Gray Viane (born 19 May 1982) 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 112 ...
footballer who played in the 2000s.
Early life
Viane was born in
Ōtāhuhu
Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tamaki River estuary to the east. The isthmus is the narrowest connection between the ...
, New Zealand.
Viane played junior rugby league for the Leumeah Wolves and Liverpool Catholic Club Raiders, and attended Sarah Redfern High (a renowned rugby league school in
Minto, New South Wales
Minto is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Minto is located 38 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarth ...
). He was selected to represent the Australian schoolboys rugby union team.
Playing career
Viane began his career in Australia with
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 ...
, playing 9 NRL first grade games in 2003, before moving to England and signing in 2004 with
St. Helens (
Heritage № 1146). Viane managed 4 games in total at St. Helens, scoring one try. The Samoan moved onto
Widnes Vikings
The Widnes Vikings are an English rugby league club in Widnes, Cheshire, which competes in the Betfred Championship. The club plays home matches at the Halton Stadium. Founded as Widnes Football Club, they are one of the original twenty-two rug ...
a season later and featured more prominently in the club's bid for Super League survival. He led the scoring sheet with thirteen tries in his stint in Widnes.
Widnes were relegated at the end of the season. He then moved onto the newly promoted
Castleford Tigers
The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England, that compete in the Super League, the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern Hemisphere. The club have competed i ...
(
Heritage № 845) in 2006 and had a good spell at the club playing 27 games and once again being the leading try scorer with 14 tries.
He moved to Salford to replace the retired
Junior Langi
Junior Langi (born 2 August 1981) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s for St George, Melbourne, Parramatta and Salford.
Early life
Born in Auckland, New Zealand with Niuean and Tongan heritage. Langi moved ...
, and was given the number 15 shirt, playing 9 games with 2 tries.
Viane was known for his tough defence and prolific try scoring. He was a
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 ...
international.
References
External links
Saints Heritage Society profile
1982 births
Living people
Australian expatriate rugby league players
Australian expatriate sportspeople in England
Australian sportspeople of Samoan descent
Australian rugby union players
Castleford Tigers players
Expatriate rugby league players in England
New Zealand emigrants to Australia
New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent
New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England
New Zealand rugby league players
Rugby league centres
Rugby league players from Auckland
Rugby league second-rows
Rugby league wingers
Salford Red Devils players
Samoa national rugby league team players
Samoan rugby league players
St Helens R.F.C. players
Western Suburbs Magpies NSW Cup players
Wests Tigers players
Widnes Vikings players
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