Hohaia remains a Warrior

The Warriors have signed a new contract with teenage rookie Lance Hohaia, securing the 19-year-old's services until the end of 2004.

Chief executive Mick Watson says extending Hohaia's contract is good news for the club on the heels of PJ Marsh's new deal, and with Stacey Jones in the mix, the club is building a solid platform for the future.

"Extending Lance's contract is good news for the club on the heels of PJ Marsh's new contract," said Watson in a statement.

"Lance and PJ have allowed Stacey's game to flourish and in all three we are building a solid platform for the future."

Hohaia has been impressive in his six appearances so far this season, scoring three tries and also he features prominently in the NRL's one-on-one tackling stats - he is currently second on 25 tackles.

"It's a huge honour to come from Waikato rugby league to the NRL and especially to play against people I have always admired," said Hohaia.

"Brad Fittler was someone I looked up to, I was 10 years old when Brad Fittler was making a name for himself and now I get to play against him," said Hohaia.

"I hope that my signing with the Warriors shows kids in the Waikato region you can achieve your goals if you try hard enough.

"My first year in professional football has been a huge adventure but I realise there is still a lot of hard work to do and lots to learn."