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.
“It means a lot, it really does,” Martin said after their win.
“We’re stoked. We’ve been in a bit of a rut for the last couple of weeks, and to come out with a win like that was huge.
“Having some of our big boys out - Tohu our captain and Shaun, and our real big dog Rocco Berry - it was a credit to the boys.
“Obviously Webby [coach Andrew Webster], coming from Penrith, he had a few things up his sleeve.”
Warriors' winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak performs a haka with members of the crowd following his 200th NRL match on Sunday. Photo / Photosport
Martin pulled the strings to put Tuaupiki across for his maiden NRL try, with Marcelo Montoya, Ali Leiataua and Adam Pompey also touching 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.”
