NRL: Search for No 9 still ongoing

Siliva Havili has resigned with the Warriors. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Promising youngster Siliva Havili has re-signed with the Warriors - but the Auckland club will continue their search for another hooker.

Havili has yet to play a full first-grade game but his potential was illustrated in last week's Anzac test, when he didn't look out of place against the star-studded Kangaroos.

Havili's contract was up at the end of this season but the club moved quickly to sign him to a new two-year deal.

Despite his extension, the Warriors still have decisions to make regarding the No9 position in 2015 and beyond. Havili is a good prospect but might not be ready for the rigours of weekly starts next season. The mental side of his game also needs to develop, as he makes the adjustment from being a stand-out at Holden Cup level to the demands of the NRL.

The Warriors continue to search the market, with Issac Luke their top priority. The Kiwi hooker would be a massive coup, but, assuming Luke decides he wants to come home, it's all dependant on the Rabbitohs being willing to release him from the last year of his contract. Another scenario could see Luke come to Auckland in 2016.

Other players currently off contract at the end of the season include Michael Ennis (Bulldogs), Isaac De Gois (Sharks) Matt Srama (Gold Coast) and Matt Hilder (Knights).

Ennis, who has represented the NSW Origin side on seven occasions, offers great distribution and mongrel but he is Bulldogs co-captain and a burgeoning media profile in Sydney, so it's hard to see him being persuaded to cross the Tasman.

Meanwhile, Nathan Friend waits to see if the club will offer him a further year's contract. The popular Australian sold his house and is currently living in rented accommodation.

It will be a difficult decision for the club, as Friend has been the ultimate professional since joining in 2012. It's hard to recall a bad game among his 47 appearances but he will turn 34 before the start of next season.

There is also a thought that Friend could be offered a future off-field role at the club.