Michael Luck takes pride in development

Micheal Luck's development as a player during his time with the New Zealand Warriors gives him as much pride as making his 100th National Rugby League appearance for the club this weekend.

Luck will reach the milestone when he runs out against Cronulla at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday night.

It wasn't something he had counted down to, and he was aware the ton was coming up only when told about it last week, "but it's certainly a proud achievement".

Luck arrived in Auckland before the 2006 season, with 76 appearances for North Queensland under his belt, most of them off the bench.

He thought it would be a role he would carry over with the Warriors, but he became a regular starter at lock.

"I've had a good four years here," he said.

"When I first came here, I was an interchange player at best. I'm pretty proud of what I've done to get this far."

Luck, 27, is noted for his no-nonsense style on the football field, exemplified by his non-stop tackling.

He was the competition's top tackler in the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and also over the regular season last year, before his tally of 1053 tackles was overtaken after the Warriors missed the playoffs.

He again topped the tackle count for the Warriors with 44 in their 24-18 away defeat to Gold Coast last Sunday.

It was a contest he believed the visitors were well capable of winning but for lapses in concentration at crucial moments.

He pointed in particular to the period just before the interval, when the Warriors saw an 18-6 lead chopped to 18-12.

"Before halftime, there was probably a five-minute period where you could say it cost us the game," he said.

"We were in a pretty good position to ice that half and score another try or get a repeat set, but we put in a kick that maybe wasn't the right option and they go 60m, get a penalty, get an offload and score a try. It's a big difference going in 18-6 up rather than 18-12."

However, Luck, standing in as skipper while new captain Simon Mannering was completing his recovery from a hamstring niggle, saw plenty positives from the display at Robina.

They included the ability of the Warriors' less-experienced pack, missing the likes of Mannering, Steve Price, Jacob Lillyman and Ian Henderson, matching up well against their opposites.

The fact that all three of the Warriors' tries involved a kick showed that new halves Brett Seymour and James Maloney were on song with their kicking game, while the bench players gave good support when they came on.

Against Cronulla, Luck said the Warriors would come up against a committed defensive unit.

"You saw Melbourne, who are one of the best attacking sides of the last decade, put only 14 points on them," he said of the defending premiers' 14-10 victory last Saturday night.

He read little into Cronulla's lengthy losing streak, which stretched to seven with the defeat to the Storm.

"Sometimes it just galvanises sides, it brings you together a bit more," he said, having experienced the same thing in his time with the Warriors.

"They're a very, very dangerous side and we're going to have to play well to get a result."

Luck is off contract at the end of the season but said the issue of whether he might get a renewal wasn't taxing his mind at the moment.

"If you play good enough footy, that stuff takes care of itself," he said.

"I would love to stay here. The club has been really good to me and I love living over here, but it's not something I'm too worried about yet."

- NZPA