Ilias was given a late call-up to make his club debut at Cronulla on Saturday night with regular No.7 Jayden Campbell suffering a hamstring injury that is set to keep him out for up to a month.
The 25-year-old's career so far has been one of extreme highs and lows.
Ilias led the Rabbitohs to a preliminary final in 2022 and backed that up by playing all 24 matches the following year.
He was dropped early in 2024 then rubbed out for the year after breaking his tibia in NSW Cup after a bad tackle by Warriors player Freddy Lussick.
Ilias played St George Illawarra's opening seven NRL matches after a fresh start in 2025, was dropped to NSW Cup and never recalled.
When Hannay came on board, he realised he needed to re-shape the roster. Twelve players were moved on and Ilias was one of several key additions.
"In shaping the roster it was really clear to me that it was top heavy. My objective was to raise the floor and Lachlan is the ultimate example of that," Hannay told AAP.
"We have lost a quality player in JC, which is not ideal, but there is no anxiety in our heads. Lachlan has shown the entire time this pre-season and with his trial form that he is an NRL half.
"With him and other signings we have been able to raise the floor of the squad. That means when you lose key players there is not this significant drop off.
"You are not putting in someone who is potentially not ready for the task. I have all the faith in the world in Lachie's capacity to not just do a job but play really well at an NRL standard as a half."
Hannay is also backing barnstorming backrower Arama Hau to do the job in just his second NRL starting match
Hannay said Josh Patston, who was set to partner Beau Fermor at second-row, had a "really strong pre-season" but his preparation had been hampered by a six-day turnaround between the All Stars match and the trial against Melbourne where he was concussed.
"He's had a really disjointed three weeks," Hannay said.
"Our game is about opportunity and Arama took his in the trial against the Storm and had a great game.
"He's a larrikin and the life of the party. For him, the challenge will continue to be to get the balance right between being the larrikin and focusing on his football. When he gets the balance right, the talent is obvious."
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