Semi Valemei

Last updated

Semi Valemei
SEMI VALEMEI.jpg
Personal information
Born (1999-01-20) 20 January 1999 (age 26)
Labasa, Fiji
Height186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight103 kg (16 st 3 lb)
Playing information
Position Wing, Centre
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2020–22 Canberra Raiders 2990036
2023–25 Nth Qld Cowboys 17140056
2026– Castleford Tigers 00000
Total46230092
Representative
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2019 Fiji 9s 20000
2022–24 Fiji 640016
Source: [1]
As of 30 August 2025

Semi Valemei (born 20 January 1999) is a Fijian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger and centre for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League and Fiji at international level.

Contents

He previously played for the Canberra Raiders and North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League.

Background

Born in Labasa, Fiji, Valemei attended Seaqaqa Central College and Natabua High School, where he played rugby union.

In 2017, he was scouted by former NRL player Wise Kativerata and moved to Australia to play rugby league. He moved to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, playing for the Caloundra Sharks before being signed by the Canberra Raiders. [2] [3]

Playing career

In 2018, Valemei played for the Raiders' Jersey Flegg Cup feeder side, Mounties. [4] In 2019, he played for Mounties in the New South Wales Cup and for the Raiders in the Jersey Flegg Cup, scoring a hat-trick in their Grand Final loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. [5] In October 2019, he represented Fiji at the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s. [6]

2020

In Round 10 of the 2020 NRL season, Valemei was named to make his NRL debut against the Sydney Roosters. [7]

He played in all three of Canberra's finals matches including the preliminary final defeat to Melbourne. He played a total of ten games in his debut season. [8]

2021

Valemei made 11 appearances for Canberra in the 2021 NRL season which saw the club finish 10th on the table and miss out on the finals. [9] [10]

2023

On 12 May, Valemei was granted a release from his Raiders contract and joined the North Queensland Cowboys on a one-and-a-half-year contract. [11] Valemei made his club debut for the North Queensland side in their 45-20 win over the Melbourne Storm during Round 14 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, scoring a hat-trick. [12] He played nine matches for North Queensland in the 2023 NRL season and scored nine tries as the club finished 11th on the table. [13]

2024

He played 18 games for North Queensland in the 2024 NRL season as they finished 5th on the table. He played in both finals games for North Queensland as they were eliminated in the second week by Cronulla. [14] On 21 August, Valemei had re-signed with the club until the end of 2025.

2025

Valemei played just four NRL games in an injury interrupted 2025 season. He scored four tries, which included a double against the Brisbane Broncos, his final game for North Queensland. [15] [16]

On 3 September, he signed with the Castleford Tigers on a two-year contract. [17]

Statistics

YearTeamGamesTriesPts
2020 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders 10416
20211128
20228312
2023 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys 9936
2024414
20252
Totals441976

source: [18]

References

  1. Rugby League Project
  2. "Semi ready for Raiders". Fiji Times. 23 May 2020.
  3. "Results - Sunshine Coast". Sunshine Coast Daily. 12 June 2017.
  4. "Team Lists: Mounties". Canberra Raiders. 17 July 2018.
  5. "South Sydney crowned 2019 Jersey Flegg Cup champions". NSWRL. 29 September 2019.
  6. "Nines World Cup squads announced". Fox Sports. 17 October 2019.
  7. "Semi Valemei to make NRL debut". Canberra Raiders. 15 July 2020.
  8. "Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart storms out of press conference after one question". wwos.nine.com.au.
  9. "Roosters' 'Mr Fix It' stuns with hat-trick, Sloppy Raiders' final fade out ends season: 3 Big Hits". www.foxsports.com.au. 2 September 2021.
  10. "Tough conversations coming for senior Canberra stars as interest grows in Parramatta young gun Dylan Brown". www.theaustralian.com.au.
  11. "Cowboys sign Valemei". NQ Cowboys. 12 May 2023.
  12. "Bellamy calls out 'putrid' Storm after 20-year low as new Cowboys signing explodes — Big Hits". www.foxsports.au.
  13. "NRL 2023: North Queensland Cowboys season review". www.sportingnews.com.
  14. "The Mole: Cowboys show improvement in 2024 but worrying finals stat sparks thorny question". www.nine.com.au.
  15. "Cowboys to farewell seven departing players". NQ Cowboys. 3 September 2025.
  16. "Broncos in top four; Raiders crowned minor premiers; Manly stay alive". NRL. 30 August 2025.
  17. "Valemei Signs For Tigers On A Two Year Deal". Castleford Tigers. 3 September 2025.
  18. "Semi Valemei - Playing Career - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 4 March 2025.