NRL: Chirpy Hohaia bounces back after tearful loss

Lance Hohaia farewelled the Warriors in the NRL grand final match against Manly on Sunday. He will continue his career with St Helens on a four-year deal. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Lance Hohaia cried at the final whistle on Sunday evening.

He wasn't alone on that score. After coming so close to pulling off one of the NRL's great fairytales, plenty of Warriors found the grand final defeat to Manly hard to take.

But while many of those distressed Warriors sat dejected in the cubicles of their dressing shed long after the final whistle, Hohaia bounced back pretty quickly.

He fielded all questions from reporters - including the horribly inane "out of the two grand finals bro which one was the most epic, cuzz" - from some fool whom life had strangely granted a microphone and TV camera - and even managed a smile or two.

It was Hohaia's career in microcosm - rise, fall, bounce-back. It's how he played, and how he dealt with the slings and arrows of a 10-year career at a club that knew more heartache that it did triumph over that span.

"I shed a few tears after the game when I saw my parents and my fiancee, just reflecting on my time at the club," he said.

"It is going to be one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do, to leave this club. In saying that, I'm pretty happy with the time that I've had. All the friends I've made and all the experiences I've had have been great, so I'm really thankful for that.

"I would like to have finished with a premiership title but everything happens for a reason. I am very proud of this team and this club and where it has come from."

Having joined the club as a "fresh-faced teenager", Hohaia was at peace with his decision to join St Helens on a four-year deal.

That move will give him financial security and the chance to play his favoured halfback position after bouncing around just about every position in the Warriors backline over the past decade.

He also leaves the club in good shape, with plenty of talent coming through to fill the gaps he has so often plugged in what could only be described as a truly selfless Warriors career.

"I definitely think the young kids coming through have the talent to keep getting in the finals and pushing for grand final appearances. Shaun Johnson, Kevin Locke and Elijah Taylor - those boys are great talents. Not much scares these young boys these days. I'm sure you'll see them back there."

It will be interesting to see how Hohaia's career is ultimately judged. Some will never get over the fact that he didn't quite emerge from Stacey Jones' shadow to become the club's primary playmaker. That's a shame. Yes, he made a mistake or two but the positive almost always outweighed the negative. And it's unlikely the club will ever produce another player with the versatility to play so many positions at such a high level.

He will be missed, certainly.

Asked what went wrong, he quipped: "The refs mainly - nah, I can't say that.

"I mean we had some tough calls but we weren't playing our best football. There was a lack of opportunities down their end. They were winning the cycle. We had a lot of possession in our own half and just weren't able to turn it into points."

That about summed it up. A decade after he marked the start of his Warriors career with a grand final defeat, Hohaia goes out the same way.

The Warriors weren't quite good enough. When the day comes that they are the only team left standing in October, expect Hohaia to be leading the cheering. "I'll be a Warriors supporter for life, that's for sure."