The New Zealand Warriors have beaten the Parramatta Eels 24-4 in the trial at Rotorua today, with the bulk of the Warriors points arriving in the second half.
Rookie Glen Fisiiahi was again a stand-out, scoring two tries in the second half, with former Eel, Krisnan Inu also getting on the scoresheet against his former club.
With James Maloney out of the clash due to illness, it was Isaac John who stepped up in his place to captain Elijah Taylor in the halves.
Also, for the first time, brothers Sam and Steve Rapira played together for the Warriors, after having previously done so for the junior Kiwis in 2005.
Despite the Eels loss, captain Luke Burt was proud of the effort from the younger players, and believes that the game was a good learning curve for the players.
“I have certainly grown from that (Origin) and on the back of being involved at the elite level with the Origin side,” Meninga said.
“It has rebuilt my confidence and enabled me to think about how I want to go about coaching. I think I have found the right formula, my philosophy, how I want to be.
“One of the things I need to do is be myself. I feel I am more comfortable with myself, I know myself better, I know how to react to things and behave.
“The thing about coaching is you have to have control of you. You have to have in-depth knowledge of how you handle things.
“When I was playing I was calm. That’s me. I believe the players are a reflection of you on the football field. You have to be composed on the field and be able to think clearly.”