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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Junior Tupou | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 July 2002 Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (190 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 4 lb (97 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing, Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 28 November 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Junior Tupou (born 29 July 2002) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL). He previously played for the Wests Tigers.
Tupou was born in New Zealand and raised in Canberra, playing both codes of rugby football. [2] He attended St. Edmund's College, where he represented the school's 1st XV at the age of 16.
Tupou made his debut in Round 10 of the 2022 NRL season (Magic Round) for the Tigers against the North Queensland Cowboys, scoring a try in the 13th minute. [3] Tupou played only four games for the Wests Tigers as the club finished bottom of the table and claimed the Wooden Spoon for the first time. [4]
In round 21 of the 2023 NRL season, Tupou scored two tries for the Wests Tigers in their 18-14 loss against St. George Illawarra. Before the game, the match was dubbed the "Spoon Bowl" by some media outlets due to the Wests Tigers being bottom of the table and St. George Illawarra sitting in second last position. [5]
Tupou was the leader for line breaks at the Wests Tigers in 2023, with 17, ranking him 19th in the entire competition. [6] He was also 25th in the NRL for tackle breaks, again best for the Tigers. [7] Tupou played a total of 22 games for the Wests Tigers in the 2023 NRL season and scored six tries as the club finished with the wooden spoon for a second straight year. [8]
On 22 December 2023, it was announced that Tupou had signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins from the 2025 season. [9] [10]
The Australian rugby league wooden spooners are the team that finished last in the premier top-grade rugby league competition in Australia, which is currently the National Rugby League, and was previously the New South Wales Rugby Football League (1908-1994), the Australian Rugby League (1995-1997), and Super League (1997). Each of these seasons is considered to represent one continuous line of competition dating back from the first season in 1908. The wooden spoon is an unofficial award, however, fans often bring "real" wooden spoons to taunt opposition sides who are struggling on the bottom of the ladder.
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