Antoni Maria (born 21 March 1987) is a French
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
footballer who plays as a for
FC Lezignan in the
Elite One Championship
Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions wor ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
at international level.
He previously played in France for the
Saint-Gaudens Bears
The Saint-Gaudens Bears are a professional rugby league club based in the town of Saint-Gaudens, in the Haute-Garonne region of south-western France. They play in the Elite One Championship. The club was formed in 1958. They have won the Fren ...
in the
Elite One Championship
Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions wor ...
,
Toulouse Olympique
Toulouse Olympique or TO XIII is a professional rugby league club in Toulouse, south-west France. Founded in 1937, two years after the French Rugby League Federation, the club is a six-time winner of the French Rugby League Championship.
The ...
French top flight and the
Co-operative Championship
The Championship, known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a professional rugby league competition. It is the second-tier competition organised by the Rugby Football League, the governing body for the sport in England, a ...
and
Saint-Esteve in the
Elite One Championship
Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions wor ...
. Maria then transferred to the
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons (French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from outs ...
and the
Leigh Centurions in the
Super League. He spent time on loan from the
Dragons
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
at
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challen ...
.
Background
Maria was born in
Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot
Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot (, literally ''Sainte-Livrade on Lot''; Languedocien: ''Senta Liurada'') is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France.
Geography
Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot is located along the banks of the river L ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
Club career
Toulouse Olympique
Maria began his career at
Toulouse Olympique
Toulouse Olympique or TO XIII is a professional rugby league club in Toulouse, south-west France. Founded in 1937, two years after the French Rugby League Federation, the club is a six-time winner of the French Rugby League Championship.
The ...
in the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
between 2009 and 2011.
Catalans Dragons
When Toulouse withdrew from the Championship, Maria joined
Super League club
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons (French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from outs ...
, making his
Super League début against
Castleford Tigers in 2012.
Leigh Centurions
Maria joined
Leigh Centurions for the 2017 season following their promotion to Super League.
Catalans Dragons (return)
In October 2017 Maria signed a two-year deal to return to
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons (French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from outs ...
.
Hull Kingston Rovers
On 25 April 2019 he joined
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challen ...
on an initial one month's loan due to an injury crisis at the East Hull outfit. He made his debut for the Robins 3 days later in the 28-24 away defeat by the
Leeds Rhinos
The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headin ...
FC Lézignan XIII
On 17 July 2020 it was reported that he had signed for
FC Lézignan XIII
Football Club de Lézignan (often referred to as the Lézignan Sangliers) are a semi-professional rugby league, rugby league football club based in Lézignan-Corbières in the Departments of France, départment of Aude in the south of France. The ...
in the
Elite One Championship
Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions wor ...
International career
Maria is a
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
international. He was a member of the French team that played in the
2013 Rugby League World Cup
The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and took place in England, Wales, France and Ireland. between 26 October and 30 November 2013.
It was the main event of the year's Festival of World ...
, in the
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2015 European Cup
The 2015 European Cup was an international rugby league football tournament. The tournament took place between 16 October and 7 November in Wales, France, Scotland and Ireland.
Scotland were the defending champions. Four teams competed in the 20 ...
tournaments. He also played for France in their 2015 European Cup mid-tournament test-match against England.
References
External links
Catalans Dragons profileLeigh Centurions profileFrance profile2017 RLWC profileSL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria, Antoni
1987 births
Living people
Catalans Dragons players
France national rugby league team players
French rugby league players
Hull Kingston Rovers players
Leigh Leopards players
Lézignan Sangliers players
Rugby league props
Rugby league players from Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Saint-Gaudens Bears players
Sportspeople from Lot-et-Garonne
Toulouse Olympique players