Isaac John (born 12 December 1988) is a former New Zealand 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 previously played for the

Mount Pritchard Mounties The Mounties Rugby League Football Club (sponsored by Mounties Group) is an Australian rugby league football club based in Mount Pritchard, New South Wales formed in 1927. They currently play in the NSW Cup, Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield. ...

in the

Intrust Super Premiership 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 rese ...

. A

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

and

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 country ...

international representative, he played as a and and 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 ...

and

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. Penri ...

in the National Rugby League, and the

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, betw ...

in the

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 ...

Background

John was born in

Tokoroa Tokoroa ( mi, Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere) is the fifth-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato District. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua, close to the foot of the ...

, New Zealand. He is of Cook Island descent.

Early years

John was Educated at

Forest View High School Forest View High School was a public secondary school in Arlington Heights, Illinois, operational from 1963 until its closure because of declining enrollment in 1986. The school mascot was Ferdie the Falcon, and the school colors were silver, ...

. He first played league for local club the Pacific Sharks and the Turangawaewae team in the

Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Range. Ngāruawāhia is in the Hamilton ...

Māori rugby league competition. He then played for the Waicoa Bay Stallions in the

Bartercard Cup The Bartercard Cup (successor of the Lion Red Cup) was the top level 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 th ...

before being signed by the

. In 2004 John played for the

under-16 side and in 2006 John played 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 Sup ...

. John signed with the

in 2007 as an eighteen-year-old. In 2007 he appeared in the

NSWRL Premier League 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 ...

for the

Auckland Lions The Auckland Lions were a rugby league club that had teams in both the New Zealand Bartercard Cup and the NSWRL Premier League. They were mostly drawn from the Mt Albert Lions Rugby League club. Mt Albert had a proud tradition in Auckland and h ...

as well as playing for the Stallions in the Bartercard Cup. In 2008 he played for the Junior Warriors in the inaugural Toyota Cup and

Otahuhu Leopards The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Otahuhu, Auckland. Founded in 1911, the club has produced 49 New Zealand national rugby league team players. The club competes in the Fox Memorial competition run by Auckland Rugby League. ...

in the

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region, including both club and school rugby league. It began in 1910 when the fir ...

competition. John finished his Toyota Cup career with twenty five appearances, scoring eleven tries, one goal and four field goals.

Business

John currently is the

creative director A creative director (or creative supervisor) is a person who makes high-level creative decisions and, with those decisions, oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos. Creative director positions ar ...

and co-owner of the clothing brand YKTR (You Know The Rules) which was founded in 2016 with former

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 ...

player James Segeyaro and

St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George, Sydney, St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since NR ...

player

Corey Norman Corey Norman (born 3 February 1991) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as and for FC Lézignan XIII in the Elite One Championship. Norman previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, the Parramatta Eels and St ...

, and the trio went on to form another business named YKTR Sports in 2019. He also started the

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

''The Ice Project'' in 2019.

Playing career

2009

In 2009 John joined the senior

squad full-time and played for the Auckland Vulcans in the

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 reserv ...

and

Howick Hornets The Howick Hornets are a rugby league club based in Howick, New Zealand. The premier team competes in Auckland Rugby League's senior competitions. The club currently competes in the top division, the Fox Memorial Trophy. The club has a rivalry w ...

in the

competition. In mid-2009 the Warriors announced they had re-signed John until the end of the 2011 season with an option for 2012. In Round 19 of

2009 NRL season The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiership ...

, John made his first grade début for the

against the

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, 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 ...

at SFS at five-eighth in the Warriors 30–24 win. John played in three matches for the

Warriors A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been ...

in his début year 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 ...

in the

2010

In Round 13 against the

St. George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...

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 ...

, John scored his first

career try in the Warriors 22–20 loss. John played in five matches, scored one try and kicked 1 field goal for the

in the

2010 NRL season The 2010 NRL season was the 103rd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the thirteenth run by the National Rugby League. The season commenced on 12 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 3 Octobe ...

2011

John played in one match for the

in the

2011 NRL season The 2011 NRL season was the 104th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fourteenth and last run by the National Rugby League's partnership committee of the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. The NR ...

in Round 2 against the

Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional 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 joint-venture ...

in a 20–12 loss at

Leichhardt Oval Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney ...

. On 29 October 2011 John signed a three-year contract with

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the ...

. John mostly played in the

, playing in the Auckland Vulcans 30–28 loss to

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 facilita ...

in the 2011 NSW Cup Grand Final. In 2011 John was named in the

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

side but the Test was cancelled by the

New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood '' ...

