Born: 26 July, 1993 – Auckland Test record: 1 Test (2018) – 0 points
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs back-rower Raymond Faitala-Mariner’s sole appearance for New Zealand came in 2018, featuring in the historic Denver-hosted Test against England.
The Otahuhu Leopards junior played for the Warriors’ NYC team in 2012-13, representing the Junior Kiwis in the latter year. He made his NRL debut in 2015 but left midway through the following season to take up a deal with the Bulldogs.
Faitala-Mariner played for Samoa against Tonga and Fiji in 2016 while establishing himself as a first-grade regular.
With several top-liners unavailable, the 24-year-old answered the call in 2018 to head to the United States with the Kiwis. He started in the second-row in a late switch and racked up 13 runs for 108 metres as New Zealand went down to England 36-18 at Mile High Stadium.
Faitala-Mariner represented Samoa against Papua New Guinea in 2019 and belatedly brought up his 100th NRL appearance in 2022 after a foot injury had kept him on the sidelines for 14 months.
