Sam Kasiano (born 21 September 1990) is a professional

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 plays as a for the

Souths Sharks Souths may refer to: * South Sydney Rabbitohs, a National Rugby League team * Souths Rugby, a Queensland Premier Rugby team * Souths Logan Magpies, a rugby league team based in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia See also *South (disambig ...

in the Mackay & District Rugby League; he is player-coach. He is both a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

Samoan Samoan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean ** Something of, from, or related to Samoa, a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands ** Something of, from, ...

international. Kasiano previously played for the

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilitated by ...

and

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 ...

Background

Kasiano was born and raised in

Auckland 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 ...

, New Zealand. He is of

descent. Kasiano started playing rugby league at the age of eight for the

Otahuhu Leopards The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland. Founded in 1911 Auckland Rugby League season, 1911, the club has produced 49 New Zealand national rugby league team players. The club competes in the Fox Memorial compet ...

but stopped once he started high school. However, in 2007 he played for the

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in N ...

's 1st XIII. After moving to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

as a teenager, Kasiano was educated at

Wavell State High School Wavell State High School is a coeducational public secondary school based in Wavell Heights, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The school has a total enrolment of more than 1500 students from years 7–12, with an official count of 1674 ...

where he played for the

Aspley Devils The Aspley Broncos (formerly Aspley Demons and Aspley Devils) are a rugby league club in Brisbane, Australia. Aspley competes in the Brisbane A-Grade Rugby League, FOGS Cup and FOGS Colts Challenge competitions. In 2007 they competed in the Que ...

under 18s before being picked up by the

Norths Devils The Northern Suburbs Devils, or North Brisbane Devils, or often simply referred to as Norths for short, are a rugby league club representing the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. The team colours are sky blue, navy blue and gold. They pl ...

Colts for the 2009 season. He was then signed by the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is a stocky, muscular dog of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a rel ...

, and played for their Toyota Cup (Under-20s) team for the 2010 season, where he quickly became one of the competition standouts. His form saw him rewarded with a spot in the 2010

Junior Kiwis The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL, Intrust Sup ...

team.

Playing career

2011 - 2017: Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs

In Round 1, Kasiano made his NRL debut for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at against 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 ...

in the 24–14 win at

ANZ Stadium Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...

. He played 19 games in his debut season and picked up the

Steve Mortimer Stephen Charles Mortimer (born 15 July 1956), also nicknamed "Turvey", is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played as a . Mortimer played a Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs club record 272 first-grade games between 1976 and 1988, ...

Medal for the Bulldogs Rookie of the Year. In March 2012, it was reported that Kasiano had declared his representative allegiance to the

Queensland Maroons The Queensland rugby league team represents the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football. Nicknamed the "Maroons" after the colour of their jersey, they play three times a year against arch-rivals New South Wales rugby league tea ...

and Australian national team, however Kasiano himself sent a letter to the

NZRL The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood '' ...

indicating he wanted to play for the country of his birth,

. In Round 2 match against the

New Zealand Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...

Mt Smart Stadium Mount Smart Stadium, currently known as Go Media Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the main home ground of the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League a ...

, Kasiano scored his first NRL try in the Bulldogs 32–18 win. At the

2012 Dally M Awards The 2012 Dally M Awards were presented on Tuesday 4 September 2012 at the Sydney Town Hall and broadcast on Fox Sports. They are the official annual awards of the 2012 NRL season. Dally M Medal Dally M Awards The Dally M Awards were, as usual ...

Kasiano was named the NRL's prop forward of the year. In the Bulldogs

2012 NRL Grand Final The 2012 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2012 NRL season. Played on Sunday, 30 September at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between the minor premiers Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the second-placed Melbourne S ...

against the

, Kasiano started at prop in the Bulldogs 14–4 loss. He played in 24 matches and scored a try in the NRL season. Kasiano made his

test debut in the October Test at prop in the 20–12 loss to Australia at

1300SMILES Stadium The Willows Sports Complex (last known as 1300SMILES Stadium due to naming rights) was a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was used predominantly as a rugby league ground as the home ground of the North Que ...

Kasiano missed the first 7 matches of 2013 with a leg injury. In Round 21 match against the

St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 1999 after a j ...

Jubilee Oval Jubilee Stadium (also known as Kogarah Oval) is a multi-purpose stadium in Carlton, a suburb in Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-League, and is one of the home grounds of the National Rugby League (NRL) ...

, Kasiano scored a double in the 39–20 win. He played in scored 3 tries in 13 matches for the Bulldogs in the

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. Kasiano was selected in the New Zealand 2013 World Cup squad, playing in 5 matches including playing off the interchange bench in the 34–2 loss to Australia in the World Cup final. Sam Kasiano Canterbury Bulldogs

Kasiano returned to the Bulldogs first grade squad in Round 7 of the 2014 season against the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...

off the interchange bench in the 15–14 win after missing the early round recovering from a foot injury and playing in

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 ...

. In Round 22 against the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...

Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...

, Kasiano suffered a season ending ankle injury in the Bulldogs 41–10 loss. Kasiano finished the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

with him playing 14 matches and scoring 3 tries. On 3 March 2015, Kasiano extended his contract with the Bulldogs to the end of the 2018 season. On 2 May 2015, Kasiano represented

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 ...

in the

Polynesian Cup The Polynesian Cup is a rugby league football test match played between Samoa and Tonga first played in 2010. The matches in 2015, 2016 and 2018 were played as double-headers with the Melanesian Cup. Results See also *Polynesia Cup – sim ...

against

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

. He was named man-of-the-match in the test. He and fellow Bulldogs teammate

Frank Pritchard Frank Semu Pritchard (born 3 November 1983), also known by the nicknames "Cranky" and "Frank the Tank", is a former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand national rugby league team, New Zealand and Samoa national rug ...

