Taioalo Vaivai
 | ||||||
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Taioalo Junior Vaivai | |||||
| Nickname | Junz | |||||
| Born | 18 January 1990 New Zealand | |||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | |||||
| Weight | 100 kg (15 st 10 lb) | |||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Position | Centre | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 2009–11 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2011–12 | Penrith Panthers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
Taioalo "Junior" Vaivai is a Samoan professional Rugby League player, formerly with the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League. His position of choice is at centre but he is also capable of filling in on the wing and five eighth.
He made his debut in Round 23 2009 for the South Sydney Rabbitohs against the Penrith Panthers and scored a try, however the Rabbitohs were thumped 40-10.[1] His call up to the first grade squad was due to his outstanding performances for the Rabbitohs in the Toyota Cup in the same season. He led the Toyota Cup competition in line breaks and was equal third highest try scorer on 20 tries.
He was selected in the Samoan train on squad in 2010.[2]
In 2011 Vaivai signed with the Penrith Panthers after speculation he was heading to Parramatta Eels after he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend and released from the Rabbitohs.
For season 2013, Vaivai has signed on with the Illawarra Cutters in the New South Wales Cup. The Cutters are the feeder team for the St. George Illawarra Dragons.[3]
In 2016 he was named in the USA Hawks squad for the Americas Cup for which he qualified through his American Samoa born grandmother.[4]
Early years and personal life
He played his junior rugby league with the Goodna Eagles in Brisbane and also played for the Easts Tigers.[5] His cousin is Dwayne Johnson[6]
References
- ↑ "Panthers 40 defeat Rabbitohs 10". South Sydney Rabbitohs. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ↑ "Samoa Online". Wsamoa.ws. 2007-06-15. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ↑ "GALLERY: Illawarra Cutters aiming higher". Illawarra Mercury. 2013-01-10. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ↑ "USA Rugby League | American Rugby League « Uncategorized « Junior Vaivai excited to play for USA this weekend". USARL.com. 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ↑
- ↑ http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/4154197/the-only-reason-i-kept-playing-was-because-of-dwayne/?cs=2382