Name Raymond Faitala-Mariner Role Rugby Player | Height 1.86 m Weight 105 kg | |
Raymond Faitala Mariner Highlights | The Rise of RFM
Raymond Faitala-Mariner (born 26 July 1993) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League. A Samoan international representative, he plays at second-row and lock, and previously played for the New Zealand Warriors.
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Early years
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Faitala-Mariner is of Samoan descent. Faitala-Mariner attended Edgewater College and played his junior rugby league for Otahuhu Leopards before being signed by the New Zealand Warriors.
Playing career
Faitala-Mariner played in the Warriors' Holden Cup team in 2012 and 2013, as well as in the New South Wales Cup with the Auckland Vulcans in late 2013. Faitala-Mariner played at second-row in the Junior Warriors 2013 Holden Cup grand final match against the Penrith Panthers, scoring a try in the 30-42 loss. On 13 October 2013, Faitala-Mariner played for the Junior Kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos at second-row in the Kiwis' 26-38 loss. In 2014 Faitala-Mariner joined the Warriors' full-time squad and played in the 2014 Auckland Nines and played in 23 New South Wales Cup matches for the Warriors. On 21 September 2014, Faitala-Mariner was named at second-row in the 2014 New South Wales Cup Team of the Year.
2015
In round 8 of the 2015 NRL season, Faitala-Mariner made his first grade NRL debut for the New Zealand Warriors against the Gold Coast Titans off the interchange bench in the Warriors' 28-32 loss at Mt Smart Stadium. Faitala-Mariner became the Warriors 200th debutant. In round 15, against the Gold Coast Titans, Faitala-Mariner scored his first NRL career try in the Warriors 36-14 win at Cbus Super Stadium. He finished his debut year in the NRL having played in 11 matches and scoring a try.
2016
On 5 April, after playing one match for the Warriors that season, Faitala-Mariner was released in an exchange for Shaun Lane as part of a deal between the Warriors and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. In round 9, against the Parramatta Eels, Faitala-Mariner made his club debut for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the 12-20 loss at ANZ Stadium. On 7 May 2016, Faitala-Mariner made his international debut for Samoa, playing against Tonga in the 2016 Polynesian Cup off the interchange bench in the 18-6 win at Parramatta Stadium. Faitala-Mariner finished his early season move to the Bulldogs in the 2016 NRL season with him playing in 14 matches. On 8 October 2016, Faitala-Mariner represented Samoa in the Samoa vs. Fiji test match, where he started at second-row in the 20-18 loss in Apia, Samoa.
