Pat Mata'utia-Leifi (pronounced ma-ta-oo-tee-a)[3] (born 11 September 1993) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer. His positions are second-row and centre. He previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League.
 Mata'utia playing for the Knights in 2014. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alapati Mata'utia-Leifi[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 September 1993 Campsie, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 103 kg (16 st 3 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] As of 4 March 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background edit
Mata'utia was born in Campsie, New South Wales, Australia. He is of Samoan descent.
He played his junior rugby league for the South Newcastle Lions in the Newcastle Rugby League, before being signed by the Newcastle Knights.
Mata'utia is the younger brother of Knights teammates Peter Mata'utia and Chanel Mata'utia, and older brother of Knights teammate Sione Mata'utia.[4]
Playing career edit
Early career edit
In October 2011, Mata'utia played for the Australian Schoolboys.[5] In 2012 and 2013, he played for the Newcastle Knights' NYC team.[6][7] On 16 October 2013, he re-signed with the Knights on a 2-year contract.[8] In 2014, he graduated on to the Knights' New South Wales Cup team.[9] Late in September 2014, he signed a letter of intent to join the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on a 4-year contract starting in 2016, along with his brothers Chanel and Sione.[10][11] However, the NRL's rules didn't allow the Bulldogs to register the contracts until 30 June 2015, leaving the option of staying at the Knights open for the Mata'utias.[12]
2015 edit
On 19 March, Mata'utia re-signed with the Knights on a 3-year contract, along with his brothers Chanel and Sione.[13] On 2 May, he played for Samoa against Tonga in the 2015 Polynesian Cup, making his international debut on the wing in Samoa's 18-16 win at Cbus Super Stadium.[14][15]
2016 edit
In round 1 of the 2016 NRL season, Mata'utia made his NRL debut for the Knights against the Gold Coast Titans after the suspension of his brother Sione left open a position at centre.[16] He scored a try on debut in the Knights' 12-30 loss at Cbus Super Stadium.[17] He finished the year with 14 appearances and two tries.[18]
2018 edit
After not seeing NRL time for the last two seasons, Mata'utia parted ways with the Knights at the end of the 2018 season.[19]
References edit
- ^ "TEAM LISTS: Tonga, Fiji Bati, Papua New Guinea Teams For 2015 Representative Round | Triple M NRL". Triplem.com.au. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Alapati Matautia - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "Double debut for Mata'utias - Knights". Newcastleknights.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Sione's set to debut - Knights". newcastleknights.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "ASSRL Schoolboys rugby league news, Australian Secondary School Rugby League, Australian Schoolboys". Ourfootyteam.com. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "2012 Harold Matthews Cup - GRAND FINAL - Parramatta EELS v Newcastle Knights - Action Photo Gallery". Ourfootyteam.com. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "NYC Match Preview - Rd. 23 v Knights". M.melbournestorm.sportalhosting.com. 15 August 2013. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Mata'utia trio plus Tetevano re-sign | NRL". Zerotackle.com. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Panthers V Knights - VB NSW Cup Rd 1". NSWRL.com. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Bulldogs secure Knights' band of brothers Sione, Chanel and Pat Mata'utia". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Newcastle Knights rising star Sione Mata'utia to let mum decide his long-term playing future". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Keeble, Brett (18 December 2014). "Agent tussle holds up Mata'utia talks | Newcastle Herald". Theherald.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Mata'utia brothers re-sign - Knights". Newcastleknights.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Representative Round team lists". NRL.com. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Balym, Todd (26 July 2014). "Video: Sam Kasiano try-saving tackle on Jorge Taufua secures Pacific Test win for Samoan against Tonga". News.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Updated: Round 1 NRL team lists". NRL.com. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ NRL Ladder. "Five things we learned from Titans v Knights". Rugby League Week. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Custom Match List - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ "Knights announce departing players - Zero Tackle". 6 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.