two wins in a row together.

Locke's star shines early

Class, how do you pick it and what does it look like?

When we talk about the great players, we say they've "got it".

You can see it at any age if you look carefully and believe it or not I've seen some of it in the under-6 age-group footy I'm watching quite a bit of now.

Some kids even at that age have an instinct that sets them apart from others. Circumstances change and few get through to the top. But the ones getting there have had to overcome in many cases something that should have actually helped them.

Over-coaching is the biggest killer of young talent in the game. Too often kids with natural talent quit because they don't suit the robotic game that is an easy way of coaching nowadays.

It is obvious to me that Kevin Locke has been blessed with coaches of encouragement because he has definitely not been roboticised.

I don't know who Locke's coaches have been through the grades but I do know his Warriors Under-20 coach Tony Iro.

Iro understands that not all players respond in the same way.

He should take great pride in watching Locke grow into one of our best because he's played a part in it. And yes, Locke has "got it".