A Māori rugby league commentator says despite his history, Matt Lodge is the type of player the Warriors need up front.
Te Arahi Maipi says there aren't many quality front rowers on the NRL market at the moment for the Warriors to chase.
Of the front rowers off contract at the end of this season, George Burgess is the most notable. Maipi says there is no chance of Burgess wanting to jump across the Tasman. New Kiwis squad member Zane Tetevano is one other player that could be a good fit for the Warriors, however, Maipi believes Lodge's size makes him the more obvious choice for the team.
The Warriors yesterday confirmed reports they were interested in Lodge were true.
Maipi says Lodge's size, strength and go-forward would be a welcome addition to the pack, which has struggled to consistently provide the team's halves with a quality platform to unleash their backline. Maipi believes having the likes of Kodi Nikorima's, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and David Fusitu'a in the backline amounts to nothing if you don't have the horsepower upfront, something he says Lodge can help with.
Lodge has a chequered history of off-field incidents, most notably a conviction for reckless assault in New York City in 2015.
Members of the current squad won't have an issue with Lodge if he was to join the club. Adam Blair believes Lodge has grown up since the incident in NYC.
"Obviously he's turned over a real big page in his life. I think he's playing some quality rugby league. He's a leader in his own right and doing some great things up at the Broncos," Blair told media yesterday.
Maipi has no doubt the Warriors will have clauses in any contract that relates to off-field behaviour. He would have no issue with the club sacking Lodge immediately should any breach of contract occur.
However Maipi doesn't believe the Warriors would be wasting their time or money in what is being reported as "eye-watering" across the Tasman without having done some due-diligence or if they held reservations about Lodge's character.