Brad Takairangi (born 14 June 1989) is a 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 er or . He has played for the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

and the New Zealand Māori at international level. Takairangi previously played for the

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won fifteen Ne ...

and 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 ...

and

Hull KR Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challenge ...

in the Betfred Super League.

Background

Takairangi was born in Sydney, Australia, and is of

Cook Island Māori Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

descent. He played his junior rugby league for the Cronulla-Caringbah Sharks His sister,

Kiana Takairangi Kiana Takairangi (born 20 July 1992) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Cronulla Sharks in the NRL Women's Premiership. A er or , she has represented the Cook Islands and New Zealand internationall ...

, represented the Cook Islands national team at the

2017 Women's Rugby League World Cup The 2017 Women's Rugby League World Cup was the fifth staging of the Women's Rugby League World Cup and was held in Australia between 16 November and 2 December 2017. Pool and semi-final matches was held at Southern Cross Group Stadium in Sydn ...

and played in the Lingerie Football League for the

Los Angeles Temptation The Los Angeles Temptation were a women's American football team in the Legends Football League, previously known as the Lingerie Football League, based in Los Angeles and Ontario, California. The team was established as Team Dream, one of two te ...

Playing career

Takairangi played his junior football with the

Cronulla-Caringbah Sharks Cronulla-Caringbah Junior Rugby League Football Club is a junior and amateur rugby league football club that was formed in 1952 and competes in the Cronulla-Sutherland District Rugby Football League; the junior side of the club was formed in 1963 ...

before being signed 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 ...

2009

In 2009, Takairangi made his international debut for the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

, kicking 3 conversions in a 22–20 victory over

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

2010

Takairangi played in South Sydney's

NYC New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

team in 2008 and 2009, before being signed by the

in February 2010. In round 2, he made his

debut for the

against 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 ...

off the interchange bench in the 44–32 win at the SFS. Takairangi played in one other match during the season.

2011

On 25 August, Takairangi signed an extension with the

which would keep him there until the end of the

2013 NRL season The 2013 NRL season was the 106th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia. The National Rugby League's main competition, named the 2013 Telstra Premiership after major sponsors Telstra Corporation, was contested by sixte ...

. In round 24, 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

36–25 win at the

Sydney Football Stadium The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...

. Takairangi finished the

year A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...

with 2 tries from 11 matches.

2012

Takairangi played in 16 matches and scored a try for the

in the

2012 NRL season The 2012 NRL season was the 105th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the first run by the newly formed Australian Rugby League Commission. The main competition, called the 2012 NRL Telstra Premiership due to spon ...

2013

On 5 February, Takairangi signed with the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

on a three-year-deal, as part of an attempt by the

to lure

Luke O'Donnell Luke O'Donnell (born 22 October 1980) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he previously ...

back to the club. In round 1, Takairangi made his club debut for the Gold Coast against the

by playing at in the Titans 10–12 loss 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 ...

. In round 11, against the

, he scored his first club try for the Gold Coast in their 42–4 win at Mudgee Oval. Takairangi finished the

season with 18 matches and five tries. He then played for the Cook Islands in the

2013 Rugby League World Cup The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and took place in England, Wales, France and Ireland. between 26 October and 30 November 2013. It was the main event of the year's 2013 Festival of World ...

. He played in three matches and scored a try during the tournament.

2014

In February, Takairangi played in the Titans inaugural

Auckland Nines The NRL Nines is a rugby league nines competition, normally held during the NRL preseason each year. It was initially held in Auckland, New Zealand, between 2014 and 2017 before going on hiatus. Returning in 2020, hosting duties moved to Perth ...

squad. He finished the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

with 21 appearances and three tries for the Titans. On 9 September, Takairangi was selected for the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team (Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

2014 Four Nations train-on squad, but didn't make the final 24-man squad. On 19 September, Takairangi agreed to sign a three-year deal with the

, starting from the 2015 season. However, Wests back-flipped on Takairangi's deal, leaving him off contract for the 2015 season. On 30 October, he signed with the

on a one-year deal.

2015

On 26 January, Takairangi was named in Parramatta's

squad. In round 1, he made his club debut for Parramatta against the

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

at centre, scoring a try in the 42–12 win at

Parramatta Stadium Parramatta Stadium was a sports stadium in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, 23 kilometres west of Sydney's central business district. The stadium was the home ground of several western Sydney-based sports teams, at the time of closure t ...

. On 4 April, Takairangi re-signed with the Eels for a further two years. In round 22, against the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...

, he suffered a season ending foot injury. Takairangi finished his first year with Parramatta with him playing in 17 matches and scoring 4 tries but mostly known for his combination and try assists to his wing partner Semi Radradra.

2016

In round 22 against Manly, Takairangi played his 100th

career match in Parramatta's 10–9 win at

. Takairangi finished the

with him playing in 17 matches and scoring four tries, 12 penalties conceded and 18 errors. On 20 September 2017, Takairangi extended his contract with Parramatta until the end of the

2019 NRL season The 2019 NRL season was the 112th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 22nd season run by the National Rugby League. The Sydney Roosters became the first team to win back-to-back Premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 ...

2017

Takairangi played 23 games for Parramatta in the

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 ...

where the team finished fourth on the table. He then went on to debut for New Zealand in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.

2018

In round 2 of the

2018 NRL season The 2018 NRL season was the 111th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 21st season run by the National Rugby League. The main competition, known as the 2018 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, featured 16 team ...

