The Maori All Stars were too strong for the Indigenous All Stars in Saturday’s showcase clash, winning 16-10 at CommBank Stadium.
While the Indigenous side opened the scoring through Jesse Ramien, three consecutive tries from Kodi Nikorima, Esan Marsters and Joseph Tapine gave the Maori side a buffer than they’d never concede.
A late try from St George Illawarra’s Tyrell Sloane brought the scoreline back to just one converted try, but the Maori held on in a thrilling finish to hold out and take the game by six points.
The star of the show was Canberra’s Tapine, who claimed the Preston Campbell Medal for his one-try, 125 run metres Man of The Match performance.
While Tapine’s game will have Raiders fans excited for the upcoming season, they’ll equally have their concerns surrounding Jordan Rapana.
The winger found himself in strife after twice being reported for shoulder charges during the clash.
With one of the incidents resulting in a sin-bin, Rapana could face up to a month on the sidelines as he has two previous grade-one offences on his record.
In the proceeding women’s clash, the Indigenous All Stars won 18-8 against the Maori Ferns, with St George Illawarra’s Jaime Chapman winning the Trish Hina Medal for Player of the Match.
The rugby league community now turns their attention to the beginning of the 2022 NRL season, which kicks off when reigning premiers Penrith host Manly on March 10.