Connelly Lemuelu

Last updated

Connelly Lemuelu
Connelly Lemuelu.jpg
Personal information
Born (1998-07-07) 7 July 1998 (age 25)
Auckland, New Zealand
Height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight106 kg (16 st 10 lb)
Playing information
Position Second-row, Centre, Prop
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2020–22 North Qld Cowboys 2440016
2023– Dolphins 2680032
Total50120048
Representative
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2023– Samoa 10000
Source: [1]
As of 9 May 2024

Connelly Lemuelu (born 7 July 1998) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-rower for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Contents

He previously played for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL as a centre, and has represented Samoa internationally.

Background

Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Lemuelu played rugby union for Papatoetoe before moving to Australia as a fifteen-year old to attend Keebra Park State High School. [2] While at Keebra Park, he signed with the Wests Tigers.

Playing career

Early career (2016-2019)

In 2016, Lemuelu was a member of Keebra Park's rugby league team. In the Queensland state championship game, he kicked the winning field goal in a 27–26 win over Coombabah State High School. [3] On 14 September 2016, he started at fullback in Keebra Park's 24–26 loss to Westfields Sports High School in the GIO Schoolboy Cup final, scoring two tries. [4]

In 2017, Lemuelu moved to Sydney, joining the Wests Tigers under-20 side. [5] In 2019, after two seasons with the Tigers, Lemuelu joined the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, playing for their New South Wales Cup side. On 3 July 2019, he was elevated to the Bulldogs' NRL squad, signing a development contract. [6]

On 29 October 2019, he signed a two-year deal with the North Queensland Cowboys. [7]

North Queensland Cowboys (2020-2022)

Lemuelu representing Samoa in 2022 Connelly Lemuelu.jpg
Lemuelu representing Samoa in 2022

In February, Lemuelu was a member of the Cowboys' 2020 NRL Nines winning squad. [8] On 22 February, he started on the wing in the Cowboys 18–16 pre-season trial win over the Brisbane Broncos, scoring a try. [9] He started the 2020 season playing for the Cowboys' Queensland Cup feeder club, the Northern Pride. [10]

In Round 6 of the 2020 NRL season, Lemuelu made his NRL debut against the Wests Tigers. [11] In Round 14, he scored his first NRL try in a 30–31 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. [12]

In 2021, Lemuelu played thirteen matches and scored one try for North Queensland. In 2022, he played four matches and scored two tries.

International

After missing out on initial international selection, he was called up as a replacement into the Samoa squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup – Men's tournament in late 2022. [13]

Dolphins (2023-present)

In round 1 of the 2023 NRL season, Lemuelu made his club debut for the Dolphins and scored a try in their inaugural game in the national competition, defeating the Sydney Roosters 28-18 at Suncorp Stadium. [14] In round 9, he scored two tries in the Dolphins 30-31 loss to the Canberra Raiders at McDonalds Park, Wagga Wagga. [15] [16] In total, Lemuelu played twenty-three games and scored seven tries for the Dolphins in 2023.

Achievements and accolades

Team

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Te'o</span> GB & England (RU) & Samoa (RL) international rugby footballer

Ben Te'o is a former professional rugby union and rugby league footballer who last played as a second-rower for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dane Gagai</span> Australian rugby league footballer (born 1991)

Dane Gagai is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre and winger for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for Australia and the New Zealand Maori at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Roberts (rugby league)</span> Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer

James Roberts is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a centre for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Nicholls (rugby league)</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Mark Nicholls is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Milford</span> Samoa international rugby league footballer

Anthony Milford is an Australian Samoan international rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth and halfback for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Hampton</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Ben Hampton is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played as a utility for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Kyle Feldt is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenko Lee</span> Tonga international rugby league footballer (born 1995)

Brenko Lee is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre and winger in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agnatius Paasi</span> Tonga international rugby league footballer

Agnatius Paasi is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for St Helens in the Betfred Super League and Tonga at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euan Aitken</span> Scotland international rugby league footballer

Euan Aitken is a Scotland international rugby league footballer who plays as a second-rower or centre for the Dolphins in the NRL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Jennings (rugby league)</span> Tonga international rugby league footballer

Robert Jennings is a Tongan international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger and centre for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JJ Collins</span> Australian rugby league footballer

JJ CollinsnéFelise is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Dolphins as a prop in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Opacic</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Tom Opacic is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Hull Kingston Rovers in the Betfred Super League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Fifita (rugby league, born 2000)</span> Tonga international rugby league footballer

David Fifita is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a second-rower for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League (NRL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Taulagi</span> Australia international rugby league footballer

Murray Taulagi is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or centre for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL. He has played for both Australia and Samoa at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hola</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Peter Hola is a professional rugby league footballer who currently plays as a prop for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL).

The 2020 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 26th in the club's history. Coached by Paul Green and captained by Michael Morgan, they competed in the NRL's 2020 Telstra Premiership. The 2020 season was the club's first at their new home ground, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, after 25 seasons at Willows Sports Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, also known by the nickname of "Hammer", is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Daejarn Asi is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth and centre for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolphins (NRL)</span> Australian Rugby League club, based in Brisbane

The Dolphins are a professional rugby league football team, based in the Redcliffe Peninsula area of the City of Moreton Bay, that competes in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL).

References

  1. ↑ RLP
  2. ↑ "An only child who left his parents in New Zealand, Connelly Lemuelu has a lot to play for". 5 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "2016 State Champions". 8 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Keebra Park defeated in 2016 GIO National Schoolboys Final". 14 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "NYC Team Announcement: Round 13". 30 May 2017.
  6. ↑ "Emerging talent added to Development List". 3 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "Cowboys sign Lemuelu". 29 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "Cowboys out gun Dragons in the West". 15 February 2020.
  9. ↑ "Cowboys welcome back Cotter in win over Broncos". 22 February 2020.
  10. ↑ "Pride sweat on injured pair". 15 March 2020.
  11. ↑ "NRL team list : Round 6 v Tigers". 16 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "Reynolds kicks Rabbitohs to third straight win". League Unlimited. 15 August 2020.
  13. ↑ Full list of every squad at the Rugby League World Cup 2021
  14. ↑ "'I don't want to take the gloss off... but': Kenty's warning for Dolphins after historic first-up win". www.foxsports.com.au. 6 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "Raiders v Dolphins".
  16. ↑ "Canberra Raiders vs. Dolphins score, result, highlights: Jack Wighton stars in golden point win". www.sportingnews.com. 29 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.