Timana Tahu
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | 16 October 1980|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 98 kg (15 st 6 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Position | Wing, Centre, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] |
Timana James Aporo Tahu (born 16 October 1980) is an Australian former professional
Background
Tahu was born in Melbourne of a New Zealand
Tahu and his partner Kasey have three children. They met while young; their oldest child was born when he was 18.[6]
Rugby league career
Newcastle Knights (1999–2004)
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2016) |
Tahu made his first grade debut in Round 12 1999 against South Sydney at the Sydney Football Stadium. In the 2000 season, Tahu scored 20 tries in 26 games as Newcastle reached the preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters. Tahu scored a try during the match which Newcastle lost 26–20.
Tahu played in the Knights 2001 premiership side, scoring a try that cemented the victory as Newcastle defeated Parramatta 30–24. The grand final victory has been described as one of the greatest grand final upsets as Parramatta went into the game as raging hot favourites and had only lost 4 games all season. Tahu scored 82 tries in 97 games during his first spell with the club.[7][8]
Parramatta Eels (2005-07)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Timana_Tahu_%2823_April_2005%29.jpg/220px-Timana_Tahu_%2823_April_2005%29.jpg)
In 2004, Tahu announced that he had signed a 3-year contract to join the Eels.[9] In 2005, Tahu was part of the Parramatta side which won the minor premiership. In round 23, Tahu scored 3 tries in Parramatta's 56–4 win over arch rivals Canterbury where he famously slam dunked the ball over the crossbar after scoring his third try. Parramatta fell short of a grand final appearance that year losing to North Queensland 29–0 in the preliminary final.[10][11]
On 20 March 2007, Tahu announced he would be switching codes to rugby union join the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby from the 2008 season. Tahu's contract with Parramatta ended at the end of the 2007 NRL season after three seasons in the Eels. The contract with the Waratahs was expected to be a four-year deal.[12]
Rugby union career
Waratahs (2008-09)
In 2007, Tahu shocked the NRL when he announced that he had decided to move to rugby union. His contract with the Eels was set to expire at the end of the year, thus the NSW Waratahs attempted to sign him.
On 19 December 2007, Tahu agreed to a four-year contract with
In Tahu's final game in the NRL, he was put on report for a head slam on Melbourne Storm player Israel Folau.[13] He received a two-match suspension, and although his rugby league career was over this suspension still carried across into rugby union.[14]
On 26 January 2008, Tahu played his first game of rugby union. The game was a trial match between the NSW Waratahs and the Queensland Reds, which the Waratahs won 26–10.
Tahu made his debut performance in the Super 14 competition in the Waratahs clash with the
Wallabies and Australia A
During the 2008
On 7 July 2008, Tahu was named in the 30 man Wallabies squad for the Tri-Nations series.[16]
On 26 July, Tahu made his first appearance as a substitute for the Wallabies against New Zealand in the Tri-Nations. Despite only coming on towards the end of the game, Tahu effectively made himself Australia's 46th Dual-International. Tahu earned a further cap against South Africa in Johannesburg in a starting role only for the Wallabies to be defeated 53–8.[17]
Return to rugby league (2010-2014)
On 22 July 2009, it was announced that Tahu would return to league and would rejoin his former club,
In 2010, Tahu earned a recall to the New South Wales State of Origin team and was involved in a race-related incident with assistant coach Andrew Johns. In New South Wales Blues training, Johns reportedly called Greg Inglis "a black cunt".[19] Tahu withdrew in protest from the New South Wales Origin team.[20][21] It is believed Johns made the racial slur at a team bonding session. Johns was reported as telling centre Beau Scott he needed to stop Greg Inglis, and made a racial reference to the Maroons Aboriginal star. Tahu's mother is Aboriginal.[22]
Tahu ended his season by playing for the New Zealand Māori against England.[23]
After the tumultuous 2010 season, Tahu requested an extended break from the Eels pre-season training, hoping to return in January 2011. New coach Stephen Kearney denied the request and Tahu was released from his contract.[24] After a period where it seemed possible Tahu would not return to the NRL,[25] Tahu was signed by the Penrith Panthers.[26] Tahu played just 7 games for the Panthers in 2011 before a torn pectoral muscle ended his season. Only a week later it was announced Tahu would be returning to his original club, the Newcastle Knights on a 2-year contract starting from 2012.[27]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Tahu.jpg/220px-Tahu.jpg)
On 6 September 2013, Tahu re-signed with the Knights on a 1-year contract.[28]
Tahu's last game was in Round 26 of the 2014 NRL season, where he came off the bench into the centres for an injured Joseph Leilua. He scored two tries.[29]
PRO Rugby (2016)
It was announced in March 2016 that Tahu would play rugby union in the United States in the newly formed PRO Rugby competition.[30] On 24 April 2016, he came off the bench and played a role in Denver's game in San Francisco only a few days after he had moved to the United States from Australia.[31]
Achievements
- Scored the most tries in a season for Newcastle Knights for 3 consecutive years: scoring 20 tries in 26 games (2000), 18 in 25 games (2001), 21 in 21 games (2002)
See also
References
- ^ Tahu's NRL Player Profile
- ^ Rugby League Project
- ^ [1]
- ^ Smith, Wayne (25 July 2008). "Maori war cry stirs Tahu's blood". The Australian.
- ISBN 1-86971-090-8
- ^ a b "Tahu comes in from the cold and turns out for the Blues". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 May 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "Knights draw 2001 grand final inspiration". NRL.com. 10 August 2017.
- ^ "Parramatta Eels fan's passion remains despite 31-year wait for NRL premiership glory". ABC News. 31 August 2017.
- ^ "Marsh signs to Eels, Cayless to re-sign". September 2004.
- ^ "Nathan Hindmarsh on Parramatta's last table topping team, where his former teammates are now". 13 March 2017.
- ^ "NRL 2005 – Round 23 – Rugby League Project".
- ^ Timana prepares to be 'bored'
- ^ "New Zealand Rugby League". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
- ^ "Smith free to play in grand final - leaguehq.com.au". Archived from the original on 24 September 2007. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
- ^ Geddes, Jon (23 June 2008). "Dazzling Timana Tahu eases Wallabies' centre puzzle". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney.
- ^ http://www.rugby.com.au/news/wallabies_2008/tri-nations_squad_announced,95528.html/section/21893 [bare URL]
- ^ "Tahu shattered after Wallaby defeat". 31 August 2008.
- ^ Timana Tahu returning to NRL with Parramatta
- ^ "Race row deepens around Johns". Australia: ABC News. 16 June 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "Talk through Origin race issue: Bellamy". wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011.
- ^ "Nine Network stands by Andrew Johns". wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 16 June 2010.
- ^ Pace, Daniel. "Tahu Quits Blues over Johns Remark". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
- ^ "League: Maori draw with England". The New Zealand Herald. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ Danny Weidler (5 December 2011). "Tahu and Eels are about to split". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ^ Barry Toohey (13 February 2011). "Newcastle Knights and Cronulla Sharks end Timana Tahu's hopes of reviving his NRL careers". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ^ Dean Ritchie (16 March 2011). "Timana Tahu signs one-year deal with Penrith Panthers". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ^ "Tahu heading back to Knights". One. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ^ "Hilder, Tahu, Quinn and Newton for 2014 - Newcastle Knights". Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ "NRL 2014 – Round 26 – Rugby League Project".
- ^ "Ex-Wallaby Tahu signs for USA Pro Rugby league". 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Denver scrum mauls San Francisco". 25 April 2016.