Eto Nabuli

Eto Nabuli
Nabuli playing for the Windsor Wolves in 2013.
Personal information
Full name Etonia Nabuli[1]
Born (1988-08-24) 24 August 1988
Sigatoka, Fiji
Height 197 cm (6 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Weight 105 kg (16 st 7 lb; 231 lb)
Playing information
Rugby league
Position Wing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2015 St George Illawarra 13 7 0 0 28
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2014–15 Fiji 2 0 0 0 0
Rugby union
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2016– Queensland Country
2016– Queensland Reds 15 1 0 0 5
Total 15 1 0 0 5
As of 5 September 2015
Source: [2]

Etonia Nabuli (born 24 August 1988) is a Fijian professional rugby footballer who currently plays rugby union for the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby. He previously played rugby league for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League as a winger, also representing Fiji.

Background

Nabuli was born in Sigatoka, Fiji.

In 2012, after coincidentally bumping into Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler while working as a porter at InterContinental in Fiji, Nabuli joined the Penrith Panthers for the 2013 NRL season. Johns and Fittler were in Fiji promoting rugby league, when the two first noticed Nabuli and decided to bring him to Australia to play rugby league.[3] Nabuli says he had only played rugby union prior to coming to Australia in late December 2012.[4]

Rugby league career

2013

Nabuli was a regular player for the Windsor Wolves in the New South Wales Cup during the 2013 season, finishing as the competition's leading try-scorer, with 30 tries.[5] On 23 September 2013, he was named on the wing in the 2013 New South Wales Cup Team of the Year.[6][7]

2014

In February 2014, he was included in the Penrith Panthers' 16-man squad that participated in the 2014 Auckland Nines competition.[8] He sustained a medial collateral ligament injury on his left knee during the competition's quarter-final.[9]

In May, Nabuli played for Fiji in the 2014 Pacific Rugby League International. On 28 September, he played in the Panthers' 2014 New South Wales Cup Grand Final win over the Newcastle Knights.[10]

2015

On 27 October, Nabuli signed a 1-year contract with the St. George Illawarra Dragons, starting in 2015,[11] after rejecting interest from Super Rugby team, the Western Force.[12] In round 1 of the 2015 NRL season, he made his NRL debut for the Dragons, against the Melbourne Storm,[13] scoring a try on debut.[14] On 2 May, he played for Fiji against Papua New Guinea in the 2015 Melanesian Cup.[15] On 14 June, he re-signed with the Dragons on a 1-year contract.[16] He finished off his debut season having played in 13 games and scoring 7 tries.[17]

Rugby union career

2016

In September, it was confirmed that Nabuli would join Super Rugby side, Queensland Reds from 2016 on a two-year contract,[18] after being released from the final year of his Dragons contract.

After the first 12 rounds of Super rugby, Wallabies coach, Michael Cheika. selected Nabuli in his preliminary 39-man squad for their upcoming tests against England.[19] He was cut from the squad in June, without having played for the Wallabies.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Etonia Nabuli goes from carrying bags at a Fiji hotel to grand final with Penrith after being discovered by Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  2. ↑ Rugby League Project
  3. ↑ Rothfield, Phil (9 December 2012). "Penrith sign Fijian hotel porter sight unseen on recommendation of Brad Fittler and Andrew Johns". Fox Sports.
  4. ↑ Walshaw, Nick (29 December 2012). "Etonia Nabuli, spotted in Fiji by Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler, ready to start life at Panthers". Herald Sun.
  5. ↑ Ryan, Nathan (28 November 2013). "Penrith Panthers speedster Eto Nabuli set to fly in the NRL come season 2014". Fox Sports.
  6. ↑ "NSW Cup Team of the Year - Panthers". Penrithpanthers.com.au. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  7. ↑ "2013 NSWRL.com.au VB NSW Cup Team of the Year - Announcement". NSWRL. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  8. ↑ "Auckland Nines Team Announcement". Penrith Panthers. 12 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "Injury Update". Penrith Panthers. 20 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "VB NSW Cup Grand Final Preview". NRL.com. 2014-09-25. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  11. ↑ "Sign Eto Nabuli". Dragons.com.au. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  12. ↑ Ben Horne (2014-10-07). "Fijian Nabuli signs with NRL Dragons". News.smh.com.au. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  13. ↑ "Late Mail: Round 1 v Melbourne Storm". Dragons.com.au. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  14. ↑ "NRL 2015 - Round 1". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  15. ↑ "Representative Round team lists". NRL.com. 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  16. ↑ "Re-Sign Nabuli". Dragons.com.au. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  17. ↑ "Custom Match List". Rugby League Project. 2015-10-31. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  18. ↑ Lutton, Phil (15 September 2015). "Queensland Reds sign St George Illawarra Dragons winger Eto Nabuli". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  19. ↑ "Wallabies v England June 2016 Test series squad announced by Michael Cheika". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
  20. ↑ http://www.rugby.com.au/en/news/2016/06/03/05/36/hodge-survives-first-wallabies-cut

External links

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