Born: March 14, 1976 – Whangarei
Test record: 10 Tests (2002-03, 2005) – 0 points
Tours: 2002 tour of Britain and France, 2005 Tri Nations

Dynamic, intimidating back-rower Awen Guttenbeil overcame a wretched five-year run of injuries to play 10 Tests for New Zealand and feature prominently in the Warriors’ surge to credibility in the early-2000s.

Guttenbeil grew up in Whangarei and first played for Portland Panthers as a youngster, before attending Kelston Boys’ in Auckland and moving through the grades for Point Chevalier Pirates alongside Stacey Jones.

Manly staved off other Sydney clubs for Guttenbeil’s signature and he shaped as a long-term prospect for the heavyweights, until he signed a Super League contract in 1995 – vetoing any chance of a first-grade debut with the Sea Eagles.

But the 19-year-old was selected in Tonga’s World Cup squad at the end of the season, debuting in the island nation’s gallant 25-24 loss to New Zealand at Warrington and scoring two tries in a 28-all draw with Papua New Guinea.

Guttenbeil joined Auckland Warriors and gradually established himself as a permanent member of the top 17, making 14 rookie-season appearances in 1996. But a torn ACL ruined a potential Kiwis call-up at the end of the year, while a succession of injuries – including reconstructions on both shoulders and a broken leg – restricted him to just 20 games for the Warriors over the next four seasons.

The rangy forward’s luck finally changed in 2001, playing 26 games as the rebranded New Zealand Warriors qualified for the finals for the first time. He was an aggressive second-row mainstay as the club surged to the minor premiership and a grand final (a 30-8 loss to the Roosters) in 2002, prompting a belated Kiwis call-up.

Guttenbeil debuted off the bench in New Zealand’s plucky 32-24 defeat to Australia in Wellington, before starting in the one-off clash with Wales and all three Tests of the drawn series with Great Britain, and featuring from the interchange in the win over France.

He lined up at lock in the 48-6 loss to Australia in Sydney in mid-2003 and came off the bench in the stunning 30-16 upset of the Kangaroos at North Harbour at the end of the year.

An untimely injury ruled Guttenbeil out of the 2004 Anzac Test and he made himself unavailable for that year’s Tri Nations campaign, but he returned to play in both matches against Great Britain in the 2005 edition of the tournament – though he did not feature in the triumph over Australia in the Elland Road final.

The Warriors’ captain in nine matches in 2003-04, Guttenbeil wrapped up his 11-seasons tenure at the Warriors in 2006. Illustrating his durability, he played 20-plus games in his last six seasons for the club to finish with 170 appearances – the second-most in the its history at the time behind Jones and remarkable given the myriad setbacks early in his career.

Guttenbeil finished his professional career with two seasons at Castleford, helping the club win the second division title in 2007 and co-captaining the Tigers during the 2008 Super League campaign. He turned out for the All Golds in the commemorative clash with Northern Union in 2007.

Coming full circle, Guttenbeil skippered Tonga in a 2008 World Cup warm-up Test against the Kiwis and lined up in its clash with Samoa at the tournament, before coaching Point Chevalier with Stacey Jones in 2010 during a lengthy tenure as a broadcaster on SKY’s NRL coverage.