RTS not interested in Warriors halves switch

Fullbacks are considered similar to halves in the modern game but Roger Tuivasa-Sheck won't be trading the No.1 jersey for the Warriors to fill the void left by Shaun Johnson's switch to Cronulla.

In what was a whirlwind week for the Warriors, they are in no rush to find a replacement for Johnson, who was released from the final year of his deal and inked a three-year contract with the Sharks.

There have been reports suggesting the Warriors were looking to replace Johnson by signing a player from a rival club as well as talk that RTS could move from his preferred role to partner five-eighth Blake Green at the scrum base.

However, Tuivasa-Sheck told Radio Sport New Zealand on Wednesday he was unlikely to shift positions.

"At this stage I'm playing fullback," the Warriors skipper said.

"That's the position I prefer to play. I think a lot of the boys, we like to joke about it and say I'll move into the halves, but I don't see myself there.

"[I'll] just stay at the back and catch bombs."

Warriors GM Brian Smith earlier told the New Zealand station he admitted the club would lack an edge without Johnson's flamboyant style, but the former NRL coach hopes to emulate the efforts of the Melbourne Storm who have consistently been competitive despite losing key players in recent years.

"They came up with a method that most clubs wouldn't have the kahunas to do. They used two or three guys in that role, and that's something that could come up for us as well."

Smith said said Johnson's request for a release was a surprise, but not a shock.

"We didn't expect that for a response to what we were hoping was going to be a discussion about the future with him," he said.

"We were surprised but not shocked. We were ready though, you've got to be. If someone falls over at training today or gets injured, we've got to be ready to replace virtually anybody in our club at anytime."

Some of the possible replacements already in the Warriors system include Chanel Harris-Tavita, Hayze Perham or Adam Keighran, who joined the club in the off-season from Penrith.

There's also and option for centre Peta Hiku to partner up with Green.

Tuivasa-Sheck said there was still plenty of time over the summer months to find the right man for the job.
"We've still got quite some time in the pre-season, so if they can look to impress the coaches and maybe they'll get that start," the Dally M Medal winner said.

"Then if the recruitment manager and the coaches believe they need to bring someone in, that's in their hands."