Junior Moors
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Junior Moors (born 30 July 1986) is a former
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
international
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
footballer who last played as a for
Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league club in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Post Office Road and currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league. Featherstone ...
in the
RFL Championship The Rugby Football League Championship, (known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second highest division of rugby league in British rugby league system, Britain (with one team in the league also being based in France) ...
. He previously played for the
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
,
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
and the
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...
in the
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
, as well as
Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. They play their home games at Wheldon Road (currently known as the Mend-A-Hose Jungle for sponsorship reasons) and compete in the Super League, t ...
in the
Betfred Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
.


Background

Moors was born in
Auckland, New Zealand Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, and moved to Australia and was educated at
Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown is a Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day school for boys, located in Blacktown, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. History The College was founded in 1952 by the Patrician Bro ...
. Moors played his junior football for Cambridge Park RLFC before being signed by the
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
. He played for the Panthers'
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
reserve-grade team in 2006.


Club career


Penrith Panthers

In Round 1 of the
2007 NRL season The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League. Sixteen teams contested the NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership, and with the inclusi ...
he made his
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
debut for the Panthers against the
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the Sutherland Shire of Southern Sydney, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. Cronulla compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugb ...
. In a 2009 pre-season trial, Moors suffered a broken ankle which stopped him from playing first-grade that season.


Wests Tigers

In September 2009, Moors signed a one-year contract with the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
starting in 2010, with the Tigers having an option to extend his contract for a further season. Moors became a regular interchange player in the second half of 2012, making 14 appearances for the year. He said, "It’s something I have struggled with over the last couple of years, keeping my weight down but it’s been good this year. I’m starting to feel more comfortable in the team now." Statistically, Moors was revealed to be one of the most effective tacklers in the
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
in 2012, with a 94.1% success rate in tackles. He was also a member of the
Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995 to 1996) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain, New South Wales, Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and on ...
side that lost the
NSW Cup The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve ...
grand final.


Melbourne Storm

On 13 September 2012, Moors signed a one-year contract with
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...
starting in 2013. His first game was interchange for Storm's
2013 World Club Challenge The 2013 World Club Challenge (PROBIZ World Club Challenge for sponsorship purposes) was the fourteenth consecutive annual World Club Challenge and was contested by Super League XVII champions, Leeds Rhinos and 2012 NRL Premiers, the Melbourne St ...
win over
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
.


Castleford Tigers

On 11 June 2014, it was confirmed that Moors had signed a three-year contract to play for the
Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
club the
Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. They play their home games at Wheldon Road (currently known as the Mend-A-Hose Jungle for sponsorship reasons) and compete in the Super League, t ...
( Heritage No. 953) from 2015. Castleford head coach
Daryl Powell Daryl A. Powell (born 21 July 1965) is an English rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer. He is the head coach of Wakefield Trinity who play in the Super League. He played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s for t ...
said of the signing: "I think his style is going to be really well-suited to the Super League and he'll be a real threat." Moors was given squad number 16 ahead of his first season with the Tigers. Moors made his Super League début against the
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby le ...
in the first round, on 8 February 2015. He scored his first try for the club against the
Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England. They play home games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league system, British rugby league. Warringto ...
in round 23, on 26 July. He finished the year having made 25 appearances and scored 4 tries. For 2016, Moors was assigned shirt number 17. He suffered a
broken hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...
in March, missing 8 games, although returned earlier than expected - Daryl Powell described his post-injury form as "outstanding", and called him "a tough character". His "irrepressible" performance in Castleford's 52–12 victory over West Yorkshire rivals
Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home games at Headingley Rugby Stadium, AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby lea ...
saw him voted as the Fans' Man of the Match. His outstanding personal year saw him dominate the club's end-of-season awards, being recognised as the Fans' Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, and 1st Place Player of the Year. In October, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Tigers until the end of 2019. "He had an enormous 2016, being one of the best forwards in Super League," said Daryl Powell. Moors was utilised as an impact player for the 2017 season, making the vast majority of his appearances as an interchange. In June, he sustained a knee ligament injury which kept him out for 8 games. He continued his impressive performances, and greatly contributed towards the Tigers 1st-placed finish in Super League. Resultantly, in August he signed a further one-year contract extension, keeping him at Castleford until the end of 2020. Daryl Powell said, "Junior Moors is a high-quality player who has continued to get better during his time at the club." He played in the
2017 Super League Grand Final The 2017 Super League Grand Final was the 20th official Grand Final championship-deciding game of the Super League XXII. It was held at Old Trafford, Manchester on 7 October 2017, kick off 18.00. Leeds Rhinos became champions for a record 8th ti ...
defeat by the
Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home games at Headingley Rugby Stadium, AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby lea ...
at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
. Following the retirement of Andy Lynch, Moors was given squad number 8 for 2018. This, however, didn't reflect any change in his role on the pitch, as he remained a key impact substitute. He largely avoided any long-term injuries and made 25 appearances this year. He also scored 8 tries, including his first brace against the
Huddersfield Giants The Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. Huddersfield play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league sy ...
on 13 September - this made the 2018 season his highest-scoring campaign yet. Moors' 2019 season was severely limited by serious injuries - he sustained a knee injury in April, keeping him out for 2 months, before suffering a season-ending hip fracture in just his second game back. He made 13 appearances and scored 3 tries. In November 2020, Castleford coach
Daryl Powell Daryl A. Powell (born 21 July 1965) is an English rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer. He is the head coach of Wakefield Trinity who play in the Super League. He played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s for t ...
confirmed the departure of Moors.


Featherstone Rovers

On 20 January 2021, it was reported that he had signed for
Featherstone Featherstone is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, two miles south-west of Pontefract. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 2011 ...
in the
RFL Championship The Rugby Football League Championship, (known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second highest division of rugby league in British rugby league system, Britain (with one team in the league also being based in France) ...
On 28 May 2022, Moors played for Featherstone in their
2022 RFL 1895 Cup The 2022 RFL 1895 Cup, known as the 2022 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the third playing of the RFL 1895 Cup, a rugby league football competition for clubs in the United Kingdom. The competition is for clubs who play below the ...
final loss against
Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...
. On 8 November 2023, Moors announced his retirement from professional rugby league


International career

While attending
Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown is a Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day school for boys, located in Blacktown, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. History The College was founded in 1952 by the Patrician Bro ...
, Moors played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2004. In 2013, Junior was selected for the
Samoa national rugby league team The Samoa national rugby league team represents Samoa in rugby league football and has participated in international competition since 1986. Known as Western Samoa before 1997, the team is administered by Rugby League Samoa and are nicknamed To ...
in the
2013 Rugby League World Cup The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth World Cup for men’s national rugby league teams. It took place between the 26 October and 30 November and was hosted by England and Wales (although some games were played in France and Ire ...
. He played in 3 of the Samoans 4 tournament games, scoring one try against the
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
in the group stage.


Statistics


References


External links


Castleford Tigers profileCas Tigers profileNRL profileWests Tigers profileSL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moors, Junior 1986 births Living people 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen Balmain Ryde-Eastwood Tigers players Castleford Tigers players Featherstone Rovers players Melbourne Storm players New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent Penrith Panthers players People educated at Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Auckland Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows Samoa national rugby league team players Samoan rugby league players Wests Tigers players Windsor Wolves players