Leeson Ah Mau (born 20 December 1989) 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 has represented both

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 ...

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 count ...

at international level. He previously played 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 be ...

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...

and 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- ...

in the

National Rugby League 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 ...

Early years

Ah Mau was born in

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, and is of Samoan and

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

descent. He is the brother of Isaak Ah Mau. He attended De La Salle College, Mangere East, and started his rugby league career with the Papatoetoe Panthers, later moving to Otahuhu, and playing in

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 fi ...

competitions. As a member of Otahuhu, Ah Mau played for the Tamaki Titans in the

Bartercard Cup The Bartercard Cup (successor of the Lion Red Cup) was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zeala ...

. Ah Mau 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 Super ...

in 2006 and the

under-18 side in 2007. Ah Mau was signed to a developmental contract with the

in 2007. During his first year with the club he played 18 games 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 reserv ...

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 had ...

. In 2008 he played for the Junior Warriors in the inaugural season of the Toyota Cup. He finished his Toyota Cup career with 40 appearances.

Playing career

2009

In round 1 of the

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 ...

, Ah Mau made his

first grade First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by r ...

debut 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 ...

against 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 ...

off the interchange bench in the Warriors 26–18 win. However, after suffering a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

injury, Ah Mau did not play first grade again in 2009. His contract was not renewed for the 2010 season, and he signed with the North Queensland Cowboys. Ah Mau finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in 2 matches for the

2010

Ah Mau made his first grade debut for the

in round 4, against 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 ...

playing off the interchange bench in the Cowboys 32–18 win at

1300SMILES Stadium The Willows Sports Complex, currently known as 1300SMILES Stadium through Naming rights, sponsorship, is a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It has been a predominantly rugby league ground as the home ground o ...

. Ah Mau scored his first NRL career try in the round 22 Queensland derby match against the

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 ...

in the Cowboys 26–34 loss at 1300SMILES Stadium. Ah Mau went on to be named the Cowboys' rookie of the year for the 2010 season, having made 18 first-grade appearances and scoring a try.

2011

On 8 August 2011 Ah Mau signed with the

on a 2-year deal starting from 2012. Ah Mau finished the Cowboys

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 NRL ...

with him playing in 15 matches and scoring a try.

2012

In round 1 of 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 ...

, in the season opener against the

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...

Hunter Stadium Newcastle International Sports Centre, known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knights (National Rugby League) and Newca ...

, Ah Mau made his club debut for the

off the interchange bench in the Dragons golden point extra time 15–14 win. Ah Mau spent most of the year playing for the

Illawarra Cutters The Illawarra Rugby League Football Club were an Australian rugby league football club based in Illawarra formed in 2012. Originally known as the Illawarra Cutters, they became known as the Illawarra RLFC before the 2017 Intrust Super Premiersh ...

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 reserve ...

. Ah Mau finished the Dragons

with him playing in 11 matches. LEESON AH MAU

2013

On 20 April 2013, Ah Mau made his international début, playing for

in the

Pacific Rugby League International The Pacific Rugby League International is a rugby league test match that has been played between two Pacific Island nations during the National Rugby League's annual representative weekend since 2013. The fixture was held at Penrith Stadium for ...

against pacific rivals

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

. Ah Mau played off the interchange bench in Samoa's 4–36 loss 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 round 24, 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 ...

at the SCG, Ah Mau scored his first club try for the Dragons in the Dragons 16–34 loss. Ah Mau finished the Dragons

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 15 matches and scoring a try. On 24 September 2013, Ah Mau extended his contracted with the Dragons for a further two years, until the end of the 2015 season. In October 2013, Ah Mau was selected for Samoa to participate in their 2013 World Cup campaign. Ah Mau played in three of Samoa's four matches.

2014

On 14 February 2014, Ah Mau was selected in the Dragons inaugural 2014 Auckland Nines squad. On 3 May 2014, Ah Mau played for Samoa in the 2014 Pacific Rugby League International against

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 Penrith Stadium. Ah Mau played at second-row in Samoa's 32–16 win. Ah Mau finished off the Dragons

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 23 matches and scoring a try. On 7 October 2014, Ah Mau was selected in Samoa's 24 man squad for the 2014 Four Nations series.

2015

On 2 May, Ah Mau played for Samoa in their Polynesian Cup clash with Pacific rivals Tonga, playing at second-row in Samoa's 18–16 win at

Cbus Super Stadium Robina Stadium, also known by its sponsored name Cbus Super Stadium, is a rectangular football stadium in the Gold Coast suburb of Robina, Queensland. The main usage is as the home ground to the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans; t ...

. On 22 May 2015, Ah Mau re-signed with the Dragons on a 3-year contract, until the end of the 2018 season. He played in every game for the Dragons in the 2015 season, and earned the 2015 Dragons' Player of the Year medal at the Annual Red V Awards Ceremony.

2016

On 7 May 2016, Ah Mau played for Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup against Tonga, where he started at second-row in the 18–6 win at Parramatta Stadium. Later in the year he captained Samoa in their historic

test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

against Fiji in Apia.

2017

On 6 October 2017, Ah Mau was selected for Samoa to participate in their 2017 World Cup campaign, and played in all four of their matches.

2018

On 9 July 2018, it was announced that Ah Mau had signed with the

for three years starting in 2019.

2019

In round 22, Ah Mau played his 200th NRL game for the Warriors in their 42–6 loss 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 the

Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...

in Sydney.

2021

At the conclusion of the 2021 season, Leeson announced his retirement from the game after playing 221

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 ...

first grade matches.

References

External links

New Zealand Warriors profileSt. George Illawarra Dragons profile2017 RLWC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ah Mau, Leeson 1989 births Living people Auckland rugby league team players Illawarra Cutters players Junior Kiwis players New Zealand people of Chinese descent New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand Warriors players North Queensland Cowboys players Otahuhu Leopards players Papatoetoe Panthers players People educated at De La Salle College, Māngere East Rugby league players from Auckland Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows Samoa national rugby league team captains Samoa national rugby league team players Samoan rugby league players St. George Illawarra Dragons players Tamaki Titans players