Patrick Kaufusi
 Kaufusi playing for the Queensland Under-20s team in 2013. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 18 February 1994 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 103 kg (16 st 3 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 27 March 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Patrick Kaufusi (born 18 February 1994) is a Tongan international rugby league footballer who plays for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League. He plays as a prop and previously played for the North Queensland Cowboys.
Background
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Kaufusi is of Tongan descent and moved to Queensland, Australia at a young age, playing his junior rugby league for the Bundaberg Brothers, before being signed by the North Queensland Cowboys.
From 2012 to 2014, Kaufusi played for the North Queensland Cowboys' NYC team.[2] On 20 April 2013, he played for the Queensland Under-20s team against the New South Wales Under-20s team.[3] On 3 October 2013, he re-signed with the Cowboys on a 3-year contract.[4] In September 2014, Kaufusi was named in the Junior Kangaroos train-on squad.[5] In 2015, he moved on to the Cowboys' Queensland Cup team, Northern Pride RLFC.[6]
Playing career
2015
In Round 16 of the 2015 NRL season, Kaufusi made his NRL debut for the Cowboys against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.[7]
2016
In Round 7 of the 2016 NRL season, Kaufusi played his second NRL game, coming off the bench in the Cowboys' 44-18 win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs.[8][9] On 7 May, he made his international debut for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup.[10]
Kaufusi played 12 games for the Cowboys in 2016, coming off the interchange bench in all 12.[11]
2017
Kaufusi started the 2017 NRL season coming off the bench for the Cowboys. After starting prop and co-captain Matthew Scott tore his ACL in Round 2, Kaufusi moved into the starting line-up for the first time. In Round 3, he started his first NRL game, a 30-8 loss to the Manly Sea Eagles. On 6 May, he represented Tonga in the 2017 Pacific Test against Fiji. He broke his foot in the fixture, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.[12]
On 1 September, Melbourne Storm head coach Craig Bellamy confirmed that Kaufusi would join the club in 2018.[13]
2018
Round 16, Kaufusi made his Melbourne Storm debut against Roosters at the Adelaide Oval. Patrick becomes the third Kaufusi to play for the Melbourne Storm, after a his brother Antonio and Felise.
Statistics
NRL
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | North Queensland | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | North Queensland | 12 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | North Queensland | 9 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 |
| Career totals | 22 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
International
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Tonga | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Tonga | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career totals | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
Personal life
Kaufusi is the younger brother of former Australian and Queensland representative Antonio Kaufusi and current Melbourne Storm player Felise Kaufusi.[14]
References
- ^ "Patrick Kaufusi - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ^ "K". Nycdatabase.org. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ "Under 20's Origin squads named". NRL.com. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "Kaufusi lands Cowboys NRL contract | NRL". Zerotackle.com. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ "Nine added to Junior Kangaroos train-on squad". NRL.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ "Intrust Super Cup Round 14 teams". QRL.com.au. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ "Team list: Cowboys v Sharks". Cowboys.com.au. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ NRL. "Team list: Cowboys v Rabbitohs". Cowboys. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ "Classy Cowboys too good for Souths". NRL.com. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ "Samoa holds on in pulsating Pacific Test". nrl.com. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ^ "Custom Match List". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ http://www.sportingnews.com/au/league/news/patrick-kaufusi-north-queensland-cowboys-season-injury-nrl/1ou5j3ui1fbbm1w3frk6dkz4c9
- ^ http://www.nrl.com/patrick-kaufusi-set-to-join-storm/tabid/10874/newsid/111654/default.aspx
- ^ "Kaufusi in line to make NRL debut". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 27 June 2015.