Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 7 March 2002 Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 99 kg (15 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing, Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 12 July 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Derby (born 7 March 2002) is a Papua New Guinea international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Derby was born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and lived in Mendi, Goroka, Mount Hagen and Vietnam before moving to Cairns when he was eight years old. He lived in Mendi at the Works compound Tente and Magani area. [2]
In 2019, he was signed by the Melbourne Storm and moved to the Sunshine Coast to play for feeder club Sunshine Coast Falcons. [3] [4]
In 2020, Derby joined the Sunshine Coast Falcons, playing just one Mal Meninga Cup game before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. [5]
In 2021, he returned to Cairns, joining the Northern Pride's under-21 side and the North Queensland Cowboys Young Guns squad. [6]
In 2022, Derby spent the season playing for the Pride's Queensland Cup side, scoring seven tries in 16 games. [7] On 25 June 2022, he made his international debut for Papua New Guinea in their 24-14 victory over Fiji. [8]
On 16 November 2022, Derby joined the Cowboys' NRL squad for the 2023 season. [9]
Derby began the season playing for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup. [10] In round 13 of the 2023 NRL season, Derby made his first grade debut against the Parramatta Eels. [11] [12]
On 13 February, the North Queensland club announced that Derby had re-signed with the club until the end of 2028. [13] In round 8 of the 2025 NRL season, Derby scored a hat-trick in North Queensland's 50-18 victory over the Gold Coast. [14]