Willie Tonga facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Villiami Sione Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 8 August 1983 Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (15 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Relatives | Esi Tonga (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Villiami Sione "Willie" Tonga (born 8 August 1983) is a former professional rugby league player from Australia. He was known as "Willie" during his career. Willie played as a centre. He represented both the Australian Kangaroos and the Queensland State of Origin team.
Willie Tonga played for several clubs. These included the Parramatta Eels, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and North Queensland Cowboys. He even won the 2004 NRL Premiership with the Bulldogs. Later in his career, he played for the Catalans Dragons and Leigh Centurions in the Super League.
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Early Life and Rugby Beginnings
Willie Tonga was born in Canberra, Australia, on 8 August 1983. He has both Indigenous Australian and Tongan heritage. His full name is Viliami Sione Tonga. His younger brother, Esi Tonga, also became a professional rugby league player.
Willie showed a talent for rugby league from a young age. He played for the Cootamundra team as a child. His family moved often because his parents worked for Aboriginal Inland Missionaries. They eventually settled in Cherbourg, Queensland. Before focusing on rugby league, Willie also played rugby union for Matraville Sports High School.
Rugby League Journey
Willie Tonga's professional career began after he was scouted by Arthur Beetson.
Starting with Parramatta (2002–2003)
Willie joined the Parramatta Eels team. He played 8 games for them over two seasons. After this, he moved to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Success with Canterbury-Bankstown (2004–2008)
His career really took off when he joined the Bulldogs in 2004. That year, he was chosen to play for the Queensland in the Rugby League State of Origin series. He was the 145th player to represent Queensland since 1980.
Willie also won the Centre of the Year award at the Dally M Medals. He played centre for the Bulldogs when they won the 2004 NRL Grand Final. They beat the Sydney Roosters in a big game. After this, he was selected for the Australian team. He played in the 2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament. In the final, he scored two tries against Great Britain, helping Australia win 44–4.
In 2005, the Bulldogs played against the Leeds Rhinos in the 2005 World Club Challenge. Willie played in this match, but his team lost. He also played for Australia again in the 2005 Tri-Nations series. In 2008, Willie signed a four-year contract with the North Queensland Cowboys. His last year with the Bulldogs saw him play only seven games.
Time with North Queensland (2009–2011)
In 2009, Willie was named in Queensland's squad for the Rugby League State of Origin series. He played in Game II and Game III that year. In 2010, he played in all three Origin matches for Queensland. He also represented Australia again in the 2010 Four Nations tournament, which was his first time back with the national team in five years.
After dealing with some injuries, Willie announced in 2011 that he would return to the Parramatta Eels. Fans and former teammates were happy to see him come back to the club where he started.
Back to Parramatta (2012–2014)
Willie's second time at Parramatta was tough due to injuries. In 2012, he played only 12 games. The team finished last in the competition that year. In 2013, he injured his back during a trial match. He later returned to play four games towards the end of the season. Parramatta finished last again in 2013.
Willie signed another contract with Parramatta until the end of the 2015 season. In 2014, he played 16 games. The team just missed out on playing in the finals.
Playing in the Super League (2015–2017)
In 2014, it was confirmed that Willie Tonga would move to play for the Super League club, the Catalans Dragons, in 2015. He made his Super League debut against St. Helens. He scored his first Super League try in his third game against the Warrington Wolves.
