Paul Alamoti (born 22 January 2004) is an Australian 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 plays as a for the

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. Penrith ...

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 ...

. He previously played for 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 facilita ...

in the

(NRL). He has also represented

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in the 2022 Under 19s State of Origin series.

Background

Alamoti was born in

Sydney, New South Wales 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 Mountains ...

and is of Tongan descent. Educated at

Marist College Kogarah The college was founded in 1909, and has a tradition based on the teachings of the French educator Saint Marcellin Champagnat, the founder of the Marist Brothers. The school offers education to approximately 1,200 students from Year 7 to Year 12. ...

where he also excelled in basketball and athletics, Alamoti played his junior rugby league with the Milperra Colts, and played for the Bulldogs'

Harold Matthews Cup The NSWRL Harold Matthews Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales between teams made up of players aged under 16. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL). The competition is made up o ...

and

S. G. 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 ...

teams. In 2019, Alamoti was selected for the 2019 Australian Schoolboys merit team, and was also selected for the Harold Matthews Representative side. He also played for the Bulldogs'

Jersey Flegg Cup The Jersey Flegg Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged 21 or under. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), and is named for Easter ...

side in 2021, at a remarkably young age of 17.

Playing career

2021

On 17 March, Alamoti signed with the

until 2023.

2022

Alamoti made his debut for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in round 7 of the 2022 Knock On Effect NSW Cup against 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. Mo ...

Belmore Sports Ground Belmore Sports Ground, formerly known as Belmore Oval, is a multi-purpose stadium in Belmore, New South Wales, Australia. The park covers and from 1951 has contained the Belmore Bowling Recreation Club green. It is close to Belmore railway sta ...

. Alamoti was selected to represent New South Wales in the Under 19s State of Origin. Alamoti scored a try in the 18th minute, but later went off with a cheekbone injury in NSW's victory. He scored his first try with Canterbury against the

North Sydney Bears The North Sydney Bears is an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. The club competes in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 90 years in the ...

in Round 21. Alamoti would appear in all matches for the Canterbury club during the 2022 NSW Cup finals series, including the club's grand final loss to the

CommBank Stadium Western Sydney Stadium, commercially known as Commonwealth Bank, CommBank Stadium, is a multi-purpose rectangular stadium in Parramatta, within the Greater Western Sydney region, approximately west of Sydney CBD. It replaced the demolished Pa ...

. On 7 November, Alamoti was named in the Bulldogs top 30 squad for

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, extending his contract until the end of the 2024 season.

2023

In round 1 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 ...

, Alamoti made his club debut for Canterbury in their 31-6 loss against Manly at

Brookvale Oval Brookvale Oval (also known by the commercial sponsorship name 4 Pines Park) is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is primarily used by th ...

. In round 7, Alamoti scored his first NRL try in Canterbury's 30-4 loss to arch-rivals 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 9, Alamoti kicked his first goal in Canterbury's 18-16 win over

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 ...

. Alamoti would play 19 games for Canterbury in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished in a disappointing 15th place. On 12 September, it was announced that Alamoti had signed a one-year contract with Penrith starting in 2024.

References

External links

NSWRL profile

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alamoti, Paul 2004 births Living people Australian rugby league players Australian sportspeople of Tongan descent Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Sydney