PAUL Rauhihi’s Warrington Wolves future lies in the club’s hands.

Despite claiming 2009 would likely be his final year in rugby league, the 35-year-old prop forward has had a complete change of heart.

Instead, Rauhihi is keen to stay on at The Halliwell Jones Stadium - as long as the club’s coaching staff want him there.

In fact, it is the second time the giant Kiwi has performed a career u-turn after he was initially expected to retire following the 2008 campaign, only to agree to a new one-year deal.

So far, that decision has proved to be the right one, with Rauhihi performing a key role off the bench in a pack that is slowly establishing itself as one of the most formidable in Super League.

And as long as he continues to enjoy playing, while contributing to the team, the former New Zealand international is eager to prolong his first-grade career.

He said: “I am still enjoying my rugby. It was tough at the start of the year but when you start playing well and getting some wins that always helps to perk you up.

“My future is still up in the air though. I’d like to play again but it’s all a matter of whether the coaching staff think I’m good enough, so it’s up to them.

“I’ve not really spoken to the club yet, I’ve just said that I’d think about it and they agreed to give it some time and see how I’m going.

“I need to be playing to a high enough standard to get a new deal.”

Morale is high at Wolves after they followed up their biggest ever win at Odsal with a superb 40-18 victory against in-form Huddersfield on Sunday.

A disappointing start means Tony Smith’s team still sit 11th in Super League but Rauhihi insists the goals they set themselves at the start of the season remain the same.

Rauhihi believes Warrington can mount a challenge for honours based on steady progression and is looking forward to the challenge posed by second-placed Hull KR at Murrayfield on Sunday, kick off 7pm.

Wolves claimed their first win of the campaign against Rovers, beating them 24-12 at The Halliwell Jones on March 22, and Rauhihi knows that will make the Robins more determined to get it right this time round.

He said: “I think they’re all pretty tough games for us, with the position we’re in after the start we had. Everyone’s probably thinking we’re not that flash.

“The fact that we beat them last time is going to make it even more of a challenge for them.

“They’re going to want to come out and prove something and the way they’re going at the moment, playing well, they’ll just want to put their foot down really.

“For us, it’s all about getting some consistency and getting better and better each week.

“I think we’re capable of climbing up the table. We’re playing better now than we were at the start of the season and, at the end of the season, hopefully we’ll be playing better than we are now.

“So, if we can do that, we can push towards making some finals.

“Our goals are still the same. The good thing about it over here is that it’s a long season and if you have a bad start you get a chance to make up for it.”