Brendon Tuuta

Brendon Tuuta
Personal information
Full name Brendon Ephia Tuuta
Born (1965-04-29) 29 April 1965
New Zealand
Playing information
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 90 kg (14 st 2 lb)
Position Lock, Halfback, Stand-off
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
19??–1986 Hornby (CRL)
1987–19?? Haswell (CRL)
1989–90 Western Suburbs 34 3 0 0 12
1990–95 Featherstone Rovers
1995 Western Reds 9 1 0 0 4
1995–97 Castleford Tigers 60 4 0 0 16
1998 Warrington Wolves 20 4 0 0 16
1999 Featherstone Rovers
Total 123 12 0 0 48
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Canterbury
South Island
1989–95 New Zealand 16 1 0 0 4
Source: RLP

Brendon Ephia Tuuta[1] (born 29 April 1965) is a New Zealand former rugby league player of Māori/Moriori descent..

Tuuta played a variety of positions including Stand Off, Halfback, Second Row and Lock. He was known as "the baby-faced assassin" and had a reputation as a brawler.[2] He is related to current Warrior Lewis Brown.[3]

Early years

Originally from the Chatham Islands, Tuuta played much of his youth league for Canterbury.

Playing career

Tuuta first played professionally when he played for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership between 1989 and 1990.[4]

He then moved to the Featherstone Rovers in England, playing in the second division.[5] In 1993 he was suspended for six matches for breaking Nigel Heslop's jaw with a punch.[6] He played Loose forward/Lock in Featherstone Rovers' 20–16 victory over Workington Town in the 1992–93 Division Two Premiership final at Old Trafford, Manchester on 19 May 1993.[7]

During the 1995 Australian season he returned to play for the Western Reds,[8] before signing for the Castleford Tigers for the English 1995/96 season.[9]

Tuuta joined the Warrington Wolves for the 1998 season but struggled with knee problems.[10] Despite deciding to retire after 1998 he reconsidered and returned to the Featherstone Rovers for one more season.[11]

Representative career

Tuuta was a Canterbury representative and famously returned to New Zealand for the 1993 provincial grand final where Canterbury upset Auckland, earning the man of the match award that day.[12]

Tuuta withdrew from the New Zealand Māori squad for the 1986 Pacific Cup.[13]

He was a New Zealand international between 1989 and 1995 and played at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. During his debut in 1989 he was involved in an incident where it was claimed he kneed Paul Vautin.[14] At the end of the 1989 season he toured England with the Kiwis and played in Featherstone for the first time.[15]

References

  1. ↑ TUUTA, BRENDON EPHIA 1989, 1992 – 95 – KIWI #608 nzleague.co.nz
  2. ↑ Your Favorite Moments Era of the Biff
  3. ↑ "New Warrior leaps to aid of snatch-and-run victim". The Sunday Star-Times. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Ask a tricky question and get some Tricky answers Sydney Morning Herald, 30 August 2002
  5. ↑ Leeds have to tame Tuuta The Independent, 30 March 1995
  6. ↑ Tuuta out for six matches The Independent, 19 March 1993
  7. ↑ "Rovers Dig Deep To Lift The 1993 RL Premiership". Great Players – Great Games. 2010-12-31. Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  8. ↑ Perth / Western Reds
  9. ↑ Brendon Tuuta CasTigers.net
  10. ↑ Tuuta Retires Runcorn and Widnes World, 2 October 1998
  11. ↑ Fearsome Fev for Ford fiesta The Racing Post, 6 February 1999
  12. ↑ Smith, Tony (30 May 2009). "Nothing better than bettering Auckland". The Press. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  13. ↑ John Coffey, Bernie Wood. 100 Years: Maori Rugby League, 1908–2008. Auckland, Huia Publishers, 2008. ISBN 1-86969-331-0
  14. ↑ Tuuta Comes Out Of His Cocoon With A Halo Sydney Morning Herald, July 14, 1989
  15. ↑ Rovers v New Zealand 1989: Our Introduction To Brendon Tuuta Featherstone Rovers Official Site

External links

Sources

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