Te Maire Martin and Taine Tuaupiki, of Tahāroa near Kawhia, were standouts for the Warriors in their victory over the Penrith Panthers on Sunday. Photo / Photosport
Te Maire Martin and Taine Tuaupiki, of Tahāroa near Kawhia, were standouts for the Warriors in their victory over the Penrith Panthers on Sunday. Photo / Photosport
With 10 players missing due to injuries and the team on a five-game winless run, the challenge increased after kickoff.
Penrith had a chance to level the clash with a penalty which was pushed wide in the last minute by fullback Dylan Edwards.
Brilliant rookie fullback Tuaupiki nailed a late conversion from the sidelines to hand the Warriors a narrow two-point advantage with the clock running down.
The young fullback then slotted the tricky conversion.
As his impressed teammate later revealed, Tuaupiki’s composure came despite some testing circumstances.
“It’s a big credit to Taine,” Martin said.
“His partner’s due any day, so he was 50-50 [regarding] whether he was going to play. I know being a parent myself how your mind can be somewhere else, but I thought Taine did a huge job.
“It was a good opportunity for some of the young boys we have to get a game, and to taste [victory] in front of a crowd like that in Magic Round is huge.”
