New Zealand's fears of losing Shaun Johnson have been allayed after gun rookie Adam Keighran provided the attacking spark in New Zealand's dominant 40-6 triumph over Canterbury.
Less than a month after Keighran signed with the Warriors, Johnson was granted an early release to join Cronulla.
He easily won the No.7 jumper in a two-horse race against Junior Kiwi Chanel Harris-Tavita with a commendable effort in the trials, and Stephen Kearney's decision paid dividends in round one.
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Not just taking over Johnson's position, Keighran was also in charge of the goal-kicking duties and nailed three pinpoint kicks from the sideline with a successful six from seven conversion rate.
The former Panthers NSW Cup star took just 29 minutes to score his first NRL try, throwing a brilliant dummy to fool a lacklustre Bulldogs defensive line that leaked an inexcusable 40 points
In the second half, his electric speed was on display, charging onto a Jazz Tevaga offload to slip through for a linebreak before the defence caught up with him.
In total, Keighran scored 16 points.
It wasn't quite as spectacular as Luke Brooks' NRL debut in 2013, but it was memorable.
The Warriors found success on the edges as outside backs Ken Maumalo, Solomone Kata, Roger Tuivasa-sheck and Peta Hiku all found the chalk.
For Canterbury, recruit Dylan Napa was impressive in his opening stand but played little minutes in the second half.
