Timana Tahu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Timana Tahu

Personal information
Full name	Timana James Aporo Tahu
Born	(1980-10-16) 16 October 1980 (age 44) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Playing information
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	98 kg (15 st 6 lb)
Rugby league
Position	Wing, Centre, Second-row
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1999–04 Newcastle Knights 97 82 2 0 332 2005–07 Parramatta Eels 46 20 0 0 80 2010 Parramatta Eels 17 5 0 0 20 2011 Penrith Panthers 7 3 0 0 12 2012–14 Newcastle Knights 29 11 0 0 44 Total 196 121 2 0 488 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2001–10 NSW Country 4 3 0 0 12 2002–10 New South Wales 12 8 0 0 32 2002–06 Australia 5 5 0 0 20 2010 New Zealand Māori 1 0 0 0 0 2013 Indigenous All Stars 1 0 0 0 0
Rugby union
Position	Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2008–09 NSW Waratahs 20 3 0 0 15 2016 Denver Stampede 11 0 0 0 0 Total 31 3 0 0 15 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2008–09 Australia 4 0 0 0 0 2008 Australia A 5 4 0 0 20

Timana James Aporo Tahu (born 16 October 1980) is a former professional Australian rugby player. He played both rugby league and rugby union. Tahu was a "dual-code international", meaning he played for Australia in both sports. He played as a three-quarter back, which includes positions like wing and centre. He also played for New South Wales in the famous State of Origin matches.

Timana Tahu started his career in the National Rugby League with the Newcastle Knights. He helped them win the 2001 NRL Premiership. Later, he moved to the Parramatta Eels. After that, he switched to rugby union and played for the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition. Tahu then returned to rugby league, playing again for the Eels and then the Penrith Panthers. He finished his NRL career back where he started, with the Newcastle Knights. His last team was the Denver Stampede in the US PRO Rugby competition.

Early Life and Family

Timana Tahu was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father was from the Māori people of New Zealand. His mother was an Australian Aboriginal person. Because of his background, he could have played for either the New Zealand Kiwis or the Australian Kangaroos.

He spent his early childhood in St Kilda. When he was 12, he moved with his mother to Bourke in western New South Wales. He also lived in other towns like Wilcannia, Grafton, and Byron Bay.

Timana Tahu and his partner Kasey have three children. They met when they were young. Their oldest child was born when Tahu was 18 years old.

Rugby League Career Highlights

Starting with the Newcastle Knights (1999–2004)

Tahu played his first top-level game in Round 12 of the 1999 season. This was against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. In the year 2000, Tahu scored 20 tries in 26 games. The Newcastle Knights reached the preliminary final that year.

Tahu was a key player in the Knights' 2001 premiership-winning team. He scored a try that helped secure their victory. Newcastle beat the Parramatta Eels 30–24 in the grand final. This win was a big surprise because Parramatta was expected to win easily. During his first time with the Knights, Tahu scored an amazing 82 tries in 97 games.

Playing for the Parramatta Eels (2005-2007)

Timana Tahu playing in 2005

In 2004, Tahu announced he would join the Parramatta Eels. He signed a three-year contract with them. In 2005, Tahu was part of the Parramatta team that finished first in the regular season. In one game, he scored three tries against the Canterbury Bulldogs. He even famously "slam dunked" the ball over the goalposts after scoring his third try!

Parramatta did not make it to the grand final that year. They lost to the North Queensland Cowboys in the preliminary final. On 20 March 2007, Tahu announced he would switch to rugby union. His contract with Parramatta ended at the end of the 2007 season.

Rugby Union Career

Playing for the Waratahs (2008-2009)

In 2007, Tahu surprised many by deciding to move to rugby union. He signed a four-year deal with the New South Wales Waratahs. His first rugby union game was a trial match in January 2008. He made his official debut in the Super 14 competition in February 2008.

Representing Australia in Rugby Union

Tahu played well for Australia A in 2008. He played as both a wing and an inside centre. He said that inside centre was his favourite position. He scored a try and helped set up six others in one game. He also scored the winning try against the Samoans.

In July 2008, Tahu was chosen for the Australian national rugby union team, known as the Wallabies. He played his first game for the Wallabies as a substitute against New Zealand. This made him Australia's 46th player to represent the country in both rugby codes.

Return to Rugby League (2010-2014)

On 22 July 2009, it was announced that Tahu would return to rugby league. He rejoined his old club, the Parramatta Eels, on a three-year contract for 2010.

In 2010, Tahu was selected again for the New South Wales State of Origin team. During training, an incident occurred involving assistant coach Andrew Johns. A comment was made that was seen as racist. Tahu, whose mother is Aboriginal, decided to leave the New South Wales Origin team in protest.

After a difficult 2010 season, Tahu asked for a longer break from training. His new coach, Stephen Kearney, said no, and Tahu left the Eels. For a while, it seemed he might not play in the NRL again. However, he then signed with the Penrith Panthers.

Tahu played only seven games for the Panthers in 2011. His season ended early due to a torn muscle. Soon after, it was announced that Tahu would return to his first club, the Newcastle Knights. He signed a two-year contract starting in 2012.

Timana Tahu playing for the Knights

On 6 September 2013, Tahu signed another one-year contract with the Knights. His last game was in Round 26 of the 2014 NRL season. He came off the bench and scored two tries in that final match.

PRO Rugby (2016)

In March 2016, it was announced that Tahu would play rugby union in the United States. He joined the new PRO Rugby competition. On 24 April 2016, he played his first game for Denver. He had only moved to the United States a few days before.

Amazing Achievements

• Timana Tahu scored the most tries for the Newcastle Knights for three years in a row:
  • 20 tries in 26 games (2000)
  • 18 tries in 25 games (2001)
  • 21 tries in 21 games (2002)

See also

• List of players who have converted from one football code to another