Starford To'a
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 23 June 2000 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 97 kg (15 st 4 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Wing, Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 26 July 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Starford To'a (born 23 June 2000) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL).
He previously played for the Newcastle Knights as a winger in the NRL.
Background
To'a was born in Auckland, New Zealand[2] and is of Tongan, Māori and European descent. He attended St Paul's College, Auckland.[3]
Playing career
Early years
In 2018, he moved to Australia to play for the Newcastle Knights, after being scouted by a recruitment manager for the Knights in 2016 at a New Zealand national tournament in Rotorua.[2] He played for the Knights' Jersey Flegg Cup team.[4] At the end of 2018, he played for the Australian Schoolboys and was named man of the match in their first game.[5]
2019
In 2019, To'a joined the Knights' NRL squad for pre-season training and played in a first-grade trial match.[6] In June, he re-signed with the Knights on a 2-year contract until the end of 2021.[7] In round 25 of the 2019 NRL season, he made his NRL debut for the Knights against the Penrith Panthers[8] and scored a try.[9] On 29 September, he will play for the Junior Kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos.[10]
2020
He made seven appearances for Newcastle in the 2020 NRL season and scored four tries. To'a did not feature in the club's first finals campaign since 2013.[11]
2021
In 2021, To'a made 12 appearances for the Knights, scoring 6 tries.[12]
2022
In January 2022, To'a was granted a release from the final two years of his Newcastle contract to join the Wests Tigers on a two-year contract effective immediately.[13] To'a played a total of 21 matches for the Wests Tigers in the 2022 NRL season and scored 3 tries as the club finished bottom of the table and claimed the Wooden Spoon for the first time.[14]
2023
In round 12 of the 2023 NRL season, To'a scored two tries for the Wests Tigers in their record breaking victory at 66-18 against the North Queensland.[15] In round 24, To'a scored two tries for the Wests Tigers in their 22-30 loss against the New Zealand Warriors.[16] To'a played a total of 18 games for the Wests Tigers in the 2023 NRL season and scored seven tries as the club finished with the Wooden Spoon for a second straight year.[17] In the end of season internationals, he was selected and made his debut for the Mate Ma’a Tonga team against England, where he scored a hat trick in a 34-16 win.
Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Newcastle Knights
|
1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2020 | 7 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 6 | 24 | |
| 2022 |  Wests Tigers
|
21 | 3 | 12 |
| 2023 | 18 | 7 | 28 | |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 63 | 21 | 84 |
References
- ^ "Starford To'a - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ a b "The future: Meet Starford To'a". Newcastle Knights. 7 November 2018.
- ^ "The future: Meet Starford To'a". Newcastle Knights. 7 November 2018.
- ^ "Players". 24 September 2018.
- ^ "Schoolboys post record win in first Tour game". 27 November 2018.
- ^ TOOHEY, BARRY (5 March 2019). "Rookie Knight Starford To'a's dazzling feet sign of big future". Newcastle Herald.
- ^ "Exciting back Starford To'a awarded new deal". Newcastle Knights. 24 June 2019.
- ^ TOOHEY, BARRY (6 September 2019). "Teenage winger Starford To'a to make Knights debut against Panthers". Newcastle Herald.
- ^ "Penrith Panthers trounce Newcastle Knights to send James Maloney out on a high". National Rugby League. 8 September 2019.
- ^ "Three Knights named in Junior Kiwis side". Newcastle Knights. 11 September 2019.
- ^ "2020 season by the numbers". www.nrl.com.
- ^ "Custom Match List - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ Tigers, Wests. "Wests Tigers sign Starford Toa". Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Canberra Raiders hand out 56-10 NRL drubbing to Wests Tigers as Cronulla beats Newcastle Knights 38-16". www.abc.net.au.
- ^ "Felise Kaufusi in doubt for State of Origin I as Melbourne Storm get past Dolphins 24-16". www.abc.net.au.
- ^ "New Zealand Warriors down Wests Tigers 30-22, Sydney Roosters beat Dolphins 30-14, South Sydney defeats St George Illawarra 26-14". www.abc.net.au.
- ^ "'Circus act' that summed up year from hell... and big call left for Benji: Wests Tigers Brutal Review". www.foxsports.com.au.