Nathan Brown expects Ash Taylor to flourish in his new life at the Warriors having shed the expectation that came with his rich Titans contract.
Having spent the last six years under the million-dollar spotlight on the Gold Coast, Taylor has returned to square one after accepting a train-and-trial deal to join the Warriors this pre-season hoping to secure a full-time contract.
The 26-year-old, who was the 2016 Dally M Rookie of the Year and once dubbed the NRL's next big thing, has endured a difficult start to his career to date, spending time in and out of first grade and taking time away from the game in 2019 to address some personal issues.
But Brown backed Taylor to revive his career with the Warriors, and indicated the 115-game halfback had done enough to earn an NRL deal with the club this pre-season.
"We've been really happy with Ash," the Warriors coach told reporters.
"He's certainly been happy at training, he's conducting himself well, he fits in well with the boys... we're really happy with him.
"He's certainly come to us under similar circumstances to when he first went to the Gold Coast with a bit of an unknown.
"He played some terrific footy under (former Titans coach) Neil Henry and then obviously it's been well-documented the size of his contract and then there was a lot of pressure to live up to that.
"Now Ash is on a much lower scale contract and with that he doesn't feel the same sort of the pressure that's been coming his way where people are judging him for what he's earned.
"We're very (optimistic) that he can have a positive influence on our footy club."
Assuming he's offered a full-time contract, Taylor will be one of the men vying for the vacant halves spot and chance to partner Shaun Johnson, who returns to the club after three seasons with Cronulla.
Johnson is expected to wear the No. 7 in his Warriors swansong, but the race for the number six jersey has come down to Chanel-Harris Tevita, Kodi Nikorima and Taylor.
Nikorima has filled the utility role for the Warriors before but played alongside Johnson in the halves in New Zealand's 2017 World Cup side and hopes to do so again this season in clubland.
"I always start pre-season wanting to be in the halves but I’ll put the team first and play wherever needed," he said.
"I don't like bouncing around from spot to spot but I've become accustomed to it.
"I want to win games and having Shaun back will help us do that. All the good clubs have competition for spots and you can't come in thinking you have a position cemented."
Nikorima said there has been great excitement at the club around Johnson's return and expects the Kiwi Test star to have a key influence on the side icing tight games this season, an issue they've struggled with over past years.
"Shaun is loving being back in a Warriors jersey and everyone is feeding off him," said Nikorima.
"He is good with his voice and he is going to be very good for our younger boys. His career speaks for itself.
"Shaun has changed his game a lot since he first came on the scene and was doing a lot of the flashy stuff. He still has the flick passes and the running game but he's become a modern halfback and his calmness and experience will help us to get home in tight games."
The Warriors will play two trials games against the Storm (February 19th) and Titans (February 26th) before opening their NRL season against the St. George Illawarra Dragons on March 12th.