KEY POINTS:
Seasoned second rower Wairangi Koopu is comfortable about playing out of position again this weekend as the New Zealand Warriors chase home advantage in the National Rugby League playoffs.
A season-ending shoulder injury to Jerome Ropati means coach Ivan Cleary has slotted Koopu in at centre for the
second week in the row.
The Warriors are away to Penrith on Saturday night in the last round of the regular season, and victory will mean they will be back at Mt Smart Stadium in the first week of the finals.
Koopu has had the odd game in the centres as an injury replacement, but he hasn't played there on a regular basis since his junior days with Waikato club Taniwharau.
"It's a lot different," he said.
"You don't do as much tackling, but don't get me wrong - the works rate is very tough. You have to cover more and you have lot of different decisions to make.
"It's another challenge for me and I'm happy Ivan has the confidence in me to perform out there."
Koopu had less notice when he was handed the challenge last Sunday.
He was called into service off the bench to replace Ropati after just 10 minutes of the 36-14 win over Manly.
In what was his 150th first-grade appearance, he demonstrated his attacking abilities by scoring two tries, the second a long-range effort when he fended off two defenders.
Parramatta's shock defeat to St George Illawarra on Monday night meant the Warriors' hopes of finishing in the top four rest in their own hands.
"We've spoken about it and we know we've got a great shot at a home semifinal," Koopu said.
"That was one of our major goals at the beginning of the year - not only making the eight, but being a quality side and having a semifinal back here."
The Warriors' huge turnaround in fortunes after their six-match losing streak in May and June has resulted in big crowds at their last two home matches.
The club are looking at bumping up Mt Smart's capacity from 26,500 to 29,000 if the Warriors are back on their own turf next week.
Koopu said home advantage in the playoffs was "pretty huge".
"If we can bring a game here, we know the stadium will be packed and that just gives us a little more adrenaline and that extra fire," he said.
"At the same time, if it doesn't happen, I know how dedicated the boys are to push further into the campaign."
Along with fellow second rower Logan Swann, Koopu is one of two survivors from the Warriors' first playoff match, and he scored one of his side's three tries in the 56-12 defeat at Parramatta in 2001.
The pair were also part of the Warriors' two other post-season campaigns, in 2002 and 2003.
Koopu, 27, said his advice to his team-mates yet to experience finals football was to brace themselves for a lift in intensity.
"Playing in September is huge, completely different from playing in August," he said.
"It just goes up a couple of notches. It's almost twice as fast and twice as loud with the fans.
"It's a great time to play as a footballer. As a kid growing up, they're the games you always wanted to be in."
- NZPA