2012

John played in 14 matches, scored 1 try and kicked 19 goals for the Wildcats in the 2012 Super League season. John was released from the club at the start of the 2013 season. John 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 = , langu ...

in the 28–24 victory over

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

2013

On 25 February 2013, John signed with the

on a one-year contract. John spent the early parts of the season playing for the Penrith feeder side,

Windsor Wolves The Windsor Wolves are a rugby league team based in the town of Windsor, New South Wales. The club fields both junior and senior teams in the Penrith District Rugby League competitions. The club has fielded teams in semi-professional, New Sout ...

, before making his Penrith club début in Round 9 against the

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. ...

in Penrith's 12–10 victory at

Penrith Stadium Penrith Stadium (known commercially as BlueBet Stadium) is a rugby league and association football stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthers who play in the N ...

. In his next match in Round 10 against his former club the

, John scored a hat trick in the Penrith club's 62–6 rampaging win. On 14 June 2013, John re-signed with Penrith on a new two-year contract. John finished 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 ...

with him playing in 16 matches and scoring 5 tries for the Penrith side. John represented the

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

in the 2013 World Cup, playing in all 3 matches at halfback and scoring a try in the tournament.

2014

In February 2014, John was selected in the Panthers inaugural

2014 Auckland Nines The 2014 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the first NRL Auckland Nines tournament, contested between all sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The draw was released on 30 October 2014 ...

squad. John played in only three of the first eight matches, being behind Jamie Soward and

Peter Wallace Peter James Wallace (born 16 October 1985) is a former Scotland international rugby league footballer who played for the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL. A New South Wales State of Origin representative, Wallace began his ...

in the halves selection. John was a shock selections 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 o ...

test team squad against the

Australia Kangaroos The Australian National Rugby League Team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the 'Northern Union game' in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian ...

in the

2014 Anzac Test The 2014 Anzac Test was a rugby league test match played between Australia and New Zealand at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on 2 May 2014. It was the 15th Anzac Test played between the two nations since the first was played under the Super League ...

after

Kieran Foran Kieran Foran (born 13 July 1990) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL and New Zealand at international level. Foran previously played for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, ...

, Thomas Leuluai and Josh Hoffman were ruled out with injuries. Originally selected at five eighth, John was shifted to the interchange bench to have

Tohu Harris Tohu Harris (born 7 January 1992) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and forward and captains the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL, and New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level. He previ ...

to start at five-eighth, having John to début off the bench in the Kiwis 30–18 loss at SFS. A week after making his international début for

, John has had his season cut short by suffering a season ending

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. ...

(ACL) knee injury while going down in a tackle in Penrith's

win over the Newcastle Knights. John finished off the Panthers

2014 NRL season The 2014 NRL season was the 107th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 17th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand, for the Auckland Nines, replacing the Rugby Leagu ...

with him playing in three matches and scoring a try.

2015

On 24 January, John was named in Penrith's

2015 Auckland Nines The 2015 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the second NRL Auckland Nines tournament, contested between all sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The draw was released on 16 September 20 ...

squad, but failed to make any impact. In November, he signed a one-year contract with 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 ...

starting in 2016.

2016

In 2016, John signed with the

, but again failed to make any impact, again not being picked to play. He played in the Auckland Nines but didn't play an

Game that season

2017

In 2017,

recruited John to play "park footy" expecting him to play in the NSW lower grades,

Ron Massey Cup The Ron Massey Cup (formerly known as the Bundaberg Red Cup and Jim Beam Cup) is a semi-professional development level rugby league competition in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, run jointly by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and th ...

& even below. Instead John would turn out for their

side for the season, failing to make any impact. This was John's last season of competitive rugby league.

References

External links

NRL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:John, Isaac 1988 births Living people Auckland rugby league team players Cook Islands national rugby league team players Howick Hornets players Junior Kiwis players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand sportspeople of Cook Island descent New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand Warriors players Otahuhu Leopards players Penrith Panthers players Rugby league players from Tokoroa Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league halfbacks Waicoa Bay Stallions players Waikato rugby league team players Wakefield Trinity players Windsor Wolves players People educated at Forest View High School, Tokoroa Cook Island rugby league players Cook Island expatriate rugby league players Cook Island expatriate sportspeople in Australia Cook Island expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate rugby league players in England Expatriate rugby league players in Australia New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Australia New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England New Zealand expatriate rugby league players