An hour or so before kick-off last Friday night against the Gold Coast Titans, Taine Tuaupiki was about to tuck into a plate laden with food.
The Warriors utility had been named as 18th man for the ninth time this season and wasn’t expecting to play, as the extra reserveis rarely activated.
He was there to help the team with the warm-up and do whatever else was necessary before focusing on his New South Wales Cup match the following day.
Taine Tuaupiki of the Warriors. Newcastle Knights v New Zealand One Warriors, Round 6 of the 2023 NRL Premiership rugby league game at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, Australia on Sunday 9 April 2023.
Photo: Greg Porteous / NRL Photos
“Shaun Johnson saw me with quite a big plate and he was giving it to me, saying ‘what are you doing with that?’” Tuaupiki told NZME’s Big League Podcast. “I told him I have to prepare for the next day and there are certain things I need to eat. Shaun just goes, ‘bro scratch that right now’. He said ‘I want you to invest everything in tonight’.”
Not for the first time this season, Johnson’s intervention was timely, as Tuaupiki was an emergency substitution when Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was concussed, under the new NRL rule that allows the 18th man to be used if a player is removed from the field due to foul play.
“As I came running on the field, Shaun and the boys sprayed me a bit,” said Tuaupiki. “They were saying ‘bro, what did I tell you?’ and then I was just like, ‘Okay, let’s go’.”
Tuaupiki laughed it off – and then locked into his work. In the circumstances, it was a remarkable performance from the rookie in only his third NRL appearance this season.
He was placed under plenty of pressure in a tight game, but barely put a foot wrong and added plenty of energy in attack.
Warriors players celebrate with Shaun Johnson. Photo / Photosport
“It was a bit of a weird one [coming on as 18th man],” said Tuaupiki. ”But honestly, you’d probably rather it that way. I didn’t really get time to get nervous ... just do what you got to do.”
The episode epitomises his time at the club, as he has been quick to seize every opportunity. He is a late bloomer, admitting that he lost his focus for a few years after finishing school, before a breakout season with the Burleigh Bears in the NSW Cup last year where he was named rookie of the year.
That attracted the interest of the Warriors – as well as several other clubs – with Tuaupiki opting for the Auckland club on the strength of his first conversation with Andrew Webster.
“I spoke to a few like different clubs but as soon as Webby and I had that phone call, I hung up and I didn’t tell my manager but I told my missus ‘we are going to Auckland’.”
It was a leap of faith, as the Warriors only offered a train and trial deal, with no guarantees of a first-grade contract. Tuaupiki took a flat in Beach Haven with some tradie mates, which wasn’t ideal, as they lived the 9-to-5 lifestyle and partied on the weekend.
But he remained focused on his mission, before being upgraded to a full-time deal in mid-February.
“That was great, so I could afford to move out of that house, which was for the best,” said Tuaupiki.
He was determined to make an impression rather than being a passenger and has done so, cemented by his debut performance in round three against the Cowboys.
The Warriors had only won once in Townsville in almost two decades but Tuaupiki was pivotal to a strong team display.
Tuaupiki will have another chance to impress tonight against Wests Tigers in Hamilton (7.30pm), with Nicoll-Klokstad ruled out due to concussion protocols.
Despite his obvious talent, Tuaupiki is prepared to bide his time. Nicoll-Klokstad is the undisputed fullback, with Webster reiterating during the week that even if Tuaupiki is the best on-field against the Tigers, Nicoll-Klokstad will be straight back in when he is healthy.
Despite the competition, the two fullbacks have a strong bond, with Nicoll-Klokstad putting time into his young teammate.
“As soon as Charnze came to training, I just noticed all the extras that he did,” recalled Tuaupiki. “He helped me too, he grabbed me straight away and said ‘we’ll do these at the end of training or before training’.”
Saturday’s game will be extra special for Tuaupiki, who grew up in the Waikato area. Born in Sydney, he spent his childhood in the small settlement of Taharoa, before his father’s work took him back to Australia aged 10.
“I’ve been playing since I was like 4 years old. I played for the [Ngaruawahia] Panthers just, north of Hamilton.”
Most of his family and friends will be out in force for the match, now with the unexpected bonus of seeing their local hero in action.
“I was at home a week and a half ago and they were telling me, ‘oh, we bought like 130 tickets or something’,” said Tuaupiki. “I was like, ‘what to watch me play cards?’ And they said ‘bro, we don’t care, we’re just happy to see you out there’.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
