NRL: Heremaia makes breakthrough after years of toil

Aaron Heremaia will likely start as hooker. Photo / Sarah Ivey

A long and winding road through some of league's less glamorous locales has finally led Aaron Heremaia to the big time.

After a sparkling pre-season, Heremaia is poised to begin the 2010 NRL season as the Warriors' first choice hooker - quite a development for a 27-year-old halfback who has spent much of his career toiling in the New South Wales Premier League, or at a variety of industrial northern towns in England's national leagues.

With Ian Henderson sidelined until at least round four with a knee injury, Heremaia now appears odds-on to be named as the Warriors' starting hooker when coach Ivan Cleary reveals his first line-up of the season on Tuesday.

Lance Hohaia is Heremaia's only serious competitor for the starting berth against Gold Coast on Sunday.

But, with Hohaia spending much of the pre-season at fullback - and usually preferred as an impact player off the bench when he does fill the dummy half role - Heremaia will almost certainly run out at Skilled Park with the nine shirt on his back next Sunday.

"It's a bit of bad luck for Hendo but I've got to step up and take the opportunity," Heremaia said of the knee strain Henderson suffered in the opening trial against the Roosters in Rotorua. It's an opportunity that has been a while coming.

A Manurewa junior, Heremaia signed with the Warriors as an 18-year-old development player in 2001. But the then halfback didn't make the cut, instead heading to Sydney for stints with Wests and Norths in the second-tier Premier League.

A three-year spell in England, playing for Leigh, Widnes and Halifax followed.

Dimly lit with harsh concrete terracing and crumbling infrastructure, unglamorous is a generous description of a typical national league club's home turf. Gold Coast's shiny new $160 million, 27,400-seat amphitheatre is a step or six up from the venues Heremaia has graced for much of his career.

He may have fluffed his first chance at the Warriors but Heremaia's days in the wilderness now appear to be firmly behind him.

He returned to Auckland in 2008 to play for the Vulcans, with his form for the feeder club good enough to earn him a Warriors contract last season.

After half a season in the wings his long-awaited NRL debut finally came in the 14-0 round 12 victory over the Tigers.

After that he became a fixture in the side, playing 11 matches, scoring a try and earning a contract extension through to the end of 2011.

"The thing that I take out of last year was confidence from playing those 11 games," he said.

"Confidence is a big thing."

Last year he considered himself a half that could play hooker but Heremaia has now fully embraced his conversion. While switching from first or second receiver to dummy half came naturally enough, Heremaia has spent the off season building up the strength and fitness to cope with the increased defensive demands at hooker.

"I'm a nine now. There is no thinking I am going to play six or seven, it is just straight dummy half.

"I've worked hard with [high performance manager] Craig Walker in the off season to get a lot of mileage in my legs and it is paying off. I've definitely worked on the fitness side of things. It is a different ball game in the middle. It's about being smarter around the field because you can't hide."

Cleary was keeping his selection thoughts to himself following last Saturday's final trial draw with Manly but he had previously indicated Heremaia was on the right track.

"He is doing everything right so far," Cleary said.

"I think he is going to have a good year. At this stage he is certainly looking good for that spot."

But Heremaia isn't taking his newfound status for granted.

"Right across the park we have got a lot of competition for spots and if you are not on your game that bloke is going to step up and pinch your spot. So it has to be a goal to cement that spot, just go out each week and give the coaches no reason to drop you."

AARON HEREMAIA
Born: September 19, 1982, Perth
Height: 175cm
Weight: 88kg
Position: Hooker
Junior club: Manurewa
Senior clubs: Warriors, Wests Tigers, North Sydney Bears, Halifax, Widnes, Leigh, Auckland Vulcans