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Ben Murdoch-Masila

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Ben Murdoch-Masila
Personal information
Born (1991-02-07) 7 February 1991 (age 33)
East Auckland, New Zealand
Height186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight114 kg (17 st 13 lb)
Playing information
PositionProp, Second-row, Lock
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2010–13 Wests Tigers 52 7 0 0 28
2014–15 Penrith Panthers 6 0 0 0 0
2016– Salford Red Devils 32 6 0 0 24
Total 90 13 0 0 52
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2013–15 Tonga 5 0 0 0 0
As of 17 October 2015

Ben Murdoch-Masila (born 7 February 1991) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League. He plays at prop, second-row and lock and previously played for the Wests Tigers and Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League.

Career

Murdoch-Masila played junior football with Otahuhu Black. He undertook a scholarship with Wests Tigers at Keebra Park High School and was a member of the team that won the 2009 Arrive Alive Cup.[1] Murdoch-Masila weighed 150 kg when he arrived at Keebra Park, dropping 40 kg before he joined the Wests Tigers NYC team.[2]

Murdoch-Masila made his NRL debut in the first round of the 2010 NRL semi finals against the Sydney Roosters.[3] He is one of very few players to have made his first appearance in a finals match.[4]

In 2011, Murdoch-Masila made a further seven appearances, and may have made more if not for injuries. At the end of the season he was selected for the Junior Kiwis.[5]

A regular on the bench in 2012, Murdoch-Masila played in 20 games for the season and scored five tries, including a double against the Eels. He also signed an extension to stay with the club until the end of 2015, with coach Tim Sheens saying, "There is no doubt Ben has enormous talent and potential. He is a strike weapon and can become a top line player of the game with the right kind of commitment to his training regime."[6]

Missing only one game, Murdoch-Masila was one of the most regular first grade players for Wests Tigers in 2013. He started the season playing from the reserve bench, but started in the back row in the last 5 games of the season. In April, Murdoch-Masila made his international debut, playing in the Pacific Rugby League International for the Tongan side that thrashed Samoa 36–4.[7] He was chosen to represent Tonga in the 2013 World Cup, but a leg injury in his first hit-up of the tournament saw him take no further part.[8]

On 30 April 2014, Murdoch-Masila signed a 1+1⁄2-year contract effective immediately with the Penrith Panthers, after being released from the final year and a half of his Tigers contract.[9]

On 2 May 2015, Murdoch-Masila played for Tonga in their Polynesian Cup clash with Pacific rivals Samoa. During the 2015 season, he did not play any NRL games for the Panthers and was not re-signed beyond 2015.[10] On 17 October 2015, Murdoch-Masila played for Tonga in their Asia-Pacific Qualifier match against the Cook Islands for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.

References

  1. ^ "Ben Murdoch-Masila". weststigers.com.au. Retrieved 29 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Jake Dew. "Weight loss turns Ben into big winner". goldcoast.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ [1] Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Glenn Jackson (13 September 2010). "Rookie proves he's worth his salt in 100-minute blockbuster". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 15 September 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Junior Kiwis dominated by NYC Grand Finalists rleague.com, 5 October 2011
  6. ^ "Ben Murdoch-Masila signs on until the end of 2015". weststigers.com.au. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  7. ^ Adrian Warren (20 April 2013). "Tonga smashes Samoa in a chaotic league Test shutout at Penrith's Centrebet Stadium". Fox Sports. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  8. ^ Steve Mascord (30 October 2013). "RLWC: Scotland upset Tonga with late try". Border Mail. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  9. ^ "Panthers sign Ben Murdoch-Masila | NRL". Zero Tackle. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Panthers farewell departing players | NRL". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 1 October 2015.

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