Sitili Tupouniua

Sitili Tupouniua

Personal information
Born	(1997-05-30) 30 May 1997 (age 28) Auckland, New Zealand
Height	186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	101 kg (15 st 13 lb)
Playing information
Position	Second-row, Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2018–24 Sydney Roosters 106 33 0 0 132 2025– Canterbury Bulldogs 9 3 0 0 12 Total 115 36 0 0 144 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2019–24 Tonga 5 0 0 0 0
Source: [1] As of 22 August 2025

Sitili Tupouniua (born 30 May 1997) is a Tonga international rugby league footballer from New Zealand who plays as a second-row forward for the Canterbury Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Tupouniua previously played for the Sydney Roosters with whom he won the 2020 World Club Challenge.

Background

Tupouniua was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and is of Tongan descent. ^[2]

Tupouniua played his junior rugby league for the Marist Saints. He played in the Sydney Roosters’ Holden Cup side from 2016-2017, including in the Sydney Roosters’ 2016 Holden Cup premiership winning team. ^[3]

Playing career

2018

Tupouniua made his first grade debut for the Sydney Roosters in round 16 of the 2018 NRL season against the Melbourne Storm at Adelaide Oval. ^[4]

2019

Tupouniua scored his first try in the top grade against the Canterbury Bulldogs in round 14 of the 2019 NRL season at the Sydney Cricket Ground. ^[5]

Tupouniua featured for North Sydney, the Sydney Roosters feeder club in the 2019 Canterbury Cup NSW finals series. Tupouniua scored 2 tries in North Sydney's elimination final defeat by Newtown at Leichhardt Oval. ^[6]

2020

Tupouniua scored his first try of the 2020 NRL season in round 9 as the Sydney Roosters defeated North Queensland 42–16 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. ^[7]

In round 16 of the 2020 NRL season, he scored two tries for the Roosters in a 58–12 victory over Brisbane at the Sydney Cricket Ground. ^[8]

He made a total of 20 appearances in the 2020 NRL season as the Sydney Roosters reached the finals but were eliminated by Canberra ending their quest for a third straight premiership. ^[9]

In December 2020, he signed a contract extension keeping him with the Sydney Roosters until the end of the 2024 season.

2021

In round 10 of the 2021 NRL season, he was sent to the sin bin for an illegal high tackle during the club's 30-16 victory over North Queensland. ^[10]

In round 12 of the 2021 NRL season, he scored two tries in a 44-16 victory over Canberra. ^[11]

In round 19, he scored two tries during the club's victory over Newcastle. ^[12]

In round 24, he was sent to the sin bin during the club's 54-12 loss against arch-rivals South Sydney. ^[13]

He played a total of 24 games for the Sydney Roosters in the 2021 NRL season including the club's two finals matches. The Sydney Roosters were eliminated from the second week of the finals losing to Manly 42-6. ^{[14] [15]}

2022

In round 18 of the 2022 NRL season, Tupouniua was taken from the field during the Sydney Roosters 54-26 victory over St. George Illawarra with a knee injury. It was later announced that Tupounia would miss the remainder of the 2022 NRL season with an ACL injury. ^[16]

2023

He played eight matches for the Sydney Roosters in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 7th on the table and qualified for the finals. ^[17]

2024

On 1 July, Tupouniua would sign a four-year deal to join the Canterbury Bulldogs from 2025 onwards. In round 22 of the 2024 NRL season, he scored two tries in the Sydney Roosters 40-34 victory over the Dolphins. He played a total of 21 matches for the Sydney Roosters in the 2024 NRL season including their preliminary final loss against Melbourne. ^[18]

2025

In round 1 of the 2025 NRL season, he made his club debut for Canterbury in their 28-20 victory over St. George Illawarra scoring two tries. ^[19]

Statistics

Year	Team	Games	Tries	Pts
2018	Sydney Roosters	1
2019		16	1	4
2020		20	5	20
2021		24	12	48
2022		16	7	28
2023		8	1	4
2024		21	7	28
2025	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	6	3	12
	Totals	112	36	144

References

1. Rugby League Project
2. "Unite for Tonga: Roosters reveal fears for family they can't contact". CodeSports. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
3. "RL:Sydney Roosters take 20s title in comeback". AAP Australian Sports News Wire. p. 2 October 2016 – via EBSCOHost.
4. "Roosters vs Storm". NRL. 29 June 2018.
5. "Mitchell's double not enough to escape blues axe". Sydney Morning Herald.
6. "Canterbury Cup NSW Finals Week Two - reports, highlights, news". NSWRL.
7. "Ikuvalu scores five as roosters rout north queensland". www.nrl.com.
8. "'Just not up to NRL standard': Roosters put 58 points on 'embarrassing' Broncos". wwos.nine.com.au.
9. "'More than a team': Ricky's resilient Raiders keep the dream alive". www.nrl.com.
10. "Sydney Roosters beat Nth Queensland 30-16, South Sydney defeat Cronulla 32-22 and Canberra beats the Bulldogs 20-18". www.abc.net.au.
11. "Penrith Panthers cruise past last-placed Bulldogs as Roosters and Rabbitohs also win big in NRL". www.abc.net.au.
12. "Melbourne Storm beat North Queensland Cowboys 20-16, Sydney Roosters down Newcastle Knights 28-8". www.abc.net.au.
13. "'Might decimate both teams': Latrell faces big ban for 'enormous' high shot on Manu". www.foxsports.com.au.
14. "'They don't rate us': How injury toll eased pressure for revitalised Roosters". www.nrl.com. 16 September 2021.
15. "Manly Sea Eagles hammer Sydney Roosters 42-6 to advance to NRL preliminary finals". ABC News. 17 September 2021.
16. "Roosters victory soured as three players suffer horror injuries". wwos.nine.com.au.
17. "NRL 2023: Sydney Roosters season review". www.sportingnews.com.
18. "Walker masterclass as Roosters escape with thrilling win over Dolphins". www.foxsports.com.au.
19. "'Pass on our apologies': Dragons 'condemn anti-social behaviour' after ugly footage emerges". www.foxsports.com.au.

^[1]

External links

• Roosters profile

1. "Tupouniua joins Bulldogs long-term with Roosters to chip in on pay - The Sporting Base". The Sporting Base - The Sporting Base. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.