Former Canberra Raiders forward Jack Murchie has logged just three first-grade games, but his arrival at the NZ Warriors camp will provide some relief, with the revamped NRL season looming.
Murchie, 22, has already arrived at the Warriors' new Gosford home and may find himself thrust immediately into the playing line-up, after injuries have decimated the club's forward stocks.
Prop Leeson Ah Mau and lock Jazz Tevaga are both sidelined, after training mishaps over last weekend, adding to an injury toll that already saw Bunty Afoa and Jackson Frei gone for the season.
At 1.93m and 105kg, Murchie will beef up the ranks that were starting to look alarmingly thin - literally and figuratively - as the Warriors prepare for their season restart against St George Dragons on May 30.
He made his top-flight debut for Canberra in a controversial 28-24 loss to Cronulla Sharks in 2018, a match that ultimately hinged on a blown linesman's call.
"[Murchie] actually trained with us this morning," confirms Warriors five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita. "He got in late yesterday and mingled with the boys at dinner.
"He went well today and hopefully he can do a job for us in the middle."
Harris-Tavita admits the latest injuries are far from ideal.
"We were already low on troops as it was, but it gives some of the young boys a chance to step up.
"Hopefully, whoever steps up can do the job."
The depth chart is particularly shallow among 'middle' forwards and Harris-Tavita suggests some players will find themselves playing relatively out of position.
"I think the injuries will test how well our forwards can perform in different positions. I know there are some back-rowers playing in the middle and some middles will have to play half the game in the back row.
"It's a matter of getting used to different positions and knowing those roles."
