Luke says he'll return to Australia but not just yet

Issac Luke plans to return to Australia but he's not leaving the Warriors any time soon.

The veteran hooker's future was a hot topic over the summer with the former Kiwi international linked with a move to Parramatta.

The former South Sydney star confirmed it was his intention to return to Australia at some point, but for now he was committed to the Warriors' 2019 campaign with Saturday's Christchurch clash with Manly his most immediate concern.

"There was a lot of talk about it, I don't know too much about what was going on, it was smoke and mirrors to be perfectly honest," Luke told pan66.com.

"I'm getting to the end of my career now so I just want to push on as much as I can. I want to try and get some more years out but in saying that we're getting ready for what's happening after footy."

Luke wasn't as committed about making a move to the UK if  interest from the English Super League came calling.

"I don't know, it's more like my kids play a lot of sport as well and I don't want to drag them along," he said.

"My son has already told me if we move he's going to stay in New Zealand. He's 11 and has been brought up in league with me, is a ball boy at our home games and actually wants to try rugby union out. I said 'why's that?' and he said 'so when you leave I can stay at school on a rugby scholarship'.

"I'm not leaving him here. It's important for them to stay somewhere for a while, I don't want to be jumping all over the place. I met my wife in Brisbane so want to take her back to Brisbane long-term so we're looking at buying up there once we're ready and move back to Australia."

Luke couldn't help but notice Michael Maguire's structures immediately in place after facing his former Rabbitohs coach in his first game back from a shoulder reconstruction on Sunday.

He was originally expected to return via the Canterbury Cup after a six-month injury layoff but received a late call-up with luckless rake Nathaniel Roache picking up a calf complaint during the side's final training session on Saturday.

The 31-year-old rake spent four seasons under Maguire at the Rabbitohs and could see similarities in the Wests Tigers to when the premiership-winning coach was in control at Redfern.

"I know what all their bloody structures are about and in the back of my mind I knew what we were running into but we just couldn't get into our flow," Luke said.

"He doesn't like losing, Madge. I could see what was coming with the way they were set up, they were different calls with Robbie at dummy half, a lot of things come off him. I knew that because a lot of things come off what I done around the ruck back at Souths.

"The hooker brings everyone in and that's how they capitalised on the edges, but in saying that we did help the situation and would lose the ball or couldn't get to the end of our sets."

Luke got through 65 minutes in the side's 28-point loss to give his shoulder plenty of defensive practice with 36 tackles in total.

"I found confidence pretty quickly in my first tackle. The only thing I was nervous about were my lungs," Luke said.

"I picked up a couple of niggling injuries in the pre-season but it's good to get the cobwebs out."