Nene Macdonald facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nene Macdonald

Personal information
Full name	Bosam Nene Macdonald
Born	(1994-05-11) 11 May 1994 (age 31) Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Height	193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	102 kg (16 st 1 lb)
Playing information
Position	Wing, Centre, Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2014–15 Sydney Roosters 11 3 0 0 12 2015–16 Gold Coast Titans 34 14 0 0 56 2017–18 St. George Illawarra 46 16 0 0 64 2019 North Qld Cowboys 5 1 0 0 4 2020 Cronulla Sharks 2 1 0 0 4 2022 Leigh Centurions 27 27 0 0 108 2023 Leeds Rhinos 20 2 0 0 8 2024–25 Salford Red Devils 32 18 0 0 56 2025(loan) → Oldham 2 1 0 0 4 Total 179 83 0 0 316 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2013–23 PNG Prime Minister's XIII 3 5 0 0 0 2013– Papua New Guinea 19 12 0 0 48 2016–17 World All Stars 2 1 0 0 4
As of 12 June 2025

Nene Macdonald (born May 11, 1994) is a professional rugby league player from Papua New Guinea. He plays as a winger or centre. He recently played for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League. He also represents his home country, Papua New Guinea, in international games.

Nene has played for many teams throughout his career. These include the Leeds Rhinos, Leigh Centurions, Sydney Roosters, Gold Coast Titans, St George Illawarra Dragons, North Queensland Cowboys, and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. He has also played for representative teams like the World All Stars.

About Nene Macdonald

Nene Macdonald was born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. When he was young, he moved to Queensland, Australia. He started playing junior rugby league for the Cairns Brothers. Later, he was signed by the Gold Coast Titans.

Nene's Club Career

Starting with the Roosters

In 2012, Nene joined the Sydney Roosters. He played for their junior team, called the NYC team, in 2012 and 2013.

In 2014, Nene was part of the Roosters' team for the 2014 NRL Auckland Nines tournament. He made his first big league (NRL) game debut in Round 11 of the 2014 NRL season. He played for the Roosters against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and even scored a try! He played 7 games that year and scored 3 tries. He was also named in the 2014 NYC Team of the Year.

Moving to the Gold Coast Titans

Nene played for the Roosters in the 2015 NRL Auckland Nines again. In June 2015, he signed a contract to join the Gold Coast Titans. He played his first game for the Titans in Round 15. In his next game, he scored his first try for the Titans against his old team, the Sydney Roosters. He played 4 games for the Roosters and 11 games for the Titans in 2015, scoring 4 tries in total.

Macdonald playing for the Wyong Roos in 2015

In 2016, Nene played for the Titans in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines. He signed a new contract with the St George Illawarra Dragons to start in 2017. He finished his time with the Titans having played 23 games and scoring 10 tries in 2016.

Time with the Dragons and Cowboys

In 2017, Nene joined the St George Illawarra Dragons. He made his debut for them in Round 1 of the 2017 NRL season. He played on the wing in their big win against the Penrith Panthers.

In October 2018, Nene signed a three-year contract with the North Queensland Cowboys, starting in 2019. He made his debut for the Cowboys in Round 1 of the 2019 NRL season, scoring a try against his former team, the Dragons. In Round 5, he got an ankle injury. Later that year, he left the Cowboys.

Playing for the Sharks and Leigh

In June 2020, Nene signed with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. He made his debut for the Sharks in Round 9 and scored a try.

In 2021, Nene played for the Norths Devils and helped them win the grand final. In November 2021, he signed to play for Leigh in the Betfred Championship.

Success with Leigh and Leeds

In 2022, Nene had a great start with Leigh. He scored three tries in his first game! He also helped Leigh win the 2022 RFL 1895 Cup final. Later that year, he scored another three tries in a game against Workington Town. On October 3, 2022, Nene scored a try in the game that helped Leigh get promoted back to the Super League. In November 2022, he joined the Leeds Rhinos for the 2023 season.

In 2023, Nene played his first game for Leeds in Round 2 of the 2023 Super League season. He played 19 games for Leeds that year. In October 2023, he signed a four-year deal to join the Salford team for the 2024 season.

Recent Years with Salford and Oldham

In 2024, Nene made his debut for Salford in Round 1 against his old team, Leeds. He was also the only Salford player chosen for the Super League Dream Team at the end of the season.

In April 2025, Nene joined Oldham RLFC on a short-term loan.

Playing for His Country

Macdonald playing for the Queensland under 20s side in 2013

Nene has also played for various representative teams. In 2005, he played for the Australian Schoolboys. In 2013 and 2014, he played for the Queensland Under-20s team.

In 2016, Nene was chosen for the World All Stars team. He played on the wing and helped his team win. He played for the World All Stars again in 2017, scoring a try.

International Games for Papua New Guinea

Nene made his international debut for Papua New Guinea in 2013. He scored a try in his first game! He was also part of the Papua New Guinea squad for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. He played in 3 matches and scored three tries.

In 2015 and 2016, he played for Papua New Guinea in the Melanesian Cup against Fiji. He scored a try in the 2016 game, helping Papua New Guinea win.

Nene also played for Papua New Guinea in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. In 2022, he was part of the Papua New Guinea team for the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup in England.

In 2023, Nene was a key player in Papua New Guinea's successful Pacific Bowl campaign. He scored four tries against the Cook Islands, helping his team win the Bowl.

In 2024, Nene continued to play well for Papua New Guinea. He scored a try against Fiji and two tries against the Cook Islands in the 2024 Rugby League Pacific Championships.