Hohaia's journey from wide-eyed teen to Warrior

The last time the New Zealand Warriors faced the Sydney Roosters in a National Rugby League (NRL) playoff match, Lance Hohaia was a wide-eyed 19-year-old.

This time around, he has played more first-grade games for the Warriors, 118, than any other player in the present squad bar Logan Swann, with 193.

When the two clubs meet again in a knockout semifinal in Auckland on Friday night, Hohaia and Swann will be the only remaining Warriors from that earlier clash, the 2002 grand final.

The Roosters also have two survivors from their 30-8 victory in fullback Anthony Minichiello and lock Craig Fitzgibbon.

Hohaia, 25, remembered being a touch overawed during the grand final breakfast in the week leading up to the premiership decider.

He was barely out of school and that only increased the novelty of the experience for him.

"I'm just a lot calmer this time around and I can't wait," he said.

Hohaia played in all three matches of the Warriors' 2002 post-season campaign, but confessed that he couldn't remember much about them.

"It was such a long time ago and I was pretty young at the time," he said.

"But it's always fun and there's plenty of buzz around at this time of year. We're going to have a good crowd there and I think it's going to help us out."

The Warriors go into the match on the back of a run of nine wins in their past 11 starts, including the huge 18-15 upset over defending premiers Melbourne last Sunday.

While the result against the Storm at Olympic Park has suddenly thrust the spotlight on the Warriors, Hohaia said preparations would be no different against the Roosters than for any other week.

"It doesn't matter who we're playing, we try and prepare the same," he said.

"It's going to be a tough game no matter who it is."

Although betting agencies have made the Roosters underdogs, Hohaia said they were probably the best of the three teams who have beaten the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium this season.

With five-eighth Braith Anasta in superb form as he grabbed two tries and Kiwi winger Shaun Kenny-Dowall chiming in with a hat-trick, the Roosters ran out 38-12 victors in May.

Anasta is back again, but Kenny-Dowall, who is returning from a knee injury, has been left out.

"They beat us during the year, so they're not going to come here worrying about anything," Hohaia said.

"They will be pretty confident so we will have to be performing at our best."

Used in the past as a half, hooker or centre, Hohaia will again be at fullback, a position he has filled with aplomb this year as Wade McKinnon's replacement.

McKinnon, sidelined for the first five months of the season with a knee injury, is completing a three-match ban after being found guilty of spitting.

Hohaia was comfortable with the prospect that McKinnon would be back in the No 1 jersey if the Warriors get past the Roosters and set up a preliminary final meeting with Manly next week.

He said coach Ivan Cleary knew he was prepared to slot in anywhere on the field.

"I've enjoyed playing fullback but obviously Wade was brought here to play fullback and that's his position," he said.

"There are other spots in the team I can play, so I'm happy to do that."