Antonio Kaufusi (born 27 November 1984) is a former 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 11 ...

footballer. An Australia 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 ...

international and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...

representative , he played for the

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilit ...

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...

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 ...

and the

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...

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 ...

, and the London Broncos,

Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the Super League competition. They play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium which is sha ...

and the

Bradford Bulls The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predom ...

in the Super League.

Background

Kaufusi was born in Matahau,

. His junior club was Brothers in Bundaberg and he played rugby union for

Nudgee College , motto_translation = A Sign of Faith , location = Boondall, Queensland , country = Australia , coordinates = , other_name = St. Joseph's Nudgee College , former_name ...

in Brisbane in 2002.

Playing career

Melbourne Storm

Kaufusi made his first-grade début in round 22 against the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Reni Maitua Reni Maitua (born 11 June 1982) is a former professional rugby league footballer. An Australian and Samoan International representative player, he previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with whom he won the 2004 NRL Premiers ...

received an ankle injury in the first test against New Zealand. He played at prop forward in his first Grand Final in 2006, when the Storm were defeated by 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 c ...

, 15–8. He played State of Origin for

, making his début in game one 2007. A serious knee injury prevented Kaufusi from participating in the Storm's victorious 2007 premiership winning team. He played in the

2008 NRL Grand Final The 2008 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2008 NRL season. It was played between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm on Sunday, 5 October at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The 2008 Grand Final ...

defeat by Manly. He was named in the

squad for the

2008 Rugby League World Cup The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final ...

Cowboys

In 2009, the

signed Kaufusi on a large contract. His stint with the Cowboys was short though, being released a year later.

Knights

On 25 June 2010, Kaufusi was released from his contract with the North Queensland Cowboys to join the

for the rest of 2010 and a further two years. He made a winning début for the Knights in round 18 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 leag ...

London Broncos

On 18 August 2011, Kaufusi signed a 3-year deal with the London Broncos in the Super League after the 2012 Knights coach, Wayne Bennett, released him from his contract a year early.

Huddersfield Giants

Kaufusi played for

in 2014.

Bradford Bulls

On 2 May 2014, Kaufusi was loaned to

for the rest of the 2014 season.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

On 13 November 2014, Kaufusi signed a 2-year contract with the

starting in 2015, to return to Australia.

References

External links

2011 Newcastle Knights profileNRL profilePlayers to watch – Antonio Kaufusi (Tonga)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaufusi, Antonio 1984 births Tongan rugby league players Australia national rugby league team players Tonga national rugby league team players London Broncos players Newcastle Knights players North Queensland Cowboys players Melbourne Storm players Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players Queensland Rugby League State of Origin players Exiles rugby league team players Rugby league props Tongan emigrants to Australia Tongan expatriate rugby league players Expatriate rugby league players in England Tongan expatriate sportspeople in England Living people People from Tongatapu