Shakiah Tungai (born 29 November 1996) is an Australian

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 a and for the St. George Illawarra Dragons Women in the

NRL Women's Premiership The Telstra NRL Women's Premiership (NRLW) is Australia's national rugby league competition for women's rugby league in Australia, female players. The first season of the league began in September 2018 with four teams. The league is run by the ...

. She is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

and

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 ...

representative. Shakiah attended Barrack Heights Public School and Warilla High School.

Background

Born in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

, Tungai is of

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

descent. Growing up, she played

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

in first grade since the age of 14, winning numerous ‘golden boot’ awards as the leagues leading goal scorer. Shakiah's team were very successful, winning many State Cup Championships during her soccer career, before switching to

in 2017. In 2016, she won the

Kyah Simon Kyah Pam Simon (born 25 June 1991) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Tottenham Hotspur of the FA Women's Super League. In 2011, Simon became the first Indigenous Australian player to score a goal in a FI ...

Player of the Tournament Medal at the National Indigenous Soccer Championships.

Playing career

2018

In June, while playing for the Avondale Greyhounds in the

Illawarra Rugby League The Illawarra Rugby League is a rugby league competition in Wollongong, NSW. It is one of the oldest rugby league competitions in Australia, founded in 1911 with five clubs (Dapto, Helensburgh, Mount Keira, Unanderra and Wollongong). The area pr ...

, Tungai represented NSW Country at the Women's National Championships. On 26 July, she signed with 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 ...

team. In Round 1 of the 2018 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Dragons in a 4–30 loss to 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 ...

. She scored one try and kicked three goals during the season, finishing as the Dragons' top point scorer. On 6 October, Tungai scored three tries and kicked three goals for the

Prime Minister's XIII Prime Minister's XIII, or sometimes informally referred to as the PM's XIII, is the name of a representative rugby league team, comprising Australian players from National Rugby League clubs that did not qualify for the NRL Finals, or whose tea ...

in a 40–4 win over

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

2019

On 15 February, Tungai represented the Indigenous All Stars, scoring a try in their 4–8 loss to the Māori All Stars. In May, she represented NSW Country at the Women's National Championships. On 21 June, Tungai made her

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...

debut for

, scoring a try in their 14–4 win over

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. On 6 October, Tungai started on the in the Dragons' 6–30 NRLW Grand Final loss to the Broncos. In October, she represented

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

at the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s. On 25 October, Tungai made her Test debut for Australia, scoring a try and kicking three goals in a 8–28 win over

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 ...

2020

On 22 February, Tungai started at for the Indigenous All Stars in their 10–4 win over the Māori All Stars, injuring her shoulder in the match. In Round 1 of the 2020 NRL Women's season, Tungai started at for the Dragons in a 4–18 loss to 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 ...

. She injured her shoulder during the game, ruling her out for the remainder of the season.

References

External links

St George Illawarra Dragons profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tungai, Shakiah 1996 births Living people Indigenous Australian rugby league players Australian female rugby league players Australia women's national rugby league team players Canberra Raiders (NRLW) players New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin Women players Rugby league wingers Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Wollongong Sportswomen from New South Wales St. George Illawarra Dragons (NRLW) players