Asu Kepaoa (born 2 February 2000) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre, winger and second-row forward for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League (NRL).
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 2 February 2000 Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 19 May 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career
edit2020
editKepaoa made his first grade debut in round 13 of the 2020 NRL season for the Wests Tigers against Newcastle.[2]
In round 18 against South Sydney, he scored his first try in the top grade as Wests were defeated 26-24 at Bankwest Stadium.[3]
The following week, he scored his first double in the top grade as Wests were defeated 50-22 by Melbourne.[4]
2021
editOn 18 April, it was announced that he would miss the remainder of the 2021 NRL season with a knee injury which occurred during the club's loss against South Sydney in round 6 of the competition.[5]
2022
editOn 24 July, in the round 19 match against the North Queensland Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Kepaoa cost his side victory when he was determined by the video referee to have obstructed North Queensland winger Kyle Feldt following a short kick-off in the final second of game time, at which point the Tigers led 26–25. The Tigers lost the match 26–27 after Valentine Holmes booted the match-winning penalty goal for North Queensland on the full-time siren.[6] In round 24, Kepaoa was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle in the final minute of the match against St. George Illawarra. Zac Lomax then kicked a penalty goal for St. George Illawarra which won the game 24-22 and meant that the Wests Tigers would finish with the Wooden Spoon for the first time in their history.[7]
2023
editKepaoa played a total of 19 games for the Wests Tigers in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished with the Wooden Spoon for a second straight year.[8]
2024
editOn 12 June, Kepaoa was released from his Wests Tigers contract to sign a two-year deal with Penrith.[9]
Controversy
editOn 31 January 2021, Kepaoa and fellow NRL player Zane Musgrove were detained by the police after allegedly abusing officers and refusing to move on from outside of the Coogee Bay Hotel. They were released without charge, however Kepaoa was issued with an infringement notice. The matter was then passed on to the NRL Integrity Unit.[10]
References
edit- ^ Rugby League Project
- ^ "Round 13 NRL team lists". NRL.com. 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Luke Brooks sent to bin for 'ridiculous' right hook at Dane Gagai". www.news.com.au.
- ^ "Sydney Roosters defeat Sharks ahead of NRL finals, Shaun Johnson suffers serious injury". www.abc.net.au.
- ^ "Big Bunnies blow as try-scoring machine faces a month on sidelines: Casualty Ward". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ St John, Mark (24 July 2022). "'Absolute shocker' robs Tigers as bunker secures Cowboys' 'great escape': 3 Big Hits". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ "'Sums up their season': Dragons get out of jail as Tigers blow unlosable game with huge blunder". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "'Circus act' that summed up year from hell... and big call left for Benji: Wests Tigers Brutal Review". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "Kepaoa released from contract". www.weststigers.com.au.
- ^ "Wests Tigers duo taken to police station after incident at popular Sydney pub". www.foxsports.com.au.