, Takairangi was ruled out for five weeks with a fractured eye socket after being accidentally elbowed in the face by Manly player Joel Thompson. Takairangi returned to the Parramatta side in round 7 against Manly, Parramatta went on to win the match 44–10 which was their first of the season. Takairangi ended a difficult 2018 season with 20 appearances for the club as Parramatta finished last on the table and claimed its 14th wooden spoon.

2019

Takairangi began the

as one of the club's first choice centres. In round 4, Takairangi scored his first try of the season in a 24–12 victory over Cronulla-Sutherland. In round 5, Takairangi played his 150th NRL game against Canberra which ended in a 19–0 defeat. On 28 May, Takairangi was demoted to reserve grade by coach Brad Arthur after the club had suffered three disappointing losses in a row. The last of which was against bottom placed Penrith. After spending a month in reserve grade, Takairangi was called back into the Parramatta team for their round 15 clash against Canberra to cover injuries within the side. Takairangi played at centre as Parramatta defeated Canberra 22–16 at

TIO Stadium Marrara Oval, currently branded TIO Stadium under a naming rights agreement (and previously also known as Football Park), is a sports ground in Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory. The ground primarily hosts Australian rules ...

in Darwin. In Round 17 against

, Takairangi scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

as Parramatta won the match 30–18 at the new

Western Sydney Stadium Western Sydney Stadium, commercially known as CommBank Stadium, is a multi-purpose rectangular stadium in Parramatta, within the Greater Western Sydney region, approximately west of Sydney CBD. It replaced the demolished Parramatta Stadium ...

. Takairangi played a total of 23 games for Parramatta in the

as the club finished 5th on the table and qualified for the finals. Takairangi played in both finals matches for the club as they reached the elimination final against Melbourne but were defeated 32–0 at

AAMI Park The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the Melbourne central business district. When completed ...

which ended their season. On 10 October, Takairangi was named in the Cook Islands squad for the

2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s The 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s was the first staging of the Rugby League World Cup 9s tournament and took place on 18 and 19 October 2019 at Sydney's Bankwest Stadium. The tournament featured teams from 12 International Rugby League member ...

. On 4 November, Takairangi signed a one-year contract extension with Parramatta.

2020

Takairangi scored his first try of the

2020 NRL season The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year. ; Notes : : : Pre-season ...

in round 20 against the

which Parramatta won 28–24. The victory saw Parramatta finish third and qualify for the finals inside the competitions top four. Takairangi played 10 games for Parramatta in the

including the club's elimination final loss to South Sydney. On 12 October, Takairangi was one of the 11 players released by Parramatta. On 16 December, it was announced that Takairangi had signed a two-year contract with

Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challeng ...

2021

Takairangi made a total of 17 appearances for Hull KR in the

2021 Super League season Super League XXVI, known as the Betfred Super League XXVI for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the Super League and 127th season of rugby league in Great Britain. The 2021 season was originally scheduled to begin on 11 March 2021, ho ...

including the club's 28-10 semi-final loss against the

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 4 January, Takairangi was stood down by Hull KR after reportedly being arrested for drink-driving. Hull KR released a club statement which read “Hull KR have been made aware by the player and his legal representative of allegations brought against him by Humberside Police, the matter is under review by the club and will be dealt with internally. There will be no further comment at this stage from the club or player". On 3 March, Takairangi pleaded guilty to offences of

drink driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is i ...

and

dangerous driving In United Kingdom law, dangerous driving is a statutory offence. It is also a term of art used in the definition of the offence of causing death by dangerous driving. It replaces the former offence of reckless driving. Canada's Criminal Code ha ...

. Appearing at Hull Crown Court on 6 April, Takairangi was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 300 hours

unpaid work Unpaid labor or unpaid work is defined as labor or work that does not receive any direct remuneration. This is a form of non-market work which can fall into one of two categories: (1) unpaid work that is placed within the production boundary of ...

. On 29 August, it was announced that Takairangi would be one of eleven players who were to depart

at the end of the 2022 season. Takairangi represented the Cook Islands at the

2021 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received £2 ...

. He played in all three group stage matches including the Cook Islands worst ever loss as a rugby league nation when they were beaten 62-10 by Tonga.

2023

On 16 January, it was revealed that Takairangi had signed a contract to join the

Dapto Canaries The Dapto Canaries are an Australian rugby league football team based in the Wollongong suburb of Dapto. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and have competed in the Illawarra Rugby League premiership since its inception in 1911. Histo ...

in the

Illawarra Rugby League The Illawarra Rugby League is a rugby league competition in Wollongong, NSW. It is one of the oldest rugby league competitions in Australia, founded in 1911 with five clubs (Dapto, Helensburgh, Mount Keira, Unanderra and Wollongong). The area pr ...

competition.

References

External links

Parramatta Eels profileNRL profile2017 RLWC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takairangi, Brad 1989 births Living people Australian people of Cook Island descent Australian sportspeople of Polynesian descent Australian people of Māori descent Australian rugby league players Burleigh Bears players Cook Island sportspeople Cook Islands national rugby league team captains Cook Islands national rugby league team players Dapto Canaries players Gold Coast Titans players Hull Kingston Rovers players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league team players New Zealand national rugby league team players Newtown Jets NSW Cup players Ngāti Kahungunu people Parramatta Eels players People educated at Endeavour Sports High School Rugby league players from Sydney Rugby league second-rows Rugby league locks Rugby league centres Sydney Roosters players Wentworthville Magpies players