{"id":505759,"date":"2026-02-26T17:10:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/505759\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T17:10:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:10:43","slug":"tuaupikis-hard-work-rewarded-with-a-two-year-extension-nrl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/505759\/","title":{"rendered":"Tuaupiki’s “hard work” rewarded with a two-year extension – NRL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

When most players dream of earning a full-time NRL<\/a> contract, few take the road less travelled like Taine Tuaupiki<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What started as a long shot has become a testament to hard work, perservance and seizing every opportunity, and now the New Zealand Warriors<\/a> have made sure his journey continues.<\/p>\n

Tuaupiki’s path to this moment is far from ordinary.<\/p>\n

He first arrived at the Warriors back in late 2022 on a train-and-trial deal, and after proving himelf, he battled his way into the squad, transforming himelf from an outsider to a dependable contributor.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old fullback, raised in Taharoa and forged in the toughest trenches of rugby league, has agreed to a two-year extension that keeps him at the Warriors through the end of the 2028 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaine is such a valuable member of our squad and has really earned the right to extend his time with the club,\u201d the New Zealand Warriors<\/a> general manager recruitment, pathways and development Andrew McFadden<\/a> said, underlining that this extension is more than a contract, that it’s a recognition of character and effort.<\/p>\n

Head coach Andrew Webster<\/a> echoed that sentiment, highlighting how Tuaupiki has consistently delivered when called upon, even in roles he hadn’t played before.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s a terrific source of energy around the squad and we’re thrilled to know he’ll be with us for at least another three seasons,” Webster said.<\/p>\n

“He has so much to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tuaupiki domnated in reserve grade last seaon, including a powerful showing in the New South Wales Cup grand final against the St George Illawarra where he racked 158 running metres and played a pivotal role in securing the State Championship, scoring two tries and running a staggering 268 metres, along with three line breaks against the Burleigh Bears.<\/p>\n

This extension is about a player built on effort, earning every minute behind the scenes and has become a dependable squad member, who has a chance to be their fullback in the long-term.<\/p>\n

Get set for the footy with the FREE Zero Tackle 2026 NRL Season Guide!<\/a> Packed with 130+ pages of player profiles, team previews, insights and analysis, the 2026 NRL Season Guide<\/a> is built for fans who want the full picture. Download your free Season Guide HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When most players dream of earning a full-time NRL contract, few take the road less travelled like Taine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-505759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}