Roy Asotasi
Encyclopedia
Roy Asotasi is a professional rugby league
footballer who currently captains the South Sydney Rabbitohs
of the National Rugby League
. A New Zealand
international representative prop forward, he previously played for the Bulldogs, with whom he won the 2004 NRL Premiership. He is of Samoa
n descent.
junior club in Auckland
. He then joined the Bulldogs club in 2000 as a prop forward where he was a regular member of their Flegg
team and played in the Premiership winning team against Western Suburbs
.
In 2001 he was a regular member of the Jersey Flegg Cup
team and played in the Premiership winning team against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks as a second rower.
By 2002 Asotasi became a regular member of the Bulldogs Premier League team and received the opportunity to join the highest grade of Rugby League in Australia, the NRL against Canberra
, when Glen Hughes was injured. He returned to the Premier League to play in the Preliminary Final against Penrith
but was injured and missed the Grand Final win.
In 2004 Asotasi started the season in the NRL and played every game of the season including the Premiership winning game against the Roosters
. In that same year he was also selected to play for New Zealand. He has played 14 Tests for New Zealand from 2004 to 2006.
In 2005 Asotasi played every match of the season before his sequence of 74 consecutive games was interrupted in 2006. He was injured just before the finals but returned to play in the Preliminary Final against Brisbane
.
Foundation club, South Sydney Rabbitohs
signed Roy Asotasi for the start of the 2007 NRL season where he played a major part in helping Souths
to their first finals appearance in over 2 decades by finishing in seventh position. That year Asotasi was awarded the George Piggins Medal as the club's best and fairest player for the season. He is now the captain of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He was also named the New Zealand Rugby League
's player of the year in 2007.
captain, as of the 2008 Anzac Test
Match
.
He was named in the New Zealand training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
.
However in the Round 25 clash against the Sydney Roosters
, Roy Asotasi picked up a pectoral injury and was sidelined for the remainder of the season and subsequently, took no part in New Zealand's Rugby League World Cup
success.
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 captains 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...
of 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...
. A New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
international representative prop forward, he previously played for the Bulldogs, with whom he won the 2004 NRL Premiership. He is of Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n descent.
Bulldogs
Roy Asotasi is a product of the Marist SaintsMarist Saints
The Marist Saints is a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. They regularly feature in the Fox Memorial, the premier division in Auckland Rugby League...
junior club in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. He then joined the Bulldogs club in 2000 as a prop forward where he was a regular member of their Flegg
Jersey Flegg Cup
The Jersey Flegg Cup was a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged under 20. The competition was administered by the New South Wales Rugby League and run concurrently with the National Rugby League...
team and played in the Premiership winning team against Western Suburbs
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
.
In 2001 he was a regular member of the Jersey Flegg Cup
Jersey Flegg Cup
The Jersey Flegg Cup was a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged under 20. The competition was administered by the New South Wales Rugby League and run concurrently with the National Rugby League...
team and played in the Premiership winning team against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks as a second rower.
By 2002 Asotasi became a regular member of the Bulldogs Premier League team and received the opportunity to join the highest grade of Rugby League in Australia, the NRL against Canberra
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...
, when Glen Hughes was injured. He returned to the Premier League to play in the Preliminary Final against Penrith
Penrith 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...
but was injured and missed the Grand Final win.
In 2004 Asotasi started the season in the NRL and played every game of the season including the Premiership winning game against the 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...
. In that same year he was also selected to play for New Zealand. He has played 14 Tests for New Zealand from 2004 to 2006.
In 2005 Asotasi played every match of the season before his sequence of 74 consecutive games was interrupted in 2006. He was injured just before the finals but returned to play in the Preliminary Final against Brisbane
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...
.
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...
signed Roy Asotasi for the start of the 2007 NRL season where he played a major part in helping Souths
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...
to their first finals appearance in over 2 decades by finishing in seventh position. That year Asotasi was awarded the George Piggins Medal as the club's best and fairest player for the season. He is now the captain of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He was also named the New Zealand Rugby League
New Zealand Rugby League
The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....
's player of the year in 2007.
International Representative Rugby League
Asotasi has been named the New Zealand national sideNew Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
captain, as of the 2008 Anzac Test
ANZAC Test
The Anzac Test is an annual rugby league football test match . The test match is played annually between Australia and New Zealand on or around Anzac Day for the Bill Kelly Memorial Trophy.-Origins:Australia and New Zealand had competed in Rugby League Tests since 1908...
Match
Test match (rugby league)
A Test match in rugby league football is a representative match between teams representing members of the Rugby League International Federation.The definition of a Test match differs from that of an international match...
.
He was named in the New Zealand training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
.
However in the Round 25 clash against 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...
, Roy Asotasi picked up a pectoral injury and was sidelined for the remainder of the season and subsequently, took no part in New Zealand's Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
success.
Career highlights
- Junior Club: Marist SaintsMarist SaintsThe Marist Saints is a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. They regularly feature in the Fox Memorial, the premier division in Auckland Rugby League...
- Career Stats: 140 career games to date scoring 15 tries
- Three Premierships with the Bulldogs, 2000 and 2001 (Jersey Flegg), 2004 (NRL)
- May 3, 2007: first game played in the famous red and green.
- Appointed co-captain of South Sydney
- Captain of New Zealand National Rugby League TeamNew Zealand national rugby league teamThe New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
(the Kiwis)