Lee Te Maari (born 28 July 1985) 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 who played in the 2000s and 2010s for St George, Canterbury-Bankstown and Parramatta. Te Maari primarily played in the second row.

Early life

Te Maari played his junior rugby league for the

Joondalup Giants The Joondalup Giants Rugby League Club is an Australian rugby league football club based in Joondalup, Western Australia that competes in The Western Australian Rugby League. Founded in 1990, The Joondalup Giants provide the northern suburbs of P ...

in the Perth Rugby League.

Playing career

Te Maari made his first grade debut for St. George in round 7 of the

2006 NRL season The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 ...

against the

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 ...

at the Sydney Football Stadium. In 2007, Te Maari joined

Canterbury-Bankstown Canterbury-Bankstown is a customary region of Sydney, Australia, in the south-western suburbs. The area is located around the Bankstown railway line, to the west of the St George region and to the south of the Inner West region. The suburbs ...

. He made 8 appearances for Canterbury in the

2007 NRL season The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League. Sixteen teams contested the NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership, and with the inclusio ...

including the club's qualifying final loss against North Queensland. In the 2008 NRL season, Te Maari made a career best 22 appearances as Canterbury finished bottom of the table and claimed the wooden spoon. Te Maari was named in the New Zealand training 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 ...

. On 16 March 2010, Te Maari was dismissed by 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 ...

after repeated breaches of the Club’s Code of Conduct including numerous driving offences. On 6 April 2010, Te Maari joined the

Wentworthville Magpies The Wentworthville Magpies, colloquially known as ''Wenty'', are a rugby league team based in the suburb of Wentworthville in Sydney's Western Suburbs. Founded in 1963 (or 1937), the club has competed in various Sydney district competitions an ...

and was selected to play in the Bundaberg Red Cup Team. Te Maari played one game 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 ...

in round 18 of 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 ...

References

External links

Bulldogs profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Te Maari, Lee 1985 births New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league team players St. George Illawarra Dragons players Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players Parramatta Eels players Wentworthville Magpies players Rugby league second-rows Rugby league locks Living people Rugby league players from Tokoroa