Brian To'o (born 18 August 1998) is a Samoan professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who plays as a er for the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...

in the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

in the

State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two States and territories of Australia, Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales Blues and the Queensland ru ...

and

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

at international level. Known for his strength, he is regarded as one of the best wingers in the NRL. He won the

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

and 2024 NRL Grand Finals with the Penrith club. He has represented the NSW Blues in State of Origin and

at Test and 9's level.

Background

To'o was born in Sydney. Australia. His parents are of Samoan descent. To'o also has Chinese ancestry. To’o grew up in the Sydney suburb of Whalan and was educated at Madang Avenue Public School and Rooty Hill High School. He played his junior rugby league for

St Marys Saints The St Marys Saints are an Australian rugby league club who were formed in 1908.St Marys''/ref> They were the founding Member of the Penrith District Rugby League. They have previously competed in the NSWRL Jim Beam Cup, winning three titles ...

Career

2019

To'o made his NRL debut in round 10 of the

2019 NRL season The 2019 NRL season was the 112th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 22nd season run by the National Rugby League. The Sydney Roosters became the first team to win back-to-back Premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 ...

for Penrith against the

New Zealand Warriors The 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 the Aucklan ...

. To'o scored his first try in the top grade in Round 14 of the

against South Sydney at

ANZ Stadium Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...

in a 19–18 victory. To'o made a total of 15 appearances for Penrith in the

as the club finished tenth on the table and missed out on the finals for the first time since 2015.

2020

In round 8 of the

2020 NRL season The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year. ; Notes : : : Pre-season ...

, To'o was taken from the field during Penrith's 19–12 victory over

Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...

at Bankwest Stadium. It was later revealed To'o would be ruled out for two months with a grade-three

syndesmosis A syndesmosis (“fastened with a band”) is a type of fibrous joint in which two bones are united to each other by fibrous connective tissue. The gap between the bones may be narrow, with the bones joined by ligaments, or the gap may be wide a ...

injury. He played a total of 16 games for Penrith in the

as the club claimed the

Minor Premiership A minor premiership is the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the finals in several Australian sports leagues. Origins The etymolo ...

and reached the

2020 NRL Grand Final The 2020 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2020 National Rugby League season held at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on October 25. The match was contested between minor premiers Penrith Panthers and second-placed Me ...

. To'o played in the grand final and scored a second half try in Penrith's 26–20 loss against Melbourne.

2021

On 30 May, he was selected by New South Wales for game one of the 2021 State of Origin series. At the time of his selection, To’o lead the league in both run metres and post-contact metres for players in any position. He scored two tries in the opening game of the series as New South Wales defeated Queensland 50–6. In round 15, To'o scored two tries for Penrith in a 38–12 victory over the

Sydney Roosters Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...

. On 27 July, To'o was ruled out for at least six weeks after suffering a syndesmosis injury in Penrith's victory over Brisbane. In round 25, To'o 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 Wick ...

in Penrith's 40–6 victory over Parramatta. On 27 September, To'o was named Dally M Winger of the year alongside Manly's Reuben Garrick. To'o played a total of 21 games for Penrith in the

2021 NRL season The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year. Regular season Ladd ...

including the club's 2021 NRL Grand Final victory over South Sydney.

2022

In round 2 of the

2022 NRL season The 2022 NRL season was 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 ...

, To'o was taken from the field during Penrith's victory over St. George Illawarra. It was later announced that To'o would miss six to eight matches with a knee injury. To'o made his return to the Penrith side in round 9 against

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

which ended in a 22–20 defeat. On 29 May, To'o was selected by New South Wales to play in game one of the 2022 State of Origin series. In the 2022 Qualifying Final, To'o scored two tries in Penrith's 27–8 victory over

. To'o played in Penrith's

2022 NRL Grand Final The 2022 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2022 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the Parramatta Eels on Sunday the 2nd of October at Accor Stad ...

victory over

scoring two tries as Penrith finished 28–12 winners. In October he was named in the Samoa squad for the

2021 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received � ...

. To'o played in every game for Samoa at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup including the final against Australia. To'o scored a second half try as Samoa lost 30–10. In November he was named in the 2021 RLWC Team of the Tournament.

2023

On 22 May, To'o was selected by New South Wales for game one of the

2023 State of Origin series The 2023 State of Origin series was the 42nd annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland had won 23 times, NSW 16 times, with two series drawn. Venues Game I was hel ...

. In the 2023 preliminary final, To'o scored a

in Penrith's dominant 38–4 victory over Melbourne. To'o made 23 appearances for Penrith in the 2023 NRL season including the clubs 26–24 victory over Brisbane in the

2023 NRL Grand Final The 2023 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2023 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday the 1st of October at Stadium Aus ...

as Penrith won their third straight premiership.

2024

On 24 February, To'o played in Penrith's 2024 World Club Challenge final loss against

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

. Following the match, To'o took a swipe at the referee involved in the game and Wigan player Jake Wardle saying "You can’t change much. The result is made, but he already knows he didn’t get it over the line, I’m sure the ref knows as well. Lying is a sin, as well. I already knew he didn’t get it down and when they awarded it, you’ve just got to move on. It is what it is. I’m happy for them. They can enjoy the win, and they deserve it, I guess". In round 3 of the

2024 NRL season The 2024 NRL season was the 117th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 27th season run by the National Rugby League (NRL). The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, followed by a finals series contested by the top eight ...

, To'o scored two tries for Penrith in their grand final rematch against Brisbane. Penrith would win the game 34-12. On 26 May, To'o was named for New South Wales ahead of the 2024 State of Origin series. In round 14, To'o scored a hat-trick in Penrith's 32-22 over Manly. In game two of the 2024 State of Origin series, To'o scored two tries for New South Wales in their 38-18 victory over Queensland. In round 23, To'o scored two tries for Penrith in their 36-34 comeback victory over Parramatta. To'o played a total of 24 matches for Penrith in the 2024 NRL season including their 14-6 grand final victory over Melbourne.

2025

In May, To'o was selected for New South Wales for the 2025 State of Origin series. In game two of the series, he scored a

in New South Wales narrow 26-24 loss against Queensland.

Statistics

Honours

Individual * Dally M Winger of The Year: 2021, 2024 Club *

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Winners * 2021 NRL Grand Final Winners *

Winners *

Winner *

Winners *

Winner * 2024 NRL Grand Final Winner Representative * 2021 State of Origin series Winners * 2024 State of Origin series Winners

Personal life

To’o proposed to Moesha Crichton-Ropati at Suncorp Stadium amid the immediate post-match celebrations by the Penrith team of their grand final victory on 3 October 2021. The couple got married in December 2022 and had their first child, a boy, in late October 2023. To'o, who would play in his fifth consecutive grand final (2020-2024) on Sunday 6 October, is known for his questionably calorific breakfast that has become his tradition since 2020. Fox News reports that he enjoys two breakfast burgers, a bowl of chips with aioli and 6 cans of Coke Zero.

References

External links

Penrith Panthers profileSamoa profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Too, Brian 1998 births Living people Australian rugby league players Australian people of Chinese descent Sportspeople of Chinese descent Australian sportspeople of Samoan descent New South Wales Residents rugby league team players New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players Penrith Panthers players Rugby league wingers Rugby league players from Sydney Samoa national rugby league team players Samoan rugby league players 21st-century Australian sportsmen