Warriors skipper Ryan Hoffman pulled rising star Bunty Afoa aside after his NRL first-grade debut and gave him one key piece of advice.If youre going to take on the line, commit.The 19-year-old Aucklander has surprised many with his seamless transition to rugby leagues top flight, impressing in an unfamiliar second-row role.But Afoa, who has scored two tries in his three NRL games, remains in awe of his more established teammates.He told NZN his fellow Warriors back-rowers have helped him transition from running the ball straight as a prop to hitting defensive gaps as a No.11.It was a dream come true when I got on, and to have Hoffy and them giving me support in that back-row position, Afoa said.Because Ive got Shaun Johnson on my side, Ive just got to commit to whatever play he gives me and take that line on because its pretty hard out the back.Life in the first grade came with challenges on and off the park, according to Afoa, but he was putting his best foot forward.His starting XIII role depended upon successfully managing injuries and recovery.Im still young and Ive still got to do the extra work to earn that spot because theres a lot of boys here who deserve the spot too, Afoa said.Its the opportunity I wanted and I took it with both hands.Hoffman thought Afoa had excelled in his role as deputy for the injured Bodene Thompson, who is expected to return in the coming weeks.I just love his attitude, hes not resting on his laurels and hes always looking to improve for next week, Hoffman said on Wednesday.Its not a position hes used to but his willingness to learn and get better is really pleasing to see.The ninth-placed Warriors head into Saturdays home match against Penrith reeling from three golden-point defeats in their past four NRL games.The Panthers, having re-signed veteran Peter Wallace and forward Trent Merrin over the week, sit in eighth on the ladder with six games to play.The match will go a long way towards determining which team squeezes into the NRL finals, with just two points separating the sides.Afoa, who made 34 tackles in his 70 minutes on the park against the Raiders last week, expects a front-row tussle at Mt Smart Stadium.Their forwards will come and play but for us, we have to play our game and put our team first, Afoa said.KEY STATS:* The Warriors have won just one of their past seven matches against the Panthers, with four of those losses by 12 points or more* The Warriors have made the fourth-most linebreaks in the NRL (5.4 per game) and also conceded the third-least metres (1358m per game)* Penrith have won just six of their 21 away games since the start of 2015Source: Fox Sports StatsQuenton Nelson Womens Jersey . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Peyton Manning Colts Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.officialindianapoliscoltspro.com/Parris-campbell-colts-jersey/ . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Custom Indianapolis Colts Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Ben Banogu Womens Jersey . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U.Welcome to the CFB Vegas rankings, an attempt to rank the top teams in college football from a Vegas perspective. They are the composite power ratings of Bruce Marshalls The Gold Sheet, Phil Steele and ESPNs Football Power Index (FPI).Alabama has been No. 1 every week thus far, and that has not changed. Its lead over Ohio State, which was down to 0.2 points two weeks ago, has since increased to 3.5 points as the Crimson Tide keeps dominating their competition.Note: All futures odds courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.1. Alabama Crimson Tide?(Rating: 64.0; LLast week: No.dddddddddddd 1)Alabamas odds to win the College Football Playoff have improved to 2-1, making the Crimson Tide the outright favorite to win it all. They covered a 13.5-point spread over a top-10 team last week against Tennessee. This week, they are a 17-point favorite over No. 6 Texas A&M, the largest any team has been favored over a top-10 team since 2013 when No. 3 Florida State was a 21.5-point favorite over No. 7 Miami. ' ' '