Taniela Paseka
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 8 October 1997 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 197 cm (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 120 kg (18 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 21 September 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taniela Paseka (born 8 October 1997) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Background
Paseka was born in Ōtāhuhu, New Zealand and is of Tongan descent. Although born in New Zealand, Paseka has chosen to play rugby league for Tonga at international level.
He played his junior rugby league for All Saints Liverpool junior and attended Patrician Brothers' College, Fairfield and Mount Carmel Catholic College.
Playing career
Early career
Paseka played in the Under 20s for the Wests Tigers before joining Manly for the 2018 season, he also appeared in a Musashi ad.[2]
2018
In round 6 of the 2018 NRL season, Paseka made his Manly début in the National Rugby League against the Wests Tigers.[3] Paseka played a total of 13 games for Manly in 2018 as the club endured one of their worst seasons on the field finishing 15th on the table and narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon.[4]
2019
Paseka made 13 appearances for Manly in the 2019 NRL season as the club finished sixth on the table. Paseka missed out on playing in the club's finals campaign with a knee injury he sustained in round 25 against Parramatta.[5]
2020
Paseka played 18 games for Manly-Warringah in the 2020 NRL season as they finished a disappointing 13th on the table.[6]
2021
Paseka played 24 games for Manly in the 2021 NRL season including the club's preliminary final loss against South Sydney.[7]
2022
Paseka made 11 appearances for Manly in the 2022 NRL season. The club would finish 11th on the table and miss out on the finals.[8]
2023
On 25 July, it was announced that Paseka would miss the remainder of the 2023 NRL season with a medial ligament injury which he suffered during Manly's 30-26 victory over Cronulla in the battle of the beaches game.[9]
2024
On 5 August, Paseka re-signed with the club until the end of the 2029 season.[10] Paseka played 23 matches for Manly in the 2024 NRL season as they finished 7th on the table and qualified for the finals. Manly would be eliminated in the second week of the finals by the Sydney Roosters.[11]
On 8 October, Paseka got a long awaited international selection when he was named in the 21 man Tongan squad for the 2024 Pacific Championships. Paseka will join Manly team mates Haumole Olakau'atu, Tolu Koula and 19 year old rookie Lehi Hopoate in the team.
Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
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13 | ||
| 2019 | 13 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2020 | 18 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2021 | 24 | |||
| 2022 | 11 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2023 | 18 | |||
| 2024 | 23 | 1 | 4 | |
| Totals | 120 | 7 | 28 |
References
- ^ Rugby League Project
- ^ "Big screen presence Manly Giant Paseka to make shock NRL debut". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
- ^ "Sea Eagles-vs Wests Tigers". NRL. 15 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ "Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season 2018 review: They didn't know how to manage the players who 'walk to a different beat'". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "Sea Eagles feathers not ruffled over injury toll". NRL.
- ^ O'Loughlin, Liam (26 October 2020). "NRL 2020 Season Review: How will your side fare next year?". Sporting News. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020.
- ^ "GLORY, GLORY: Souths march into the GF as Wayne masterminds Manly mauling". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "NRL 2022: Manly Sea Eagles season review". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "NRL Casualty Ward: Finucane out for season; Surgery for Paseka". www.nrl.com.
- ^ "Sea Eagles extend Taniela Paseka out to 2029". Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "The Mole's season review: Luke Brooks 'revels' at Manly Sea Eagles but 30 seconds of horror luck ends season". www.nine.com.au.