20 May 2024
The Warriors’ heroic 22-20 victory over the Panthers on Sunday will go down as one of the club’s most impressive triumphs and an unforgettable one for 21-year-old centre Ali Leiataua.
The nephew and namesake of the legendary Ali Lauitiiti, young Leiataua put the name Ali back on the One New Zealand Warriors’ first-grade team sheet for the first time in 19 years when he made his NRL debut last year in the club’s 15th-round clash.
Last week’s contest against the Roosters saw multiple injuries to the Warriors including frontline centres Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Rocco Berry who were both sidelined ahead of Magic Round, giving Leiataua the opportunity to make his second NRL appearance.
“Some tough shoes to fill… lucky the boys around me had my back and it was good to get the win out here in Magic Round,” shared the young talent post-match.
With the Panthers up by six at the break, the sin-binning of Isaah Yeo three minutes into the second half for a professional foul was the first turning point and on the very next Leiataua crossed for his first try at NRL level.
To complement his try Leiataua produced 105 run metres, 2 line breaks, and 11 tackles in the nail-biter which eventually saw the Warriors hang on to a 2-point lead and claim the win of the round.
In the club’s system since he was 14, Leiataua was a foundation member of the One New Zealand Warriors’ first SG Ball Cup under-18 side in 2020.
Before the Warriors stage, the born-and-raised South Aucklander was a standout in age-group competitions throughout his younger years earning numerous New Zealand Rugby League representative selections.
The Papatoetoe Panthers junior featured in the NZRL 2019 Resident 16s and 2020 New Zealand 18s Schools national sides, as well as Auckland’s National 20s team in 2021.
Most recently Leiataua has been in outstanding form for the club’s New South Wales Cup side throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
In 2023 following his NRL debut and exceptional NSW Cup performances, Leiataua was selected for the first-ever Kiwis A team who went on to beat Tonga A in the inaugural Pacific Championships.
