As we wait for injured troops to get back into selection equation for Aotearoa Warriors ahead of Finals footy, the only real conundrum for coach Stephen Kearney is what to do at centre. Or more to the point; what to do with Peta Hiku. Since the Warriors signed Gerard Beale and Hiku, this was always a confusing wee puzzle that appeared a lot more simple prior to this season than it does now.

The development of Ken Maumalo is the major spanner in the works here. Laying my gaze over the Warriors roster last summer, I came to the conclusion that we could see a completely new left edge with Maumalo and Solomone Kata in dangerous territory. Hiku and Beale are able to comfortably switch between centre and wing, so I didn't know who was going to play where, it just felt as though Hiku and Beale would come in to replace Kata and Maumalo.

Maumalo however, had other ideas and is the most improved Warrior from last season to this season. The improvement and development of Maumalo is a credit to Kearney and his coaching staff, and Maumalo, as all parties involved flipped Maumalo from a sketchy high ball catcher and run-it-straight Manu Vatuvei clone, into a solid all-round winger. Maumalo guzzles all sorts of kicks and not only does he make big metres, his left foot step at the defensive line routinely leads to a quick play-the-ball.

Right now, in late July, Maumalo is as much a certain selection as Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and David Fusitu'a. That only clutters the Hiku/Beale situation as those two are now in a battle with Kata for two centre spots. If the Warriors are healthy in their outside back department, the competition to start at centre is immense and needs to be sussed out in the coming weeks.

Leaving Hiku out, is the easy option, perhaps the lazy option. Hiku has proven himself to be a bit of a defensive liability and is one of three Warriors who averages over 3 missed tackles/game. The other two are Mason Lino and Shaun Johnson, both of whom have spent most of this season defending on the right edge, alongside Hiku. Hiku's defence isn't flash, yet it's more a case of the compounding crappy defence when Hiku is defending alongside a fellow missed-tackler in Johnson, or even worse, Lino.

Beale on the other hand averages 1.4mt/game and Kata 1.2mt/game - Beale hasn't played centre consistently though. There is more nuance to this and specifically in the defence conversation as Hiku's missed tackles weren't terrible when defending outside Tohu Harris, plus Hiku has consistently missed tackles all season (leads Warriors for missed tackles total with 55), yet the Warriors still have a winning record.

The Warriors are also the 8th best defensive team, so it's difficult to draw a direct correlation between Hiku's defence and the Warriors woes. Their defensive record is heavily impacted by big losses and while Hiku has missed tackles in those games, the entire Warriors team are at fault for being smoked; Hiku wasn't the reason the Warriors concede 30+ points and can't do anything in attack.

Here's a comparison of Hiku, Kata and Beale in other stats

Offloads/Game

Hiku: 1.6.
Kata: 0.3.
Beale 0.4.

Metres/Game

Hiku: 115.
Kata: 100
Beale: 74.

Tackle Busts/Game

Hiku: 2.2.
Kata: 2.4.
Beale: 1.9.

Errors + Penalties Conceded/Game

Hiku: 0.5, 0.4.
Kata: 0.6, 0.7.
Beale: 0.6, 0.6.

As you can see, Hiku ticks other boxes and there his abilities with the footy offer some type of consolidation for his defence. They are all different types of centres as well with Hiku oozing skill along with great footwork, Kata is the dynamic pocket-rocket and Beale showed last weekend vs Melbourne Storm that he's most effective in a 1vs1 situation with low key speed and footwork.

My preference is for Beale or Hiku to start in the centres as I think they offer more than Kata in terms of all-round footy ability. This suits the style of the Warriors, especially at centre as they need to be able to either give early footy to Maumalo and Fusitu'a, or set up their wingers with an offload or late pass.

Kata lacks that play-making ability, although he is a handful with his defender isolated, defending by himself against Kata. If Kata is running down-hill, with momentum from a quick play-the-ball, he's almost impossible to stop unless you have numbers in the tackle. I just prefer the skill and both Hiku and Beale have that skill, without losing too much (if anything in Hiku's case) of the running ability.

My gut however is telling me that Kearney will keep Kata at centre and have either Beale or Hiku on the bench. Hiku is the best for that role and would offer a splash of impact coming on in a free roaming role, while also offering cover for any outside back injuries. As we reach the climax of the season, versatility is important with the concussion protocol and having someone on the bench who can slot into any backline position at this time of the season is a huge asset.

Three middle forwards and a utility is a handy bench; Tevaga, Afoa, Mannering/Pulu and Hiku.
Honestly though, I have no idea what's going to happen here. Other than feeling like Hiku is too good to leave out of the 17 as well as Beale and Kata, I'm eager to see what direction Kearney goes with this. As I've said all season; the Warriors are well equipped in deal with any injuries or suspension and that's hugely beneficial late in the season. At the very least, there are options.

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Peace and love 27.