Otangarei Knights supporters could have been forgiven for thinking their coach John Hunapo was taking a huge risk when changing last year's player of the finals series Sam Henry from the dominant defensive position of hooker to fullback.
At the end of 80 minutes a hattrick of tries andsome deft touches of the ball from the Northern Swords utility player had allayed their fears.
Last year's club grand finalists were challenged early on by the Northern Wairoa Bulls as both teams tried to move the ball early on and possession changed several times from poor passing and ball security particularly around the ruck.
It was a set move at the 15-minute mark to create space for Sam Henry to score the first try of the day to break the deadlock.
Shortly after, the Knights hooker spent a mandatory 10 minutes in the sin bin for not wearing his mouthguard and the men from Kaipara capitalised two minutes later when Tamati Dick scooted from the ruck to score under the posts and level the score.
The next stanza saw the hosts run in three unanswered tries with halfback Vern Wilson on target with the boot converting all tries and taking the tally 24-6 at the break.
The second 40 minutes proved tough for the visitors as fleet footwork found gaps and exposed the Bulls' ruck defence. Innovative running by centre Jordan Katene and standoff Junior Tatau produced a brace of tries for both.
Four tries were scored in 10 minutes in the second half at Fishburne Park to secure two wins from two to start their season off.
A consolation try off the back of the scrum from Robert Paniora gave their second half some credibility.
Despite the loss, new Bulls mentor and NZ Maori Coach Neville Rogers was upbeat.
"We're making progress but we are realistic about the time it will take to make changes to a team who has been together for a while," he said.
In other matches, Moerewa continued their good start to the season with a 44-10 win over Portland while Takahiwai made it a trio of undefeated teams after accounting for Hora Hora 58-6.
Otangarei 50 (Sam Henry 3, Jordan Katene 2, Junior Tatau 2, Frank Newton, Shaquille Ormsby, Shane Herbert-Porter tries, Vern Wilson 7 goals) beat Northern Wairoa 10 (Tamati Dick, Robert Paniora tries, Shelford Edwards goal)
