Tamatea second rower Joe Taafi scored four tries in Saturday's opening round of Hawke's Bay's premier men's rugby league competition.
Taafi's 16-point haul came in Tamatea's 40-22 win against Omahu Huia at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park.
Rugby League Hawke's Bay draw master Mike Tamati has placed all seven senior men's teams in the premier comp for the start of the season and he will divide them into premier and reserve grade divisions once he gauges the calibre of the teams.
One of Taafi's second row partners, Mark Ioane, was also prominent for Tamatea. He kicked four goals and was just as powerful at centre as he was during his minutes as a forward.
Standoff Haisley Robson directed the Tamatea backline well. Johnny Saifiti, Te Rira Rowlands, Jordarn Harmer and former Hawks basketballer Mataeus Marsh were the other try scorers for Tamatea.