An injury to impressive Warriors rookie Glen Fisiiahi looks set to give veteran Lance Hohaia a reprieve for next weekend's NRL rugby league clash with Manly.
Hohaia was recalled to the bench as reserve hooker for Saturday night's 24-12 victory over the Sydney Roosters at Mt Smart Stadium after being dumped altogether a week earlier following the club's poor start to 2011.
Fullback Fisiiahi's high ankle sprain, picked up just before halftime in an awkward tackle from Roosters pair Daniel Conn and Justin Carney, is expected to keep the 20-year-old sidelined for up to a month.
That should mean Hohaia is reinstated in his preferred No.1 jersey as the Warriors hope to build on back-to-back wins when they travel to Brookvale Oval on Saturday night.
As the Warriors stepped up their intensity and put in some committed defensive work, Hohaia showed he had regained some of the spark missing earlier in the season as he scored one of his side's four tries.
Hohaia, 28, is into his 10th season with his only NRL club and admitted he was "pretty disappointed" at being dropped against Cronulla but conceded it was the kick up the backside he deserved.
