HE IS the Warriors' only signing from a rival NRL club this year and it wouldn't be a stretch to describe him as a marquee one at that.
But new hooker Nathan Friend, while he politely disagrees with the "M" label, isn't really concerned with what people think of him.
The way he sees it, a team that includes the likes of Jerome Ropati, Shaun Johnson, Feleti Mateo and Manu Vatuvei was hardly lacking in star power before he decided to put pen to paper on a two-year deal with an option for a third.
Still, being the only new boy on the block ahead of the 2012 season does mean, come round one against the Manly Sea Eagles next month, the spotlight will be firmly fixed on the former Gold Coast Titan.
The pressure, from the outside at least, will be on, but for Friend it will a case of simply doing what he's always done.
"The Warriors did pretty well in 2011 and I don't really see too much pressure on myself," Friend says.
"I'm going to have a lot of marquee players around me and if I can just feed them well from my position and do everything I need to do right, I'm not too concerned about what you guys (the media) have to say or the supporters.
"It's about what we need to take care of in-house, and if I can do everything right there I'll be happy."
During five years with the Titans, Friend - a pint-size hooker at just 1.72 m tall, developed a reputation - much like Micheal Luck with the Warriors - for being an indestructible man.
Until last year, that is, when a botched shoulder reconstruction in the pre-season saw him sidelined for nearly his side's entire miserable campaign, bringing to an end in the process a string of 56 straight appearances for the club.
He arrived in Auckland with his family in October with his shoulder on the mend and, after having a few of the Warriors' "big boys" run at it, is confident the days of painfully popping it out of its socket while tackling are over.
"I'm just loving it. I'm loving the culture here, the Polynesian culture," Friend says.
"Everyone loves a laugh and a giggle and I thrive on stuff like that.
"The boys are all laidback and friendship comes out of that.
"Nobody takes themselves too seriously, which is good."
Like Luck, Friend is also a prolific tackler.
In 2010 - his last full season - he topped the tackling stats for the entire NRL competition, echoing what his new team-mate did for the Warriors two years earlier.
Together, they're likely to form a near-impenetrable defensive combination.
But Friend insists, while the stats might show him to be a tackling powerhouse, he doesn't actually track his numbers and has more important things to worry about.
"I just care about winning," Friend says.
"You play league with your mates to win a premiership.
"If Micheal and I can move around the big guys and help out by taking out a few legs here and there and we hold up the trophy, I'd be stoked."
As for his shoulder, Friend is confident the last surgical procedure has restored him to full strength.
"It's been about 10 months or so since I played and I've got to say - the body's feeling really good," he says. "It feels good when you don't play footy.
"That said, during my time on the sideline I've still trained really hard and had a really good off season.
"The rehab went very well last year and I'm right back into now, the weights and the full contact.
"I'm very happy, though, to be throwing the boots on and strapping the headgear on again."
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