Zac Laybutt

Last updated

Zac Laybutt
Personal information
Born (2002-01-16) 16 January 2002 (age 23)
Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
Height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight94 kg (14 st 11 lb)
Playing information
Position Centre
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2023– Nth Qld Cowboys 2295044
Representative
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
2023–25 Papua New Guinea 536024
Source: [1]
As of 2 November 2025
Education Bundaberg State High School
Relatives Kyle Laybutt (brother)

Zac Laybutt (born 16 January 2002) is a Papua New Guinea international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League.

Contents

Background

Laybutt was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, and is of Papua New Guinean and Indigenous descent. [2] [3] He attended Bundaberg State High School and played his junior rugby league for the Western Suburbs Panthers before being signed by the Melbourne Storm. [4] [5]

Laybutt's older brother Kyle played two NRL games for the North Queensland Cowboys. [6]

Playing career

In 2018, Laybutt represented the Queensland Murri under-16 team in their 36–26 win over New South Wales Koori. [7] [8] In 2019, he joined the Sunshine Coast Falcons, playing for their Mal Meninga Cup team. [9]

In 2021, Laybutt signed for the North Queensland Cowboys, joining their Young Guns squad. [10] That season he played for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Hastings Deering Colts competition, starting at centre in their Grand Final loss to the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. [11]

In 2021, he returned to Cairns, joining the Northern Pride's under-21 side and the North Queensland Cowboys Young Guns squad. [12] In 2022, he played for Townsville in the Colts and Queensland Cup. [13] On 24 September 2022, he captained the Blackhawks in the Colts' Grand Final win over the Redcliffe Dolphins. [14]

2023

Laybutt spent the pre-season training with the Cowboys' NRL squad, coming off the interchange in their pre-season draw with the Dolphins. [15] [16] In round 13 of the 2023 NRL season, Laybutt made his first grade debut against the Parramatta Eels. [17] [18] In round 26, Laybutt scored two tries for North Queensland in their 34-10 victory over the Dolphins. [19] He was selected to play for the PNG Kumuls alongside his older brother Kyle Laybutt (captain) and won the Pacific (Bowl) championship in PNG against the Fiji Batis 32-12.

2024

In round 1 of the 2024 NRL season, Laybutt scored two tries for North Queensland in their 43-18 victory over the Dolphins. [20] On 9 April, it was announced that Laybutt would miss the rest of the 2024 NRL season after suffering an ACL injury. [21]

2025

On 4 June, North Queensland announced that Laybutt had re-signed with the team until the end of the 2027 season. [22] Laybutt played 14 games for North Queensland in the 2025 NRL season as the club finished 12th on the table. [23]

Statistics

YearTeamGamesTriesGoalsPts
2023 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys 4312
20244312
2025143522
2026
Totals229544

References

  1. ↑ Rugby League Project
  2. ↑ "Laybutt aims to emulate Kumuls brother". The National. 17 February 2022.
  3. ↑ "Zac steps out of his brother's shadow". The Courier Mail. 29 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Brothers Kyle and Zac Laybutt in Cowboys trial match". Bundaberg Now. 27 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "Laybutt heading into a Storm". NewsMail. 30 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Laybutt to debut for Cowboys". The Courier Mail. 24 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Opportunity knocks for Murri Under 16 players". QRL. 23 February 2018.
  8. ↑ "MURRI GREAT START FOR ZAC: Laybutt stars". NewsMail. 8 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "2019 Mal Meninga Cup results – Round 6". 18th Man. 14 April 2019.
  10. ↑ "Zac Laybutt to play for Cowboys in 2022". The Courier Mail. 24 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "U21s Grand Final team list". Townsville Blackhawks. 6 October 2021.
  12. ↑ "Hastings Deering Colts TEAMS - 2021 Round 5". League Unlimited. 11 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "Cowboys combine for six tries in the Hostplus Cup". NQ Cowboys. 16 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "Eleven Cowboys contracted players named for U21s Grand Final". NQ Cowboys. 22 September 2022.
  15. ↑ "Get to know our young players ahead of Sunday's trial". NQ Cowboys. 10 February 2023.
  16. ↑ "Cowboys final team list: Trial v Dolphins". NQ Cowboys. 12 February 2023.
  17. ↑ "Cowboys team list: Round 13 v Eels". NQ Cowboys. 23 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Brown's stunner as Eels unearth hidden gem; star leads Cowboys transformation: Big hits". www.foxsports.com.au. 26 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Cowboys stun Dolphins in must-win game to keep finals hopes alive". www.foxsports.com.au. 25 August 2023.
  20. ↑ "Laybutt stars in Cowboys rout to go top of table; Dolphins implode despite recruits: What we learned". www.foxsports.com.au.
  21. ↑ "NRL Team Lists: Round 6". www.nrl.com.
  22. ↑ "Cowboys re-sign Vailea and Laybutt". North Queensland Cowboys. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  23. ↑ "The Mole's season review: 'Leaderless' Cowboys prove $10m gamble on Jason Taumalolo was a flop". www.nine.com.au.
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