, who was captaining the team, made headlines in the match after making a 'double-team' try-saving hit on Tonga's Jorge Taufua in 77th minute forcing him over the sideline and securing Samoa the narrow margin 18–16 victory at Cbus Super Stadium. In Round 21 against the

Sydney Roosters Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...

, Kasiano was on the receiving end of a shoulder charge from Roosters forward

Kane Evans Kane Evans (born 9 January 1992) is a former Fiji international rugby league footballer who is currently playing for Glebe Dirty Reds, having last played as a for the Hull FC in the Super League. He previously played for the Sydney Roosters, ...

, making headlines as one of the biggest hits of the year. Kasiano finished off the 2015 season having played in 24 games and scoring 2 tries. On 1 February 2016, Kasiano was named in the Bulldogs 2016 Auckland Nines squad. In Round 6 against the

, Kasiano played his 100th

career match in the Bulldogs 18–12 win at

AAMI Park The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, currently known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the suburb of East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victor ...

. On 7 May 2016, Kasiano played for

in the 2016

against

, where he started at prop in the 18–6 win at

Parramatta Stadium Parramatta Stadium was a sports stadium in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, west of Sydney CBD. The stadium was the home ground of several western Sydney-based sports teams, at the time of closure the most notable were the Parramatta E ...

. In Round 24 against the

, Kasiano was charged with a grade two dangerous contact charge after he kicked Broncos veteran Corey Parker in the face when he attempted to leave a tackle, leaving him with a split lip and chin during the Bulldogs 20–10 loss at

. Kasiano was later given a two-match suspension. Kasiano finished the

2016 NRL season The 2016 NRL season was the 109th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 19th 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, ...

with him playing in 23 matches and scoring 6 tries for the Bulldogs. On 8 October 2016, Kasiano represented Samoa in the Samoa vs. Fiji test match, where he started at prop and scored a try in the 20–18 loss in

Apia, Samoa Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban Area (generally kno ...

. In February 2017, Kasiano was selected in the Bulldogs

2017 NRL Auckland Nines The 2017 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Downer NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the fourth NRL Auckland Nines competition. It was held on 4–5 February 2017 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. Just like previous tournaments, it ...

squad. On 6 May 2017, Kasiano played for Samoa in the test against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, starting at prop in the 30–10 loss at

Campbelltown Stadium Campbelltown Sports Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Leumeah, a suburb in South Western Sydney, Australia, owned by Campbelltown City Council. Formerly known as Orana Park and Campbelltown Sports Ground, it is currently the home ground ...

. On 5 July 2017, it was announced that Kasiano signed a 3-year contract with the

to the end of the 2020 season. Kasiano finished his last year the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs with playing in 22 matches 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, ...

2018: Melbourne Storm

In Round 1 of 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 ...

, Kasiano made his club debut for the

against his former club the

, playing off the interchange bench in the 36–18 win at

Perth Stadium Perth Stadium, commercially known as Optus Stadium due to sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Burswood, Western Australia, Burswood suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It was completed during late 2017 and officially opened ...

. In round 6, Kasiano scored his first club try for the Storm in the 40–14 win over the

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top-tier competition in New ...

. Out of favour for much of the second half of the season, Kasiano played with Melbourne Storm affiliate

Easts Tigers The Brisbane Tigers are a rugby league club based at Langlands Park, in the suburb of Coorparoo in Brisbane, Australia. Since 1996, they have competed in the Queensland Cup, having competed in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership (rugby league ...

, where he played in the 2018 Queensland Cup Grand Final. He went onto represent Toa Samoa in the

2018 Pacific Rugby League Tests International rugby league matches were played throughout 2018. A † denotes a recognised, but unofficial match that did not contribute to the RLIF World Rankings. Men January ''No men's international test matches were played.'' ---- Februar ...

2019-22: Catalans Dragons

At the end of the 2018 NRL season Kasiano was released by Melbourne, and signed with

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 ...

Catalan Dragons The Catalans Dragons ( French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. Despite being based in France the club competes in Super League, th ...

. On 9 October 2021, Kasiano played for Catalans in their

2021 Super League Grand Final The 2021 Super League Grand Final was the 24th official Grand Final and championship-deciding game of Super League XXVI. The game was contested between Catalans Dragons and St Helens R.F.C., St Helens at Old Trafford. Background The two finalis ...

defeat against St. Helens. On 23 May 2022, it was announced that Kasiano had signed a contract to join

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

for the 2023 Super League season.

2023: Warrington

Kasiano played 24 games for Warrington in the 2023 Super League season as Warrington finished sixth on the table and qualified for the playoffs. He played in the clubs elimination playoff loss against St Helens.

2024: Dapto Canaries

On 1 March 2024 it was reported that he had joined

Dapto Canaries The Dapto Canaries are an Australian rugby league football team based in the Wollongong suburb of Dapto. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and have competed in the Illawarra Rugby League premiership since its inception in 1911. Histo ...

in the

Illawarra Rugby League The Illawarra Rugby League is a rugby league competition in Wollongong, NSW. It is one of the oldest rugby league competitions in Australia, founded in 1911 with five clubs (Dapto, Helensburgh, Mount Keira, Unanderra and Wollongong). The area p ...

2025: South Sharks

On 6 February 2025 it was reported that he had joined Mackay & District Rugby League club Souths Sharks as player-coach.

References

External links