HE may already have nine NRL games under his belt but new Northern winger Kaine Manihera is taking nothing for granted - including a starting place with the Pride.
Manihera played nine games with the Broncos in 2008, translating his form with his then-Queensland Cup club Redcliffe to the NRL level.
He moved to Burleigh last season after three years with the Dolphins before being lured to the Far North after meeting former Pride coach Andrew Dunemann while in camp with the Queensland Country side.
"I really enjoyed the way he coached," Manihera said of Dunemann, who has since linked with NRL side Newcastle.
Manihera knew Dunemann was moving on but joined the Pride on the basis of his referral.
"I didn’t mind (coming to the club despite Dunemann’s departure) because I got along with him so well and I trusted everything he said about the club," Manihera said.
"Everything he said about the club’s been pretty spot on so I’ve got no complaints."
Finding another Queensland Cup club with an NRL link was important for Manihera, although he is under no illusion about the difficulty of climbing the NRL ladder again.
"There was really no point in going to a Queensland Cup club that didn’t have another level," he said. "It’s just an incentive to play some good football."
The Pride’s depth in the outside backs makes Manihera’s job of nailing down a starting spot with the club difficult.
"My first priority will definitely be for the Northern Pride and if the opportunity comes for higher honours I’ll definitely take it, but I can’t look too far ahead because I’m still fighting for my spot at the Pride."
While admitting the state league was a "step down" from NRL level, Manihera said it was the perfect place to be to point him towards his ultimate goals.
"It just points you back to (the level) you have to get back to," Manihera said of the training and effort he needed to put in.
"It just keeps me in check and keeps me real to say, ‘I’ve got a lot of work to do to be where I need to be’."
That sort of work usually needs support behind the scenes and Manihera has found it with his Far Northern "family".
Despite arriving in Cairns only last month, Manihera has had little trouble settling in, joining childhood mate Quincy To’oto’o-ulugia and another Pride newcomer Taputoa Rea in a sharehouse.
"They’re basically like family to me anyway," Manihera said.
"It made it much easier (to move).
"I didn’t have to worry about finding a place to stay or any of the hassles that usually go with moving to a new club."
