Agnatius Paasi (born 30 November 1991) is a Tongan professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who plays as a for St Helens in the

Betfred Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

and

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

at international level. He previously played for the

New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

in two separate spells, and also the

Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...

in the

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

Background

Paasi was born in Lapaha, Tonga, and moved to

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

when he was three years old. Paasi played his junior football for

Mangere East Hawks The Mangere East Hawks are a rugby league based in Mangere, New Zealand. The Hawks compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. History The club was formed in 1963, the first fourteen junior teams took the field in 1964.''The Haw ...

. At age 17, Paasi moved to Australia on a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

to play for

Keebra Park State High School , motto_translation = Honourable Deeds Rather Than Splendid Ones , streetaddress= Anne St, Southport 4215 , city= Gold Coast , state= Queensland , website= , principal= , principal_label= Principal , schooltype= Public ...

where they won the Arrive Alive Cup in 2009. He also played some

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

for the school. He was offered a contract with the

Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...

under 20's, but complications with his visa saw him return to New Zealand, where he again played for the

before being signed by the

Playing career

Early career

In 2011, Paasi played for the Warriors Toyota Cup Under-20s team. On 5 October 2011, Paasi played in the Warriors' 2011 NYC Grand Final victory over the

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...

, playing off the interchange bench in the Warriors' 31-30 golden point extra time victory. On 6 October 2011, Paasi was named 18th man for the

Junior Kiwis The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL, Intrust Super ...

In 2012, Paasi moved on to the Warriors

New South Wales Cup The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve ...

team, the

Auckland Vulcans The Auckland Vulcans were an Auckland based rugby league club that participated in the New South Wales Cup. They were administered by the Rugby League Development Foundation. The team was selected from the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial C ...

, and he also played for the Vulcans in 2013. At the start of 2014 Paasi wasn't contracted to any NRL team but was given a chance to play in the Warriors pre-season games, earning a contract with the Warriors

NSW Cup The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve ...

side.

2014

After a few impressive performances in the NSW Cup, Paasi was handed his

debut for the

in Round 19 against the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...

, where he played off the interchange bench in the Warriors 28-22 loss at

Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

. This was Paasi’s only first grade match in the 2014 season. He was named as the Warriors NSW Cup Player of the Year. In November, Paasi signed a train and trial contract with the

, starting from 2015. On 16 October, Paasi played for

against

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, starting at second-row in the 32-18 loss in

Lae Lae () is the capital of Morobe Province and is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located near the delta of the Markham River and at the start of the Highlands Highway, which is the main land transport corridor between the Highl ...

2015

In Round 1, Paasi made his club debut for the Gold Coast Titans against the

, playing off the interchange bench in the Titans 19-18 loss at

Cbus Super Stadium Robina Stadium, also known by its sponsored name Cbus Super Stadium, is a rectangular football stadium in the Gold Coast suburb of Robina, Queensland. The main usage is as the home ground to the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans; t ...

. In Round 4 against the

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...

, he scored his first career try in the Titans 24-22 win at

Remondis Stadium Endeavour Field (also known by its commercial name PointsBet Stadium and colloquially as Shark Park during Cronulla Sharks matches) is a rugby league stadium in the southern Sydney suburb of Woolooware, New South Wales, Australia. It is the ho ...

. Paasi’s good form in the Titans early matches earned him a 2-year contract extension with the Titans. He finished his impressive year with him playing in 18 matches and scoring 2 tries.

2016

In February, Paasi was named in the Titans

2016 NRL Auckland Nines The 2016 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Downer NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the third NRL Auckland Nines competition. It was held on 6–7 February 2016 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. As with previous tournaments, it was ...

squad, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament. He was described as, "undoubtedly the weekend’s biggest surprise packet" and perhaps the best player of the Nines. Paasi enjoyed a solid

2016 NRL season The 2016 NRL season was the 109th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 19th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, w ...

with him playing in all the Titans 25 matches and scored 5 tries.

2017

Paasi’s

2017 NRL season The 2017 NRL season was the 110th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 20th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, w ...

was limited due to a shoulder injury, playing in 11 matches for the Titans. On 5 November 2017, Paasi was released from his final year of his contract with the Titans to join his former club the

on a 2-year deal, starting from 2018.

2019

In Round 24 2019, Paasi played his 100th NRL game in the Warriors 10-31 defeat by the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...

Mt Smart Stadium Mount Smart Stadium (formerly known as Ericsson Stadium) is a multipurpose stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the main home ground of the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League, and occasionally hosts rugby union and internatio ...

in Auckland.

2020

On 13 November, it was announced that Paasi had signed for St Helens on a two-year deal starting in 2021.

2021

In round 1 of the 2021 Super League season, he made his debut for St. Helens in their 29-6 victory over Salford. Paasi was knocked out in the second half of the game after a collision with Salford player

Pauli Pauli Pauli Pauli (born 4 August 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or forward for the York Knights in the Betfred Championship. He previously played for the Parramatta Eels and the Newcastle Knights in th ...

. He was awarded Man of the Match on his Challenge Cup debut, spearheading his team's victory over Leeds. On 17 July, he played for St. Helens in their 26-12

2021 Challenge Cup Final The 2021 Challenge Cup Final was the 120th final of rugby league's Challenge Cup knock-out competition. It took place on 17 July 2021 at Wembley Stadium between Castleford Tigers and St Helens. Background The 2021 Challenge Cup Final was ...

victory over Castleford. On 9 October, he played for St. Helens in their

2021 Super League Grand Final The 2021 Super League Grand Final was the 24th official Grand Final and championship-deciding game of Super League XXVI. The game was contested between Catalans Dragons and St Helens at Old Trafford. Background The two finalists finished first ...

victory over

Catalans Dragons The Catalans Dragons ( French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from ...

2022

On 24 September, Paasi played for St Helens in their 2022 Super League Grand Final victory over

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

2023

On 18 February, Paasi played in St Helens 13-12 upset victory over Penrith in the 2023 World Club Challenge. During St Helens loss to

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

in the Challenge Cup semi-final, Paasi suffered a knee injury due to a cannonball tackle from Leigh player

John Asiata Atalani "John" Asiata (born 19 April 1993) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the Leigh Leopards in the Betfred Super League and has played for both Samoa and Tonga at international level. He previously played f ...

. It was confirmed that Paasi would be ruled out for an indefinite period as a result of the tackle. The following day, it was confirmed that Paasi would be ruled out for at least nine months.

References

External links

New Zealand Warriors profileNRL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paasi, Agnatius 1991 births Living people Auckland rugby league team players Gold Coast Titans players Junior Kiwis players Mangere East Hawks players New Zealand Warriors players People educated at Keebra Park State High School People educated at St Paul's College, Auckland Rugby league second-rows Rugby league props Rugby league centres St Helens R.F.C. players Tonga national rugby league team players Tongan emigrants to New Zealand Tongan rugby league players Tweed Heads Seagulls players