Agnatius Paasi

Agnatius Paasi

Paasi playing for the Warriors in 2014.
Personal information
Born	30 November 1991 Tonga
Height	182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	115 kg (18 st 2 lb)
Playing information
Position	Prop, Second-row
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2014	NZ Warriors	1	0	0	0	0
2015–	Gold Coast Titans	27	4	0	0	16
	Total	28	4	0	0	16
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2014	Tonga	1	0	0	0	0
As of 20 March 2016
Source: [1]

Agnatius Paasi (born 30 November 1991) is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League. A Tongan international representative, he plays at second-row and prop and previously played for the New Zealand Warriors.

Background

Born in Tonga, Paasi moved to Auckland, New Zealand when he was three years old.^[2] Paasi played his junior football for Mangere East Hawks. At age 17, Paasi moved to Australia on a scholarship to play for Keebra Park State High School where they won the Arrive Alive Cup in 2009. He also played some Australian rules football for the school.^[3][4][5] He was offered a contract with the Wests Tigers under 20's, but complications with his visa saw him return to New Zealand,^[5] where he again played for the Mangere East Hawks before being signed by the New Zealand Warriors.

Playing career

Early career

In 2011, Paasi played for the Warriors Toyota Cup Under-20s team.^[6] On 5 October 2011, Paasi played in the Warriors' 2011 NYC Grand Final victory over the North Queensland Cowboys, playing off the interchange bench in the Warriors' 31-30 golden point extra time victory.^[7][8] On 6 October 2011, Paasi was named 18th man for the Junior Kiwis.^[9] In 2012, Paasi moved on to the Warriors New South Wales Cup team, the Auckland Vulcans, and he also played for the Vulcans in 2013. At the start of 2014 Paasi wasn't contracted to any NRL team but was given a chance to play in the Warriors pre-season games, earning a contract with the Warriors NSW Cup side.

2014

After a few impressive performances in the NSW Cup, Paasi was handed his NRL debut for the New Zealand Warriors in Round 19 against the Brisbane Broncos, where he played off the interchange bench in the Warriors 28-22 loss at Suncorp Stadium.^[10][11] This was Paasi’s only first grade match in the 2014 season. He was named as the Warriors NSW Cup Player of the Year.^[12] In November, Paasi signed a train and trial contract with the Gold Coast Titans, starting from 2015.^[13] On 16 October, Paasi played for Tonga against Papua New Guinea, starting at second-row in the 32-18 loss in Lae.^[14]

2015

In Round 1, Paasi made his club debut for the Gold Coast Titans against the Wests Tigers, playing off the interchange bench in the Titans 19-18 loss at Cbus Super Stadium.^[15][16] In Round 4 against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, he scored his first career try in the Titans 24-22 win at Remondis Stadium.^[17][18] Paasi’s good form in the Titans early matches earned him a 2-year contract extension with the Titans.^[19][20] He finished his impressive year with him playing in 18 matches and scoring 2 tries.

2016

In February, Paasi was named in the Titans Auckland Nines squad, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament. He was described as, "undoubtedly the weekend’s biggest surprise packet" and perhaps the best player of the Nines.^[21][22]

References

1. "Agnatius Paasi - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
2. "Young Warriors made in Tonga". Archived from the original on June 2, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
3. "KEEBRA ARRIVE AS NEW CHAMPIONS". ourfootyteam.com. 27 September 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
4. "KEEBRA FLY HIGH TO TAKE OUT GOLD COAST AFL TITLE". ourfootyteam.com. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
5. "Agnatius Paasi’s incredible journey to clinch Gold Coast Titans debut". The Courier Mail. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
6. "Vodafone Junior Warriors Headshots, 2 March 2011 - Photosport New Zealand".
7. Tim Costello. "TEAMS: Grand Final Day 2011". League Unlimited.
8. "The Warriors Trump the North Queensland Cowboys After an Extra Time Field Goal from Halfback Jordan Meads". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
10. "Gutsy Brisband Broncos Fight Back to Beat New Zealand Warriors in Thriller". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
11. "Thomas Leuluai back from injury for Warriors". Stuff.
12. "Agnatius Paasi | NSW Cup award winner - Warriors". Warriors.kiwi. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
13. "Paasi's puzzling path to the NRL". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com.
14. "PNG beat Tonga in Lae". Loverugbyleague.com. 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
15. "Agnatius Paasi's Incredible Journey to Clinch Gold Coast Titans Debut". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
16. "High shot mars Wests Tigers' last-gasp win over Gold Coast Titans". The Sydney Morning Herald.
17. "NRL: Titans claim first win of season". The Australian.
18. "News Article not available". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com.
19. "Pettybourne and Paasi re-sign". Titans.com.au. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
20. Ed Jackson. "Gold Coast Titans re-sign forward pair". Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
21. Nathan Tyan & Ben Glover. "Agnatius Paasi leads Titans to semi-finals of Auckland Nines in most breakout performance". Fox Sports. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
22. "Gold Coast Agnatius Paasi Close to Player of Tournament in Titans Nines Semifinal Finish". Goldcoastbulletin.com.au. Retrieved 2016-03-07.

External links

• 2016 Gold Coast Titans profile