"We're still trying to get our combos together and working as a team but it came freely today."
In front of a huge crowd of supporters, Otangarei ran in several tries to jump to an imposing 18-4 lead at halftime.
But the visiting Takahiwai Warriors stayed true to their name. Starting the second half with a notable lift in tempo, Takahiwai battled back within reach of Otangarei's first half warning call with some impressive tries of their own.
Nonetheless, the damage was done by the Knights early on.
Takahiwai coach Shane Hool was not overly satisfied with his team's performance.
"[It was] not very good," Hool said of his side's poor turnout. "The Knights just wanted it more than us, I think."
Despite their top four position on the table, Hool said it had been an "up and down" start to the season.
"We're not really there yet. Everyone's keen for the home games but [not] the away games."
Otangarei's 30-20 win should bump them into the top three heading into round 10, which will put them one step closer to toppling arch rivals, the Moerewa Tigers, from first.
If the Knights can continue to play well at home and pull in a solid crowd of fans each week, the players will have more of a big incentive to continue refining their skill set.
Katene said training was going well despite "going off generator lights" to light up the pitch.
"We don't really have the best lighting but we still have our full training," he said.
"[It's] just a quarter of a field that we use, but it's enough to go through our plays."
