Sylvester Namo (born 26 August 2000) is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop forward for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.

Sylvester Namo
Personal information
Born (2000-08-26) 26 August 2000 (age 24)
Goroka, Papua New Guinea
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight110 kg (17 st 5 lb)
Playing information
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2024– Castleford Tigers 15 1 0 0 4
2024(DR) Newcastle Thunder 1 0 0 0 0
Total 16 1 0 0 4
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2022– Papua New Guinea 8 4 0 0 16
2022– PNG Prime Minister's XIII 2 0 0 0 0
Source: [1][2]
As of 11 November 2024

He represents Papua New Guinea at international level and played at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. He has previously played for the PNG Hunters and Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup. He has spent time on dual registration from Castleford at Newcastle Thunder in League 1.

Background

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Born in Goroka, Papua New Guinea, Namo began playing rugby league for the KK Brothers Vikings in 2019 at Mt. Hagen where he was raised.[3]

Playing career

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Lae Snax Tigers

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In 2020, Namo made his debut for the Lae Snax Tigers in the Digicel Cup, scoring a try in their Grand Final loss to the Hela Wigmen.[4]

PNG Hunters

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In 2021, Namo joined the PNG Hunters, playing 13 games for the club in the Queensland Cup. In 2022, he played 16 games, starting all 16 at prop.[5]

North Queensland Cowboys

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In November 2022, Namo joined the North Queensland Cowboys on a train and replacement contract for the 2023 season.[6]

Castleford Tigers

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On 1 October 2023, it was announced that Namo would join the Castleford Tigers in the Super League on a two-year contract from 2024.[7][8] He made his debut on 8 March against Huddersfield,[9] with coach Craig Lingard managing his minutes as he returned from an ACL injury.[10] In April, Namo was given a five-match ban for dangerous contact against Wigan, with Castleford unsuccessful in their appeal against the ruling.[11][12] He made his return to the team on 24 May against Hull FC, earning praise from Lingard for an impactful performance.[13]

International

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On 25 June 2022, he made his international debut for Papua New Guinea in their 24-14 victory over Fiji in the 2022 Pacific Test.[14] In October 2022, he represented Papua New Guinea at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, playing three games.[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Player Summary: Sylvester Namo". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  2. ^ Rugby League Project
  3. ^ "Double Debut for Namo". Post Courier. 8 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Tepend looking to recruit players from nines tourney". The National. 17 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Meet the PNG Kumuls Debutant - Sylvester Namo". PNG Haus Bung. 25 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Cowboys to trial Namo". The National. 21 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Sylvester Namo: Castleford sign PNG international as Liam Watts agrees new deal". BBC Sport. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Namo is a Tiger". Castleford Tigers. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Super League: Castleford 8-50 Huddersfield - Tigers suffer fourth straight loss to nine-try Giants". BBC Sport. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  10. ^ Darbyshire, Drew (4 April 2024). "Sylvester Namo returns for Castleford Tigers as coach Craig Lingard provides injury latest". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Sylvester Namo: Castleford Tigers lose appeal against five-game ban". BBC Sport. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  12. ^ Cook, Sam (18 April 2024). "Revealed: Why Sylvester Namo was found guilty". Serious About Rugby League. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  13. ^ Walker, Callum (24 May 2024). "Craig Lingard explains Castleford Tigers' win over Hull FC, an almost messy toilet situation and why Cain Robb didn't play". TotalRL. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Papua New Guinea v Fiji". National Rugby League. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Five World Cup Stars Who Have Caught the Eye". Examiner Live. 25 October 2022.
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