Warriors winger Tuimoala Lolohea has declared himself ready to handle everything thrown his way this Friday night by Josh Addo-Carr, after the Storm speedster enjoyed a red-hot start to his NRL Telstra Premiership campaign last week.
In his club debut for Melbourne, Addo-Carr came up with a team-high 202 running metres from the left wing and made two line breaks in the 12-6 win over the Bulldogs, leaving the Warriors with plenty to worry about ahead of their Round 2 meeting with the Storm at Mount Smart Stadium.
But fresh off a strong last-up performance himself, 22-year-old Lolohea said he would relish the opportunity to play against an opposite number of Addo-Carr's calibre.
"I don't think you have to watch his [Addo-Carr's] footy, I think you just hear things about him; he has got some speed in him," Lolohea said.
"It's going to be good, it's my first time going up against him so I am excited for the challenge ahead of me.
"You have got to work with the people inside you [to restrict the impact of his speed]… if we can do a job on him it will be good."
In addition to having to deal with the pure pace of Addo-Carr, Lolohea said he also expected to be peppered with high balls from Cooper Cronk.
At training on Wednesday coach Stephen Kearney employed the services of reserve-grade halfback Mason Lino to place numerous towering bombs up towards Lolohea's right edge, and the 2015 Kiwi international said he was confident he could hold his own in aerial duels.
"I have got hops in me, I have been working a lot on my jumping game," Lolohea said.
"I have had people way taller in the past who have jumped on me... [so]I have worked a lot on my power when jumping up like that.
"You have got to build some power in the lower body, the glutes and the hammys, and take that out onto the field.
"Practicing under fatigue and getting up when the ball goes into the air. It's just competing against everyone really, competing against centres, wingers.
"I am probably the smallest out of us [Warriors backs] that are playing first grade, so it's a good challenge for me to always compete against those guys.
"I am expecting kicks to come my way, high, low, medium, whatever… I like that challenge."
After veteran winger Manu Vatuvei made a try-scoring appearance for the club's reserve-grade side last weekend, there is pressure on both Lolohea and Ken Maumalo to maintain their spots on the flanks.
But coach Stephen Kearney indicated he would be in no rush to make changes while the pair were in form.
"For me the two young wingers we have there, I don't think they have done a lot wrong," Kearney said.
"I think there's a couple of areas of improvement for them both, but I am not going to toss them out of the team for that.
"They have both got their spots… we will just see what happens after this weekend.
"Manu played really well in NSW Cup also, so it's a good position to be in, you have got an international winger who is finding it tough to get back into the team."
Friday night's match will be just the 14th time Lolohea has started a game on the wing, having been used in every position across the backline in his three-year NRL career to date.
