Mariner out to strike a chord in NZ return
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As a child Deine Mariner used to wonder why the family home was littered with stickers showing his dad, a diehard Rabbitohs fan, in a Warriors jersey.
Years later he'd stumble across the video of his old man, Lapi, leading a choir through the streets of Auckland as the face and voice of the iconic 'Matter of Faith' club anthem, which popularised the phrase still used by Warriors fans to this day.
Now this Saturday, the 20-year-old returns home to New Zealand as an NRL player for the first time, taking on the team who play out of his hometown and who his dad will always be synonymous with.
"That will be mad to be playing back home. It will be the first time for some of my family and friends to watch me in real life in the NRL," Mariner said.
Match: Warriors v Broncos
Round 13 -
home Team
Warriors
9th Position
away Team
Broncos
1st Position
Venue: McLean Park, Napier
"It is exciting and it will be a very special thing for me. I haven't played in NZ since my last junior club footy game in 2019.
"I’ve been in the Broncos' extended squad for pretty much this whole year, so I have had to be patient, but it’s also been good knowing I am next in line if a spot does pop up.
This [Origin period] is a time for young players like me to get an opportunity for a game and to showcase what I can bring to the team.
Deine Mariner
Spotted by the Broncos while playing for the Marist Saints in Auckland as a 14-year-old, Mariner was later signed to be part of the junior system at Brisbane and moved to the Gold Coast for the final two years of high school, attending Palm Beach Currumbin.
Among his classmates there was his former Marist teammate Keano Kini, who recently made his first-grade debut for the Titans.
After impressing in the 2022 pre-season, Mariner played two NRL games last year and has been the replacement player for the Broncos seven times so far this season.
Mariner scores from Ahearn kick
Having recently signed on with Brisbane until the end of 2027, and with Herbie Farnworth heading to the Dolphins next year, Mariner has the chance to become a first-choice centre for Kevin Walters next season.
"Right now I am learning so much off Herbie and Kotoni [Staggs] and I'm just trying to get as much as I can from both of them," he said.
"Also the coaches, we have Darius Boyd on staff, so getting coaching from a former player like that helps me so much.
"I see myself as a specialist centre in the future, I can play on the wing, but centre is my spot."
