Isaac Liu (born 26 April 1991) is a professional
rugby league footballer who plays as a and forward for the
Gold Coast Titans in the
National Rugby League (NRL). He is both a
Samoan and
New Zealand international.
He has previously played for the
Sydney Roosters in the
National Rugby League and won back-to-back NRL premierships with that club in 2018 and 2019.
Background
Liu was born in
Auckland, New Zealand and is of
Samoan and
Niuean heritage.
He played his junior football for the
Otahuhu Leopards before moving to Australia as a teen and attending Keebra Park State High School on the
Gold Coast, Queensland
The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nati ...
. He is of
Samoan and Niuean descent.
In 2011, Liu signed with the
Sydney Roosters. He played for the Roosters'
NYC team in 2011, scoring 2 tries in 19 games.
Playing career
In round 4 of the
2013 NRL season
The 2013 NRL season was the 106th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia. The National Rugby League's main competition, named the 2013 Telstra Premiership after major sponsors Telstra Corporation, was contested by sixte ...
Liu made his
NRL debut for the Roosters against the
Parramatta Eels in a 50-0 victory at the
Sydney Football Stadium
The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...
. Liu made 15 appearances for the club in his debut season including the 40-14 preliminary final victory over
Newcastle but he missed out on selection in the
2013 NRL Grand Final
The 2013 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2013 NRL season. Played on Sunday, 6 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between the minor premiers Sydney Roosters and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. The Roosters won ...
side which defeated
Manly-Warringah.
In May 2014, Liu played for
Samoa in the
2014 Pacific Rugby League International. He made headlines in the match after taking a massive shot by Fijian player
Korbin Sims. Liu made 23 appearances for Easts in the
2014 NRL season
The 2014 NRL season was the 107th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 17th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand, for the Auckland Nines, replacing the Rugby Leagu ...
as the club won the minor premiership. Liu played in the club's preliminary final defeat by
South Sydney which ended their premiership defence.
On 7 October 2014, Liu was selected in the Samoan 24 man squad for the 2014 Four Nations series.
On 2 May 2015, Liu played for Samoa in the
Polynesian Cup
The Pacific Rugby League International is a rugby league test match that has been played between two Pacific Island nations during the National Rugby League's annual representative weekend since 2013. The fixture was held at Penrith Stadium for t ...
against Tonga. In the
2015 NRL season
The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followed ...
, Liu made 26 appearances as the Sydney Roosters won their third consecutive minor premiership. Liu played in the club's preliminary final loss against Brisbane at
Suncorp Stadium.
On 21 July 2017, Liu played his 100th First grade game against Newcastle, in this game he scored a try as the Roosters won the match 28-4 at the
Sydney Football Stadium
The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...
. Liu made a total of 22 appearances for Easts in the
2017 NRL season
The 2017 NRL season was the 110th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 20th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, w ...
as the club finished 2nd on the table and reached the preliminary final before suffering a shock defeat by
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...
.
On 5 October 2017, Liu was named in New Zealand Rugby League world cup squad. Liu made 26 appearances for Easts in the
2018 NRL season
The 2018 NRL season was the 111th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 21st season run by the National Rugby League. The main competition, known as the 2018 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, featured 16 team ...
as they won the minor premiership and reached the
2018 NRL Grand Final
The 2018 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2018 National Rugby League season and was played on Sunday September 30 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The match was contested between minor premiers the Sydney Roosters ...
against Melbourne. Liu played from the bench as Easts defeated Melbourne 21-6 claiming their 14th premiership.
Liu made 24 appearances for the
Sydney Roosters in the
2019 NRL season
The 2019 NRL season was the 112th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 22nd season run by the National Rugby League. The Sydney Roosters became the first team to win back-to-back Premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 ...
as the club reached the
2019 NRL Grand Final
The 2019 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2019 National Rugby League season and was played at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The match was contested between defending premiers the Sydney Roosters and the Canberra Ra ...
against Canberra. The club would go on to win 14-8 with Liu starting at prop. It was the club's second consecutive premiership victory and Liu's second as a player.
Liu played 19 games for the
Sydney Roosters in the
2020 NRL season
The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League.
Teams
The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year.
; Notes
:
:
:
Pre-season
...
. The club reached the finals but were eliminated by Canberra at the
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
.
On 7 July 2021, Liu signed a contract to join the
Gold Coast for the start of the 2022 season. Liu played 26 games for the
Sydney Roosters in the
2021 NRL season
The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League.
Teams
The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year.
Regular season
Ladd ...
as the club reached the finals but were eliminated in the second week by
Manly.
Liu played a total of 23 games for the Gold Coast in the
2022 NRL season
The 2022 NRL season is the 115th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 25th season run by the National Rugby League.
Teams
The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 16th consecutive year. This became the second longest s ...
as the club finished 13th on the table.
References
External links
Sydney Roosters profileRoosters profile2017 RLWC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Isaac
1991 births
New Zealand rugby league players
New Zealand people of Niuean descent
New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent
Rugby league players from Auckland
Samoa national rugby league team players
Sydney Roosters players
Gold Coast Titans players
Newtown Jets NSW Cup players
Otahuhu Leopards players
Rugby league locks
Rugby league props
Rugby league second-rows
People educated at Keebra Park State High School
Living people
New Zealand national rugby league team players