Omar Slaimankhel

Omar Slaimankhel

Personal information
Born	(1992-03-04) 4 March 1992 (age 31) Kalu Khurd, Pakistan
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	85 kg (13 st 5 lb)
Playing information
Rugby league
Position	Fullback, Wing
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2012 New Zealand Warriors 5 0 0 0 0
Rugby union
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2013–15 Canon Eagles 17 17 8 2 107
Source: [1] As of 15 April 2015

Omar Slaimankhel (born 4 March 1992) is a New Zealand former professional rugby footballer who last played rugby league for Western Suburbs in the Ron Massey Cup. Slaimankhel previously played in the National Rugby League for the New Zealand Warriors before switching to rugby union and playing for Japanese team, Canon Eagles. ^[2]

Early life

Slaimankhel was born in Pakistan to Afghan refugee parents. When he was two years old his family moved to New Zealand. ^[3]

Slaimankhel grew up playing rugby union until he switched codes to join the New Zealand Warriors rugby league development side. He played in the first XV for Auckland Grammar School, where he was also a track athlete and weightlifter. ^[4]

Playing career

Slaimankhel made his first grade debut for the Warriors on 16 June 2012 against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. He played five games for the Warriors before taking up a lucrative deal with Japanese rugby union club Canon Eagles. ^{[5] [6]} This stint in Japanese rugby union would ultimately be Salimankhel's last appearances in top-tier football of either code, as he never cracked another NRL side despite joining their feeder clubs.

In mid-2015 Slaimankhel returned to rugby league, signing with the Sydney Roosters. ^[7] He played for the Roosters feeder club, the Wyong Roos, in the New South Wales Cup. On 27 September, he was named at fullback in the 2015 New South Wales Cup Team of the Year. ^[8] Slaimankhel played for the Roosters in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines; however, he suffered an arm injury on the second day of competition. ^[9] Slaimankhel played for The Auburn Warriors in The NSW Ron Massey Cup competition for two seasons. After Auburn were excluded from the competition he joined The Mount Pritchard Mounties for the 2018 season. ^{[10] [11]}

In 2019, Slaimankhel joined the Western Suburbs Ron Massey Cup team. On 6 May 2019, Slaimankhel was selected for the Ron Massey Cup representative side to play against Newcastle Rebels. ^[12]

Television appearance

Slaimankhel appeared on the eighteenth season of The Block along with his friend Oz. On the show they are known as the ‘bathroom kings’ winning all bathroom related rooms. ^[13]

References

1. "Omar Slaimankhel - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
2. http://websites.sportstg.com/team_info.cgi?action=PSTATS&pID=200085475&client=1-8908-160922-404231-25109522 ^{[ dead link ]}
3. Honeysett, Stuart. "A Warrior's family was forced to flee the war in Afghanistan". theaustralian.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
4. Stanley, Ben. "From Pakistan hinterland to NRL heartland". stuff.co.nz. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
5. Brianna Parkins (30 October 2015). "Slaimankhel could be new Roosters No.1". AAP. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
6. Stanley, Ben (26 August 2012). "Slaimankhel exits Warriors for rugby in Japan". stuff.co.nz. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
7. "Roosters Sign Omar Slaimankhel". rugbyleagueweek.com.au. Bauer Media Group. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
8. "2015 VB NSW Cup Team of the Year". NSWRL. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
9. Jack Brady (7 February 2016). "Auckland Nines Day 2 casualty ward". NRL.com. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
10. "NSWRL Ron Massey Cup - 2017 Round 15 » League Unlimited".
11. "TEAMS: NSWRL Ron Massey Cup - 2018 Round 5 » League Unlimited".
12. "NSWRL names Canterbury Cup NSW Residents team". www.nswrl.com.au. 6 May 2019.
13. "Ex-NRL winger pops up as a contestant on The Block". www.zerotackle.com.

External links

• Sydney Roosters profile