ually relegated Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen behind both R

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 Stats Juan Foyth Hotspur Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. 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Christian Horner thinks qualifying is the only area Max Verstappen is currently failing to match Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo.Verstappen has vindicated Red Bulls decision to promote him from Toro Rosso earlier this season, winning his first race in Barcelona and being named Driver of the Day in three of the five races hes had at the team. Though he is yet to out-qualify Ricciardo, whose record against Daniil Kvyat and Verstappen on Saturdays this year currently stands at 9-0, Horner thinks improvements will come with time.Reflecting on whether Verstappen is out-driving Ricciardo after his strong drive to second in Austria, Horner said: Hes been racing in the past two or three races very strong and very good on the tyre. He is under pressure as well but it doesnt faze him.He has got a bit of work to do on the quali side which Daniel is right at the top of his game but it is great to have two drivers so evenly matched and pushing each other. I think it will come with experience.Verstappens result in Austria hinged on a 56-lap stint on the soft tyre and an early stop which eventually relegated Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen behind both Red Bulls. Though it was tthe key strategic call of the race Horner admits he originally expected Verstappen would need to stop again.ddddddddddddWe had track position having stopped early and at the point we hadnt planned on one stop. We had good pace, Max was catching Kimi, Daniel was going okay with Sebastian, we stopped our guys early because we thought it was going to be a two-stop but there was almost zero wear or degradation on that harder tyre and when the safety car came out we talked with the drivers and gave it a shot.With Max we made that work, with Daniel it was going along okay but as soon as he got passed by Kimi there was no point in taking the risk so we bunged on a set of ultra-softs for the last 10 or so laps.Asked if he was surprised by Ferraris decision not to cover off Verstappen with Raikkonen, he said: Yes and no. They were set out on a one stop and we set out at that point of the race on a two stop but then the way the tyres were behaving in that temperature we had to change our plan and it opened the window to us for the one stop. ' ' '