KEY POINTS:
There are certain ways to make quick friends with Warriors' fans, scoring with your first touch from about 20m out is one of them.
Not only did Wade McKinnon wow the Mt Smart faithful from the get-go, but he backed it up with one of
the most sparkling debuts seen.
The gifted fullback, under pressure to deliver because the side has lost Brent Webb, a genuine playmaker, made scything breaks from broken play, confirming the Warriors will be a threat from long-distance with him at the back.
"It was great fun," said McKinnon. "I got a bit of a ribbing from some of the boys but I expected that and it was just a great night for the club."
McKinnon was aware of the club's poor first-round record and said it was important to turn that around.
Skipper Steve Price was delighted with the response of McKinnon to any pressure he was under against his old club.
"The great thing I like about Wade is he concentrates on himself," Price said. "He was in a pretty tough situation, coming in to replace Brent, but tonight he showed what he can do. People should be pretty excited about what he can do."
And Ivan Cleary, with an intimate understanding of the position, was similarly pleased.
"He did everything right," said Cleary. "He made some pretty telling breaks and I was pleased with how he controlled our defensive line."
Another debutant to impress was Michael Crockett, who scored a brace of tries.
Said Price of the club's relatively low-profile new signing: "He's very quick, we got him as a try scorer and he wasn't only scoring them, he was stopping them."
While the playmakers laid on some brilliant first-half tries, Cleary was most satisfied with the nil-scoreline at the break.
"I liked the way we defended at times," said Cleary. "Defensively I was most happy."
One in the Warriors camp who wasn't so happy in the jubilant changing shed was Louis Anderson, who Cleary said wasn't exactly doing laps of the gym. The second-rower appeared to seriously injure his ankle late in the contest.
While he should be out for next week, the Warriors welcome back stand-off Jerome Ropati from injury.
