Simi Sasagi
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nathanael Sasagi[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 24 April 2001 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (14 st 11 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] As of 7 September 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nathanael "Simi" Sasagi (born 24 April 2001) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL).
He previously played for the Newcastle Knights as a centre.
Background
[edit]Sasagi was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He is of Samoan descent.[3]
He played his junior rugby league for the Ellerslie Eagles, before being signed by the Newcastle Knights.
Playing career
[edit]Early years
[edit]Sasagi started his career at the Knights playing with their S. G. Ball Cup team in 2018,[4] before re-signing with the club on a contract until the end of 2020, with an option for a further two seasons after that.[5] In 2019 and 2020, he trained with the first-grade squad as a development player,[6] but only played two games for the Knights' Jersey Flegg Cup side in that time after being hampered by injury.[4][7] He was named in the Junior Kiwis squad in September 2019.[8]
2021
[edit]In 2021, Sasagi was promoted to the top 30 squad and spent his time playing with the NSW Cup side.[9][10] He made his NRL debut for Newcastle against North Queensland in round 11 of the 2021 NRL season,[11] playing in the centres as Newcastle were defeated 20–36.[12]
2022
[edit]Sasagi played 14 games for Newcastle in the 2022 NRL season which saw the club missing the finals finishing 14th on the table.[13]
2023
[edit]In August, Sasagi signed a two-year contract with the Canberra Raiders starting in 2024, after gaining a release from the remainder of his Newcastle contract.[14][15]
2024
[edit]Sasagi played ten matches for Canberra in the 2024 NRL season as the club finished 9th on the table.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ "Panthers stumble against the Knights". Penrith Panthers. 15 February 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Simi Sasagi - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ "Where we're from: Our cultural heritage" – via www.newcastleknights.com.au.
- ^ a b "Nathanael Sasagi". 1 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Exciting teen prospect Sasagi extends contract". Newcastle Knights. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Full 2020 squad list and development players". Newcastle Knights. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Nathanael Sasagi". Newcastle Knights. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Big contingent in Junior Kiwis squad". Warriors. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Full 2021 NRL squad list and development players". Newcastle Knights. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Round 9 NSW Cup Team List". Newcastle Knights. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Late Mail: Sasagi debuts". Newcastle Knights. 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Cowboys v Knights". National Rugby League. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "NRL 2022: Newcastle Knights season review". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "Raiders re-sign Tom Starling and sign Simi Sasagi". Canberra Raiders. 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Raiders land yet another Newcastle Knight". The Canberra Times. 23 June 2023.
- ^ "The Mole's end-of-season review: The 'wasted' enforcer Ricky Stuart must 'fire up' in 2025". www.nine.com.au.