NRL: Inu - one of the Warriors great mysteries

The Warriors have at least 300,000 reasons to expect Krisnan Inu to recapture the sort of form that once made him one of the most exciting talents in the NRL. Inu's salary, believed to be in the region of $300,000 a season, puts him in the upper echelons of earners at Mt Smart Stadium and should see him command a start every week. Yet the 24-year-old is guaranteed little. He was omitted from the side defeated 26-20 by Manly last weekend, even though the Warriors have issues at centre, and ran around for the Auckland Vulcans instead. He has been recalled to a 20-man squad to face his old side Parramatta on Monday night following the ankle injury to Jerome Ropati but could still find himself behind youngsters Konrad Hurrell and Ben Henry who made their debuts last weekend. Even a change of coach has altered little. Brian McClennan sees what Ivan Cleary did and what Michael Hagan at the Eels did before that. Hagan, Inu's first coach at first-grade level, said Inu could be "like rocks one day and diamonds the next''. Last season you needed to forage for the diamonds but they had high value. He spent plenty of time on the bench but then produced spectacular results like the dramatic late try he scored against the Wests Tigers that ultimately helped the Warriors to the grand final. The biggest problem coaches seem to have with Inu is his work ethic and work rate. He's not as busy as other players, not as committed, and can be seen to cruise through games and training. As much as coaches seem to give him the proverbial up the backside and implore him not to waste his talent, Inu just does, in his words, "what's best for me''. He did that when he turned down the chance to tour with the Kiwis at the end of last year. The official reason was for "personal reasons'' but it's generally accepted it was because he simply didn't want to, and that is never a good look, in anyone's eyes. There are few more laidback personalities than Inu and it can sometimes be interpreted as disinterest. He can make things look so easy and can be one of the most dangerous players in the competition but he can also look like he can't be bothered. "I hear a lot of things but I think I have to do what's best for me and what's best for the team,'' Inu said. "I know I had big expectations after the first year and I know I have a lot of people looking back to the first year of first-grade and thinking, `when is he going to get back there?' I think this is the year when we're going to do well as a team and hopefully as an individual I'll do my best for the boys. "I've been trying to get back to where I was in my debut year. Since then I've probably gained a bit and got stronger but that's only a good thing. I am not going to try to replicate what I did. I just want to play more consistent footy and get myself out there for the boys.'' Inu should play against the Eels, which would be the first time against his old club since his move to Auckland last season. McClennan knows that with Ropati's injury, he needs an experienced hand at centre but he's also not going to pick on that quality alone. "Last week [against Manly] I felt other players were in better form [than Inu],'' McClennan said. "That can happen not just for Kris but any of our players. If there's someone in better form, they'll get the job whether they've played five games or 100 games. That's what we have to look at. He's knuckling down and working hard but he's probably going to get an opportunity to play on Monday.''