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Former junior star Lachlan Burr has put his carpentry career on hold and is determined to make the most of a NRL lifeline at the Warriors.
A year ago, Lachlan Burr became a full-time chippy, his miserable English club stint behind him and the door to a NRL return seemingly nailed shut.
Now, the 26-year-old faces a different kind of fix-it job, helping to replace Warriors legend Simon Mannering in the heart of the Kiwi club's pack.
Auckland is the latest stop in a roller-coaster career and Burr is determined it's where he'll make his biggest mark.
The back-rower has been a surprise packet through the NRL's opening month, firstly through establishing a starting berth after his off-season signature had barely created a ripple.
Burr churned out the first 55 minutes in the middle third of the field during Friday's win over Gold Coast, having pushed veteran lock Adam Blair to the interchange bench.
Warriors staff, big admirers of Burr's aerobic capacity, were not surprised by the high work rate against his former club .
"I've got a big motor and I want to play big minutes," Burr told AAP.
"I've always been naturally fit - it's just managing it really. Sometimes, I'll shoot myself in the foot by trying to do too much too early. Now, I'm a bit wiser, which helps."
It came easily early in the career of the former Australian schoolboy forward, who made his NRL debut in 2013 with Canterbury.
An ill-fated Super League experience followed two seasons at the Titans.
He trained for three months in late 2016 at the Bradford Bulls but was never paid after the club went into liquidation.
A season with the relegated Leigh Centurions ended on a sour note when the terms of his contract were disputed, a subject he's reluctant to discuss.
A disenchanted Burr took four months off to travel the world and mull his future, deciding in 2018 to mix 40 hours of weekly graft as an apprentice carpenter with a season in reserve grade at the Bulldogs.
Despite the demands, he was named player of the year for the competition winners, attracting glances from across the Tasman.
"England was a a bad experience and the Bulldogs didn't offer me much so I was sort of stuck in limbo. I came that close to giving it away," he said.
"The Warriors are a second chance for me and something I'm very grateful for at the moment. I don't want to throw it away easily."
