Atelea Vea
Encyclopedia
Atelea Vea is a Tonga
n professional rugby league
footballer who currently plays for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League
(NRL). He is by preference a second-row but can also play at loose forward. He has previously played for the Melbourne Storm
and the Cronulla Sharks. He made his first-grade début for the Sharks in 2009. He was selected to play for Tonga
in the 2009 Pacific Cup
.
, in a round 10 loss, a game in which he came on off the interchange bench. He then featured in the 26–4 loss at home to the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the next round, where he was again on the bench. His first start for the Sharks came when the side hit something of a run of form. He started at in the second-row in a narrow 13–10 win over the Parramatta Eels
, and he kept his starting place in wins over New Zealand Warriors
(18–10), Canberra Raiders
(24–22) and the thumping 46–16 thrashing of Brisbane Broncos
, all of which were consecutive appearances. He was, in round 16 at the Sydney Roosters
, shuffled to lock, where the Sharks lost their first game in four. He then had to wait another 10 rounds before being selected again, in the 26–24 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs
.
In 2011, he played for the Melbourne Storm
team, playing 9 games for the team, with all appearances of the bench. His performance in a losing effort in Round 26 against the Sydney Roosters was praised by coach Craig Bellamy given the injury toll on the night.
He has signed to play for the St George Illawarra Dragons
in 2012.
, where Vea scored a try. As Tonga did not progress to the final, Vea's next game was in the third/fourth place play-off loss to Fiji
.
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
n professional rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer who currently plays for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
(NRL). He is by preference a second-row but can also play at loose forward. He has previously played for the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
and the Cronulla Sharks. He made his first-grade début for the Sharks in 2009. He was selected to play for Tonga
Tonga national rugby league team
The Tonga national rugby league team is a national sporting side, representing Tonga in rugby league football. Rugby league is a popular sport in Tonga, and the national team has become one of the best performed nations in the world...
in the 2009 Pacific Cup
2009 Pacific Cup
-Semifinals:-Third place Playoff:-Final:-Telecast Details:The Pacific Cup will be shown in the UK, Australia, and throughout the Pacific.*In Australia all matches will be broadcast by NRL.com while the Nine Network will show a one hour highlight package each weekend.*In Britain matches will be...
.
First-grade games
Vea made his first-grade debut for the Sharks away to the Penrith PanthersPenrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
, in a round 10 loss, a game in which he came on off the interchange bench. He then featured in the 26–4 loss at home to the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the next round, where he was again on the bench. His first start for the Sharks came when the side hit something of a run of form. He started at in the second-row in a narrow 13–10 win over the Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
, and he kept his starting place in wins over New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
(18–10), Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
(24–22) and the thumping 46–16 thrashing of Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
, all of which were consecutive appearances. He was, in round 16 at the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
, shuffled to lock, where the Sharks lost their first game in four. He then had to wait another 10 rounds before being selected again, in the 26–24 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
.
In 2011, he played for the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
team, playing 9 games for the team, with all appearances of the bench. His performance in a losing effort in Round 26 against the Sydney Roosters was praised by coach Craig Bellamy given the injury toll on the night.
He has signed to play for the St George Illawarra Dragons
St George Illawarra Dragons
The St George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing the St. George and Illawarra regions. They have competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 as a joint venture between Sydney's historic St. George Dragons club and 1982 expansion club, the...
in 2012.
Representative career
He made his international début in a 44–14 defeat to Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea national rugby league team
The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea internationally in the sport of rugby league football.In Papua New Guinea, Rugby league is highly popular and is regarded as the country’s national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls...
, where Vea scored a try. As Tonga did not progress to the final, Vea's next game was in the third/fourth place play-off loss to Fiji
Fiji national rugby league team
-Competitions:Fiji have participated in:*Pacific Cup *World Cup *World Sevens *Superleague World Nines *Superleague Oceania Tournament *Pacific Rim Competition -Results:...
.