Zach Dockar-Clay (born 24 April 1995) is a New Zealand 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 Sydney Roosters 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 ...

. He 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 ...

in the

National Rugby League 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 ...

(NRL). He also played for

Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers (often abbreviated to Hull KR) are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Craven Park, Hull, Craven Park and compete in Super League, the top tier of B ...

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) ...

and Super League Qualifiers.

Early life

Born in

New Plymouth, New Zealand New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New ...

, Dockar-Clay is of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

descent (from the

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. It has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi, behind Ngāpuhi, with an estimated 102,480 people according to the ...

and

Te Āti Awa Te Āti Awa or Te Ātiawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with about 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in We ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

). He is the great-grandson of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and

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 ...

rugby league representative Alec Dockar. He played his junior rugby league for the Bell Block Marist Dragons.

Playing career

Parramatta Eels

Dockar-Clay played 78 games for the

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and ...

in the National Youth Competition from 2012 to 2015, scoring 34 tries, kicking 40 goals and 1 field goal. Dockar-Clay represented the

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 ...

on three occasions between 2013 and 2015, captaining the team in 2015. In June 2015, he signed a contract with 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 ...

starting in 2016.

Penrith Panthers

In February 2016, Dockar-Clay was selected as a member of the Panthers' squad for the

2016 Auckland Nines The 2016 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Downer Group, Downer NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the third NRL Auckland Nines competition. It was held on 6–7 February 2016 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. As with previous tourna ...

pre-season tournament. He captained Penrith's

New South Wales 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 ...

team throughout 2016. On 15 October 2016, Dockar-Clay represented the New Zealand Māori against the

New Zealand Residents The New Zealand Residents (also previously known as New Zealand 'A', New Zealand XIII, the Lion Red Cup XIII and currently known as the Bartercard Premiership Selection) are a New Zealand rugby league football representative side that is selected ...

. In February 2017, Dockar-Clay was selected to play in the

2017 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 ...

. In March 2017, he signed with

until the end of 2018, effective immediately.

Hull KR

Dockar-Clay made his professional rugby league debut for Hull KR on 10 April 2017 against the

Swinton Lions The Swinton Lions are a professional rugby league club based in Swinton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the RFL League 1 . The club has won the Rugby Football League Championship, Championship six times and three Challenge Cups ...

, scoring a try. He played 19 games in his first season at the club, scoring 6 tries and kicking 10 goals.

Townsville Blackhawks

In November 2017, after helping Hull KR to gain promotion to 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 ...

, Dockar-Clay was granted an early release from his contract and returned to Australia, signing with the

Townsville Blackhawks The Townsville & Districts Blackhawks are an Australian semi-professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Queensland's top rugby league competition, the Queensland Cup. The club was admitted to the Que ...

for the 2018 season.

Blacktown Workers

In 2019, Dockar-Clay signed a contract to join Manly Cup NSW side the

Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles The Blacktown Workers Rugby League Football Club, formerly known as Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles, are an Australian rugby league football club based in Blacktown, New South Wales formed in 1962. From 2017 until 2024, they had a side in the NSW C ...

Western Suburbs

In 2021, he signed for

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 ...

side Western Suburbs.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

In 2022, Dockar-Clay signed for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

. Dockar-Clay spent the start of the season playing for the clubs

side. In round 11 of the

2022 NRL season The 2022 NRL season was 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 ...

, he made his NRL debut 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 ...

Leichhardt Oval Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Syd ...

. Dockar-Clay made a total of 14 appearances for Canterbury throughout the 2022 season which were all from the interchange bench. The club would finish 12th on the table and miss the finals.

North Sydney

In November 2022, Dockar-Clay signed a contract to join NSW Cup side

North Sydney North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. And is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney Council. History The Indigenous people on the s ...

ahead of the 2023 season. Dockar-Clay was part of the North Sydney side which claimed the Minor Premiership and reached the 2023 NSW Cup grand final against South Sydney. Dockar-Clay captained the side in their 22-18 loss.

Sydney Roosters

Ahead of the

2024 NRL season The 2024 NRL season was the 117th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 27th season run by the National Rugby League (NRL). The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, followed by a finals series contested by the top eight ...

, Dockar-Clay joined 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 ...

. In round 6, he was named to make his club debut against

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

. Dockar-Clay would play off the interchange bench in their 22-20 victory. On 21 May, the Sydney Roosters hit back at claims that Dockar-Clay had been taking illegal substances on a live stream along with fellow players Brandon Smith,

Terrell May Terrell Davis May (born 29 April 1999) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League. Background May was born in Blacktown, New South Wales and played his junior rugby ...

Naufahu Whyte Naufahu Whyte (born 4 April 2002) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a , or forward for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL). Playing career In round 22 2021, Whyte made his NRL debut for the ...

and

Spencer Leniu Spencer Leniu (born 8 September 2000) is a Samoa national rugby league team, Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL). Background Of Samoans, Samoan descent, Leniu w ...

. The club released a statement which read “The Sydney Roosters have been made aware of a small clip from a longer live stream that some on social media have claimed identifies behaviour that breaches NRL rules. “The clip reveals no use of illicit substances or any other breach of NRL rules, however some see fit to make that grossly distorted and clearly damaging claim".

References

External links

Hull Kingston Rovers profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dockar-Clay, Zach 1995 births Living people 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen Blacktown Workers players Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players Sydney Roosters players Hull Kingston Rovers players Junior Kiwis players New South Wales Residents rugby league team players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league team players New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand rugby league players Ngāti Porou people North Sydney Bears captains North Sydney Bears NSW Cup players Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league hookers Rugby league players from New Plymouth Te Āti Awa people Townsville Blackhawks players Western Suburbs Magpies NSW Cup players Rugby league five-eighths