Robert Lui facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Robert Lui | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 February 1990 Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.77 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 2 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Five-eighth, Halfback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 8 June 2021
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Robert Lui, born on February 23, 1990, is an Australian professional rugby league player. He plays as a halfback or five-eighth. Currently, he plays for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup.
Robert has played for several well-known teams. These include the Wests Tigers and the North Queensland Cowboys in Australia's NRL. He also played for the Salford Red Devils and the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League in England.
Contents
Early Life and Junior Career
Robert Lui was born and grew up in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. His family has Torres Strait Islander heritage.
He started playing junior rugby league with the Upper Ross Rams. Later, he played for the Centrals Tigers. His talent was noticed by the Wests Tigers club. This led him to receive a scholarship at Keebra Park High on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
In 2007, Robert was selected for the Queensland Open Schoolboys team. He also accepted a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport. After finishing high school, Lui joined the Wests Tigers' NYC team in 2008.
Professional Playing Career
Starting with Wests Tigers (2009-2011)
Robert Lui began the 2009 season playing for the Tigers' junior team. He made his first appearance in the NRL in Round 23. This was a big win against the Cronulla Sharks. He played two more games that season. He also helped the Wests Tigers' junior team reach the Grand Final. They lost to the Melbourne Storm, but Robert scored a try in the game. At the end of 2009, he was named in the Toyota Cup Team of the Year.
In March 2010, Robert signed a new contract with the Wests Tigers. His coach, Tim Sheens, said he was a "key part of the team." Robert was set to start as the halfback but got injured early in the season. When he returned, he scored his first try in Round 10. He played 17 games in 2010 and improved a lot.
In 2011, Robert played in 23 games and scored 5 tries. From Round 17 onwards, he was the main halfback. The Wests Tigers won nine games in a row. They eventually lost in the semi-final. People said Robert was the first halfback in years to work so well with Benji Marshall.
Moving to North Queensland Cowboys (2012-2015)
In 2012, Robert signed a two-year contract with his hometown team, the North Queensland Cowboys. He played his first game for the Cowboys in Round 1. He came off the bench to play in the halves. After a knee injury affected his pre-season, he spent some time in reserve grade. He played five games for the Northern Pride.
Even though he had a tough 2012 season, Robert stayed with the North Queensland Cowboys. He continued to train with the club. Before his challenges, he was seen as a potential future representative player. He was even part of the 2011 Emerging Origin Squad for Queensland.
In February 2014, Robert was part of the North Queensland team that won the 2014 NRL Auckland Nines tournament. In September 2014, he extended his contract with the Cowboys until the end of 2015.
In 2015, Robert mostly played for the Townsville Blackhawks. This team is linked to the North Queensland Cowboys. In October, he signed a one-year deal with the Salford Red Devils in England. This meant he would reunite with his former coach, Tim Sheens.
Playing in England: Salford and Leeds (2016-2021)
Robert made 21 appearances for Salford in 2016. He scored 11 tries that season.
In 2017, Robert signed a long-term contract to stay with Salford. He played 21 games for Salford in 2018. He was the top point scorer for the club that year.
In 2019, Robert joined the Leeds Rhinos on loan from the Salford Red Devils. Later, he signed a two-year contract to play for Leeds permanently from the 2020 season.
On October 17, 2020, Robert played in the 2020 Challenge Cup Final. His team, Leeds, won the cup by a score of 17–16 against Salford at Wembley Stadium.
In 2021, Robert played 11 games for Leeds in the 2021 Super League season. This included the club's semi-final loss to St Helens. This match was Robert's last as a player, as he had announced his retirement earlier that year.
Return to Townsville (2021-2022)
On November 22, 2021, it was reported that Robert had rejoined the Townsville Blackhawks. This team is a feeder club for the North Queensland Cowboys.
In 2022, Robert played 12 games for Townsville in the Queensland Cup season. In December, he signed to play for Centrals in the local Townsville rugby league competition.
Personal Life
Robert's father, Phillip Lui, was also a rugby league player. He played for Queensland A in the late 1980s.
Ray Thompson, a former teammate and good friend from the Cowboys, is the godfather to Robert's son.
