Jacob Kiraz (born 23 November 2001) is a
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 ...
international
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 for the
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 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
Kiraz was born in
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and is of
Lebanese descent.
He played his junior rugby league for the Berala Bears and later St Johns Eagles.
Playing career
Early career
In 2015, Kiraz was a member of the
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs under-15 Summer Development Squad. In 2018, he was a member of the under-17 Winter Development squad. In November 2018, he was named in the
St. George Dragons SG Ball Cup
The S. G. Ball Cup is a junior rugby league football competition played predominantly in New South Wales, between teams made up of players aged under 19. Teams from Canberra and Melbourne (Victoria Thunderbolts) also participate. Prior to the C ...
train-on squad. On 6 February 2019, he was named in the team's final squad, and played eight games and scored three tries during the season.
2019
In June, Kiraz signed a three-year contract with the
North Queensland Cowboys, beginning in 2020.
On 22 June, at 17-years old, Kiraz made his international Test debut for
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 ...
, coming off the bench in their 58–14 loss to
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
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 S ...
. He set up his side's third try just two minutes after coming onto the field.
On 10 October, he was named in Lebanon's
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 ...
squad. Kiraz played just one game in the tournament before being disqualified for being under the age of 18. While the
International Rugby League
The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. Previously known as the ''Rugby League Imperial Board'', the '' International Rugby League Board'' and latterly the ''Rugby League Internat ...
allows players 16 or older to play in Test matches, the
National Rugby League, who ran the tournament, stipulates that you must be 18 to play. Kiraz would not turn 18 until November.
2020
In 2020, Kiraz moved to
Townsville but played just one game for the
Townsville Blackhawks
The Townsville & Districts Blackhawks are an Australian semi-professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Queensland's top rugby league competition, the Queensland Cup. The club was admitted to the Que ...
Under-20s side before moving back to
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
after the competition was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
2021
In 2021, Kiraz joined the
Newcastle Knights on an NRL development contract.
2022
After not being able to break through for an NRL debut at the Newcastle club, Kiraz returned to the
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs ahead of the
2022 season.
In round 7 of the
2022 NRL season
The 2022 NRL season is the 115th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 25th season run by the National Rugby League.
Teams
The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 16th consecutive year. This became the second longest s ...
, Kiraz made his
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 ...
debut for
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
against
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
. He scored his first try in first grade the following week against the
Wests Tigers.
In round 20, Kiraz 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 ...
in Canterbury's 24-10 victory over
Newcastle.
Kiraz played 15 games for Canterbury in the 2022 season scoring six tries. The club would finish 12th on the table at the end of the season.
Kiraz would impress in the unfamiliar position of for
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 ...
during the
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament contested by the top national men's representative teams. The tournament is administered by the International Rugby League and was first held in France in 1954, which was ...
, scoring a try against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
as the Cedars made the quarter finals.
2023
In round 2 of the
2023 NRL season
The 2023 NRL season is the 116th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 26th season run by the National Rugby League.
Teams
For the 2023 season, the number of teams in the NRL has increased from sixteen to seventeen with the ...
, Kiraz scored two tries for Canterbury in a 26-12 upset victory over
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
.
In round 7 against arch-rivals Parramatta, Kiraz was taken from the field during the first half with a knee injury. Canterbury would go on to lose the match 30-4. Kiraz was later ruled out for three matches.
Kiraz played a total of 19 matches for Canterbury in the
2023 NRL season
The 2023 NRL season is the 116th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 26th season run by the National Rugby League.
Teams
For the 2023 season, the number of teams in the NRL has increased from sixteen to seventeen with the ...
as the club finished 15th on the table.
On 24 October, Kiraz signed a contract extension to remain at Canterbury until the end of the 2027 season.
2024
In round 12 of the
2024 NRL season
The 2024 NRL season will be the 117th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 27th season run by the National Rugby League.
Teams
The lineup of teams in the league remained unchanged after the admission of the Dolphins (NRL), Do ...
, Kiraz scored two tries for Canterbury in their 44-12 win over
St. George Illawarra
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 ...
.
References
External links
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs profileNRL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiraz, Jacob
2001 births
Living people
Australian rugby league players
Australian people of Lebanese descent
Lebanon national rugby league team players
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players
Rugby league centres
Rugby league players from Sydney