NRL: Sensational Locke great face for game

Kevin Locke dazzled on his NRL debut last week. Photo / Getty Images

Northcote sensation Kevin Locke is not just a brilliant prospect in league, he is also a great face for the game when more senior players in the NRL have been regularly bringing it into disrepute.

Locke has a smiling face and a quick reply to questions about where he wants to go in league that exudes confidence.

Not too many players score two tries on debut.

But his starting effort against the Wests Tigers last weekend did not surprise those who have been watching the kid develop over the past three seasons. He is a quick learner and soaks up advice and experience from the older boys around him like a sponge.

The club's director of football John Hart knew he had the right bloke when thanks returned to the club from a couple of schools that the 20-year-old and a couple of under-20s teammates had visited in response to invitations to talk to the kids.

They did that on their day off from the Warriors. It's the sort of good community work that is helping to gain the club a name as a responsible and supportive community member.

Locke said this week he was more nervous of playing the Sharks tomorrow than he was when he ran out last weekend. He felt more pressure this time.

"It was a lucky game for me," he said of the tries he notched to start the scoring at 31 minutes and to end it just before the hooter.

"Now I have to back that up."

And straight away he comments that he can't afford to get ahead of himself, advice that has been delivered by the coach Ivan Cleary and others.

Locke's progress in league is something of a fluke since he comes from a family with a big background in rugby.

His father, brother and sister all play the 15-a-side game.

He used to hang around with cousin Takina Glassie and when he was just 4 his aunty suggested he try league, bought him some boots and took him down to the local Northcote club.

He hasn't looked back.

He was pencilled in as a potential star some time ago. The only reason he hasn't made his NRL debut earlier was his size - the club didn't want him hammered out of it.

Locke found the speed and physicality of the NRL a big step up from under-20s but said he handled it well and felt no concerns afterwards. "I loved it."

The main difference was in reading the defensive plays, he said, and having taken lots of advice from left wing Manu Vatuvei and then having Jerome Ropati inside him for some of the game as he switched between left and right sides gave him confidence. "It was quite special to play next to Jerome."

It was Ropati who delivered the final pass for both tries, Locke running lines to take the pass but still with work to do to finish.

He loves running with the ball, looking for opportunities on attack, for himself or in support play.

He expects Cleary to move him around again this weekend and is happy with that.

The coach confirmed that the manoeuvring planned last week against the Tigers partially to use Vatuvei against the bulk of Tuiaki on defence now "gives us another option".

Locke is sure to be targeted by the Sharks and accepts that will happen for two reasons: his inexperience and "I'm one of the smallest blokes on the field - I'm up for it."

KEVIN LOCKE

* Born April 4, 1989, Auckland
* Educated Northcote College.
* 175cm 79kg fullback.
* Junior club Northcote.
* Third year in the Warriors' development programme with the Auckland Lions in NSW premier league then Warriors U-20s.
* Junior Kiwis 2006, New Zealand Maori v All Golds 2008.
* Toyota Cup under-20s second-highest points scorer in 2008, 236 points from 15 tries and 88 goals at a success rate of 80 per cent. 2009 - 6 games for 3 tries and 11 goals, 34 points.
* NRL debut v Wests Tigers, 2 tries and 1 goal for 10pts.