Māori repel Indigenous All Stars in gripping clash

Māori captain Dane Gagai delivered on a promise to win for his mother, Tania, with a try saving tackle in the dying moments of Saturday night's gripping All Stars clash at CommBank Stadium.

The Māori team hung on to win 10-6, with all points scored in the second half, but they had to survive an intense finish to the match as the Indigenous All Stars had two tries disallowed in the final minutes.

Gagai, who has Māori through his mother and Indigenous heritage through his father Ray, has represented both teams on three occasions each.

However, it was the first time he had won in a Māori jersey and he vowed before the match to triumph for Tania.

With the 21328 crowd on the edge of their seats, Gagai proved true to his word when knocked the ball from the grasp of Indigenous halfback Niwhai Puru to stop him scoring in the 78th minute.

Māori winger Will Warbrick also came up with a late trysaver when he tackled Brent Naden over the sideline. 

The opening 40 minutes may have been scoreless, but they were eventful, as both sides carried over the passion they had displayed during the haka and Indigenous war cry onto the field.

Māori fullback Kalyn Ponga showed how much the match meant to him when he put his body on the line to stop Indigenous and Rabbitohs speedster from scoring the opening try.

The Indigenous All Stars were denied another try when Josh Curran crossed in the 34th minute only for the bunker to rule that Hamiso Tabuia-Fidow held back Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad from attempting a tackle.

Any possibility of a repeat of Super League's gripping but tryless season opener, won 1-0 by Leigh against Wigan, were put paid to when Rabbitohs prop Shaquai Mitchell crashed over for the Indigenous team in the 42nd minute.

Tabuia-Fidow appeared to have scored just a few minutes later but the try was disallowed after the bunker found a mid-air knock-on as Indigenous winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira and Māori captain Dane Gagai contested a kick.

Tempers flared again as Māori players resented a lifting tackle by Sea Eagles rookie Jacob Sykes on Gagai and in the ensuing set after the penalty Broncos winger Jesse Arthurs scored.

Mawene Hiroti missed the conversion attempt from out wide but the Māori showed their intent when they drove Khan-Pereira over the sideline from the re-start.

Hiroti appeared set to score and put the Māori ahead when he raced into the clear on his own side of halfway but Wests Tigers centre Brent Naden chased hard to run him down just before the tryline.

However, it seemed only a matter of time before the Māori would break through and the try came when Arthars batted back a kick from Zach Dokkar-Clay for second-rower Jacob Laban to score.

Naden had a chance to level the scores when he dived over in the corner but Storm winger Warwick Warbrick managed to push him into touch, while Gagai knocked the ball out of the grasp of Niwhai Puru over the tryline.