Lorenzo Ma'afu (born 13 November 1987) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup. He primarily played second-row. Ma'afu is of Tongan descent. Ma'afu was well known for overcoming much adversity to make it into the NRL.[2]
 Ma'afu playing for the Bulldogs in 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Lorenzo Ma'afu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 November 1987 New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (15 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 5 January 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life edit
Born in New Zealand, before moving to Australia. Ma'afu played his junior football for the East Hills Bulldogs in Australia before being signed by Canterbury.
Canterbury-Bankstown edit
In round 9 of the 2008 NRL season he made his NRL debut for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs against the Penrith Panthers. He made one further appearance for Canterbury which came in round 12 against Melbourne which Canterbury lost 46-0.
Ipswich Jets edit
In 2009, he joined the Ipswich Jets in the Intrust Super Cup.[3]
2012-14 edit
At the start of 2012, Ma'afu was close to joining NRL club, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles but nothing eventuated as Sea Eagles recruitment manager, Noel Cleal, who wanted to sign him, went to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs before anything was finalized. Ma'afu was invited to do pre-season training with the Gold Coast Titans.[4]
In June 2012, Ma'afu was invited to come down for a week to train with the Newcastle Knights at the request of Knights coach Wayne Bennett in order to possibly gain a contract.[5]
In September 2012, Ma'afu signed a two-year contract with the Parramatta Eels.[6]
Townsville Blackhawks edit
In 2015, Ma'afu joined Townsville and played two seasons with the club.
Burleigh Bears edit
In 2017, Ma'afu joined Burleigh and made 12 appearances during the 2017 season.[7]
Later career edit
In 2021, it was reported that Ma'afu was playing for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the local Gold Coast A-Grade competition.
Controversy edit
In 2010, he was banned from the sport for 15 months after his drink was spiked with ecstasy and another recreational drug. Ma'afu's ban expired on 1 February 2011 and he returned to play for the Jets.[8]
References edit
- ^ "Lorenzo Ma'afu - Career Stats & Summary". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ Herald Sun[dead link]
- ^ Jets star Lorenzo Maafu fights suspension The Queensland Times, 18 June 2009
- ^ NRL Return likely [dead link]
- ^ Jet lands knights NRL[dead link]
- ^ "Ipswich Jets Rugby League Team". www.facebook.com.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Player Profile". www.qrl.com.au.
- ^ "Former Bulldog has doping ban reduced". The Press. AAP. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.