But the newly-appointed coach firmly believes Saturday’s annual Charity Shield match against the Dragons will provide the best yardstick yet, and ultimately give him full assurances on who to pick.

Speculation over who will occupy South Sydney’s No 7 role has been rife ever since Chris Sandow’s defection to Parramatta in the off-season.

But Maguire, who trialled several playmaking options in his side’s 22-14 trial loss to the Warriors on Saturday night, wants to explore all elements before naming his team.

The untried Adam Reynolds remains favourite, ahead of Ryan Carr, with both men showing promise during a match dominated by the Warriors’ high possession rate.

‘‘I’ll look at the videos again and it will be the same next week in the Charity Shield,’’ he said.

‘‘I’ll have a look there and see which way I want to go.

‘‘I think all of the [candidates] put their hands up and it will be a tough decision for me when it comes down to it.’’

Maguire takes the mantle as second youngest coach in the NRL this year, behind Dragons mentor Steve Price. And similarly to his St George counterpart, he was undeterred by his team’s defensive lapses during the Warriors’ hit-out.

‘‘There were a number of players out there that put their hands up and put their body on the line,’’ Maguire said of the team’s performance.

‘‘We’re going to get a lot out of that and improve on what we showed there.

‘‘I rolled a number of players around in different positions and it’s given me a good chance to have a look at where we’re heading.

‘‘I’ve thrown a hell of a lot into them over the past two or three months and we’re starting to show that now and we’re only going to improve.’’

The Rabbitohs will face St George Illawarra in Saturday’s annual Charity Shield fixture at ANZ Stadium from 7.30pm.