Kulikefu Finefeuiaki
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kulikefu Finefeuiaki | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 December 2003 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 105 kg (16 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 20 September 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (born 21 December 2003) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-rower for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Background
[edit]Finefeuiaki was born in Auckland and is of Tongan and Samoan descent.[2] In New Zealand he attended Kelston Primary School before making the move to Ipswich, Queensland with his family when was 11 years old.[3]
In Ipswich he played his junior rugby league for the Redbank Plains Bears and attended Ipswich State High School before being signed by the North Queensland Cowboys.[4]
Playing career
[edit]Early career
[edit]In 2020 and 2021, Finefeuiaki played for the Ipswich Jets in the Mal Meninga Cup.[5][6][7]
In 2022, he moved to Townsville, joining the Cowboys' Young Guns squad.[8][9] That season he played for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup and Hastings Deering Colts, starting at second-row in the Blackhawks' Colts Grand Final win over the Redcliffe Dolphins.[10][11] In June 2022, he represented Queensland under-19 in their loss to New South Wales.[12]
2023
[edit]In April, Finefeuiaki was upgraded to a development contract, joining the Cowboys NRL squad.[13]
In round 10 of the 2023 NRL season, Finefeuiaki made his first grade debut in North Queensland's 20–6 win over the Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium.[14] In round 16, he scored his first try in the top grade as North Queensland defeated Penrith 27-23 in golden point extra-time.[15] He played a total of 12 games for North Queensland in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 11th on the table.[16]
2024
[edit]On April 24th, the Dolphins announced Finefeuiaki had signed a three-year contract with the team from 2025.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Kulikefu Finefeuiaki - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Cowboys wrecking ball that 'gives Dearden nightmares'". Code Sports. 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Kulikefu Finefeuiaki". NQ Cowboy.
- ^ "Rising schoolboy footballer inspired after NRL contract". The Courier Mail. 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Ipswich State High's best school sport stars revealed". The Courier Mail. 13 July 2020.
- ^ "QRL U18 Mal Meninga Cup - 2021 Round 1". LeagueUnlimited. 2 March 2021.
- ^ "QRL U18 Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup - 2020 Round 1". LeagueUnlimited. 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Kuli 'is just a good, hard runner of the football'". QRL. 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Updated Young Guns team list: Trial v Mackay Cutters". NQ Cowboys. 26 February 2022.
- ^ "QRL U21 Hastings Deering Colts - 2022 Grand Final". LeagueUnlimited. 20 September 2022.
- ^ "How colossal Cowboys prospect Kulikefu Finefeuiaki overcame adversity for Queensland debut". Townsville Bulletin. 1 February 2023.
- ^ "QRL confirms Queensland Under 19 men's squad". QRL. 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Cowboys blood imposing Finefeuiaki for Roosters clash". Yahoo Sport. 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Cowboys team list: Round 10 v Roosters". NQ Cowboys. 2 May 2023.
- ^ "NRL ScoreCentre: North Queensland Cowboys vs Penrith Panthers — live scores, stats and results". www.abc.net.au.
- ^ "NRL 2023: North Queensland Cowboys season review". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "Finefeuiaki to join Dolphins from 2025". www.dolphinsnrl.com.au.