Nixon Putt

Nixon Putt

Personal information
Born	(1996-03-03) 3 March 1996 (age 28) Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	96 kg (15 st 2 lb)
Playing information
Position	Second-row, Lock, Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2017–18 PNG Hunters 46 5 0 0 20 2019–20 Norths Devils 21 8 0 0 32 2021–23 Central Queensland Capras 57 14 0 0 56 2024– Castleford Tigers 4 0 0 0 0 2024(DR) → Newcastle Thunder 1 0 0 0 0 Total 129 27 0 0 108 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2017– Papua New Guinea 14 5 0 0 16 2019– Papua New Guinea 9s 3 1 0 0 4 2022 PNG Prime Minister's XIII 1 0 0 0 0
As of 17 March 2024

Nixon Putt (born 3 March 1996) is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League and Papua New Guinea at international level.

He has previously played for the Central Queensland Capras, the Norths Devils and the PNG Hunters in the Queensland Cup. He has spent time on dual registration from Castleford at Newcastle Thunder in League 1. He has represented the PNG Kumuls at international level, as part of the 2017 and 2021 squads for the Rugby League World Cup.

Background

Putt was born in Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea.

Playing career

2017

Putt made his international debut for Papua New Guinea against the Cook Islands on 7 May 2017, in the Pacific Test at Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney. ^[1]

2018

In 2018, at the end-of-year PNG Hunters awards presentation, he was awarded the Stan Joyce medal for the Player of the Year award. In the same year, he was signed by the Norths Devils for the 2019 Intrust Super Cup competition. ^[2]

2019

Putt played in every game and was awarded the best forward for the Norths Devils in the end of year club awards presentation. He was also selected to represent Papua New Guinea Kumuls for the inaugural Rugby League World Cup 9s to be hosted in Sydney, Australia. ^[3]

2022

In the final group stage game at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, Putt scored two tries for Papua New Guinea in the 36–0 victory over Wales. ^[4]

2023

On 29 September 2023, the Castleford Tigers announced the signing of Putt on a two-year deal from the 2024 Super League season. ^{[5] [6]} He described the move as a "dream come true"; "I'm really keen to introduce myself to the Cas fans. I'll play my footy, and my footy will tell the fans how I play, and get their support." ^[7]

2024

Putt was assigned squad number 17 ahead of the 2024 season. ^[8] He made his Super League debut for Castleford in round 1 against the Wigan Warriors. ^[9]

References

1. Taule, Troy (29 April 2017). "PNG Kumuls team named for Pacific Test". Loop PNG. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
2. "Nixon puts in award-winning performance". 20 October 2018.
3. "PNG name teams for upcoming Nines tournament". 2 October 2019.
4. "Rugby League World Cup: Papua New Guinea 36-0 Wales - Kumuls seal quarter-final against England". BBC Sport. 31 October 2022.
5. "Putt joins the Fords". Castleford Tigers. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
6. "Castleford Tigers: Putt and El-Zakhem join, new contract for Joe Westerman". BBC Sport. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
7. Olawumi, Ben (29 September 2023). "Castleford Tigers: Super League move a 'dream come true' for newly recruited Papua New Guinea ace". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
8. Darbyshire, Drew (20 January 2024). "Castleford Tigers 2024 squad numbers: 11 new signings receive their jerseys, with 31 shirts handed out". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
9. Freeman, Jay (17 February 2024). "Super League: Castleford Tigers 4-32 Wigan Warriors - Reigning champions begin with hard-earned win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2024.

External links

• 2017 RLWC profile
• 2021 RLWC profile