KEY POINTS:
Nathan Fien, one of the stars of the Kiwis' World Cup triumph, is hoping he can nail down a spot in the halves during the upcoming National Rugby League campaign.
The New Zealand Warrior has spent much of the past two seasons at hooker, before being moved to
five-eighth and then halfback midway through last year.
He was also selected initially at hooker for the World Cup but assumed the No 7 jersey midway through the tournament, winning two successive man-of-the-match awards on the road to the final.
Fien's preference at club level is to operate in the halves but he faces plenty of competition from the likes of Stacey Jones, Michael Witt, Lance Hohaia and new signings Joel Moon and Liam Foram.
He said today that coach Ivan Cleary had given him no guarantees about where he would be playing.
"At this stage, Ivan can't really promise positions which is fair enough," he said.
"I could be playing five-eighth. Obviously over the last few years I've been playing hooker, as well.
"I'm just looking forward to being a senior member in the team and trying to perform consistently week in, week out."
Fien said the return of Jones after a one-year retirement had given the club a boost.
Jones, 32, played 238 games over 11 seasons for the Warriors before moving to the British Super League and French club Les Catalans.
"He's got so much experience, not just at NRL level, but he's played overseas and for New Zealand," Fien said.
"It's great to have someone around the club like that for the young boys."
After allowing Fien to consider his options last year, the Warriors said last week that he would not after all be released from the final year of his contract.
The reasons included the departure of halfback Grant Rovelli on an early release and Fien's huge lift in form over the latter part of 2008.
Fien, who has a young family, said he was happy to be staying put for the coming year.
"There are big things happening at the Warriors," he said.
"The last few seasons, we've been building and building and we've got young guys that are coming in. It's a really exciting time to be part of the club."
The former Queensland State of Origin player said the "best-case scenario" for him would be to remain with the Warriors beyond 2009, "but things can change in football".
"At least I know what's happening this year and we can concentrate on what I can do for the team and just get on with it."
For Fien, the World Cup final victory over Australia in Brisbane in November hadn't lost its magical glow.
"It's pretty amazing," he said.
"Even now, when I think about it, I still get goose bumps and the bubbly tummy."
But it was also time to put those memories to the back of his mind and concentrate on the job at hand.
"You can think about those sorts of things at the end your career," he said.
"I'm focussing on what my job is at the Warriors and just trying to play consistent football. Hopefully that's good enough to be in the halves somewhere."
- NZPA
