It's the "Next Man Up" mentality that the Warriors have had to adopt through 12 rounds of the NRL, and so far, it seems to be paying off.
Eleven players were missing yesterday through injury or, in fullback Taine Tuaupiki's case, the birth of his first child. Despite a number of stars missing, the Warriors have still found a way to grind out two important wins in two weeks, both coming against top four sides in the Penrith Panthers and last night, the Dolphins.
"It was one of the best wins I've been a part of," Te Maire Martin said of last night's 24-20 win.
"You don't use players being out as an excuse to play the way we did. It's bigger than the players. It's the team and the system."
Originally named 18th man, Moala Graham-Taufa got more than he bargained for when he woke up on Sunday morning with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad out with illness - his club debut beckoned.
Moala Graham-Taufa said it had been a "dream come true" to play, having spent most of his time in reserve grade. (Source: 1News)
"I found out as soon as I woke up this morning, I was rolling out of bed and got a call from Webby (coach Andrew Webster). I was like 'ooh', it was such a buzzy moment. [It] means so much to me. It has been a dream come true since I was four-years-old to be here," Graham-Taufa said.
The former Sydney Rooster, Graham-Taufa, who played one NRL game back in 2021, signed a train-and-trial deal with the Warriors last year, spending most of his time in reserve grade.
A late call-up meant a scramble for tickets so his family could be present at Mount Smart.
"It's been pretty tough. I moved over to Aus when I was a kid, no family support, but to be back home here with my support crew means so much to me," Graham-Taufa said.
The number of line-up changes in the lead-up to yesterday's game saw some stumped as to who was going to run out come kick-off.
"I had to ring Webby and ask who's playing - is Stace [Stacey Jones] going to play," Martin said.
The Warriors have turned around their five-game winless streak with two important wins, and now a bye week comes at a crucial time, with a number of players recovering from injury.
"It's honestly huge, you get to really relax on your bye and we need it, the bye has come at a good time we've got so many boys battling injury," Martin said.
The Warriors next play the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville on June 8.
SHARE ME