New Warriors five-eighth Blake Green is hopeful he can get the best out of halfback Shaun Johnson during the 2018 NRL season.
The 31-year-old signed a three-year deal with the New Zealand Warriors late last year after he was released by the Manly Sea Eagles to make way for the incoming Mitchell Pearce.
The veteran playmaker will bring much-needed experience and leadership to a youthful Warriors backline having featured in over 200 first class rugby league games during his 11-year career.
During that period, Green has played alongside some of the best halfbacks in the world including Cooper Cronk and most recently, Daly Cherry-Evans.
Speaking to Newshub, Green said he is hoping he can use that experience to help to take some pressure off Shaun Johnson and help the 27-year-old reach his full potential.
"It's exciting," Green told Newshub. "[Johnson] is super talented and it's about getting the best out of each other, getting the best out of the team and the playing group.
"We will find out if we have the right balance but it looks it - if we keep working hard and spend as much time as we can, we will get the best of the playing group and get the results we are after.
"We bounce ideas off each other and we are both pretty easy going guys so it's been good so far.
"With him being in the World Cup when he came back, he's been doing some modified training so we have only done bits and pieces but the bits we have done have been good,
"It's been really fluent and flowed quite easy so next month when we amp things up, we will get a good guide on how we will go."
Earlier in the month, former NRL premiership winner Jamie Soward told NRL.com that Green holds the key to the Warriors success this season, saying he could "potentially be the buy of the year".
Green laughed off that prediction, saying it will take a team effort to get the Warriors to the finals for the first time since 2011.
"I think there are some more important people in the team than me and we all have to make sure we tick the right boxes.
"If everybody focusses, it will allow everybody to play at their best."
The standoff never thought that he would end up playing for the Warriors, but now he can't wait to get out on the field with the team.
He credits his decision to move across the Tasman to the relationship he built with coach Stephen Kearney during his time with the Melbourne Storm.
"I had a little relationship with Stephen [Kearney] when I was at Melbourne. He was someone that would always come to the old boy's day.
"He always took time to say hello and talk footy with me and I really liked what he was about.
"I like the direction they were heading in with the introduction of Cameron George as CEO and they said all the right things so here I am."
Newshub.
