Joe Ofahengaue

Joseph Ofahengaue (born 15 September 1995), also known by the nickname of "Jo"',[4] is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop and lock for the Wests Tigers in the NRL.

Joe Ofahengaue
Personal information
Full nameJoseph Anthony Young Ofahengaue[1]
Born (1995-09-15) 15 September 1995
Auckland, New Zealand
Height191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight115 kg (18 st 2 lb)
Playing information
PositionProp, Lock, Second-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2015–20 Brisbane Broncos 105 6 0 0 24
2021– Wests Tigers 0 0 0 0 0
Total 105 6 0 0 24
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2015–18 Tonga 6 0 0 0 0
2019 Queensland 2 0 0 0 0
As of 11 July 2020
Source: [2][3]

He has played for Queensland in the 2019 State of Origin series.

Background

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Ofahengaue is of Tongan and European descent,[5] and moved to Australia as a 9-year old.

Ofahengaue played his junior rugby league for the Ipswich Brothers and attended Forest Lake State High School and St Peter Claver College alongside fellow NRL players Tautau Moga and Anthony Milford.[6]

Ofahengaue is the nephew of Tongan-born Australian Wallabies rugby union player Viliami Ofahengaue.[7]

Playing career

Early career

From 2013 to 2015, Ofahengaue played for the Brisbane Broncos' NYC team.[8][9][10]

Ofahengaue playing for the Broncos in 2014

On 3 May 2014, Ofahengaue played for the Queensland under-20s team against the New South Wales under-20s team, playing off the interchange bench in the 30-8 loss at Penrith Stadium.[11] On 5 October 2014, Ofahengaue played in the Broncos Holden Cup Grand final against the Junior New Zealand Warriors, starting at prop in the 34-32 loss.[12] On 18 October 2014, he played for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis, starting at prop in the 15-14 loss at Mt Smart Stadium.[13]

2015

In round 2 of the 2015 NRL season, Ofahengaue made his NRL debut for the Brisbane Broncos against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, playing off the interchange bench in the 10-2 win at Shark Park.[14][15] On 2 May 2015, Ofahengaue again played for the Junior Kangaroos against Junior Kiwis, starting at prop in the 22-20 win at Robina Stadium.[16][17] On 1 June 2015, Ofahengaue re-signed with the Broncos on a two-year contract.[18] On 14 September 2015, Ofahengaue was named at prop in the 2015 NYC Team of the Year.[19] On 4 October 2015, in the Broncos 2015 NRL Grand Final against Queensland rivals the North Queensland Cowboys, Ofahengaue played off the interchange bench in the 17-16 heartbreaking golden point extra time loss.[20][21] Ofahengaue finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in 14 matches for the Broncos in the 2015 NRL season. On 17 October 2015, Ofahengaue played for Tonga against the Cook Islands in their Asia-Pacific Qualifier for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, starting at lock in the 28-8 win at Campbelltown Stadium.[22]

2016

On 12 January 2016, Ofahengaue was selected in the Queensland Maroons emerging squad.[23] In round 7 against the Newcastle Knights, Ofahengaue scored his first NRL career try in the 53-0 demolished win at Suncorp Stadium.[24] On 7 May 2016, Ofahengaue played for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup, starting at lock in the 18-6 loss at Parramatta Stadium.[25] Later into the season, Ofahengaue found himself behind in the pecking order in the forward stocks in the likes of Jai Arrow and Tevita Pangai Junior and was languishing in the Queensland Cup, playing for the Souths Logan Magpies for the rest of the year after round 21.[26] Ofahengaue finished the 2016 NRL season with him playing in 16 matches and scoring 1 try.

2017

In round 8 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Ofahengaue made his return to the Broncos top squad, playing off the interchange bench in the 25-24 win at ANZ Stadium.[27] On 8 May 2017, Ofahengaue played for Tonga against Fiji in a Pacific Test, starting at lock in the 26-24 win at Campbelltown Stadium.[28] On 19 June 2017, Ofahengaue extended his contract with the Broncos to the end of the 2019 season.[29] Ofahengaue finished the 2017 NRL season with him playing in 16 matches and scoring 1 try for the Broncos. On 5 October 2017, Ofahengaue was selected in the 24-man Tonga squad for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.[30] Ofahengaue only played in one match in the tournament which was against Lebanon, starting at prop in the 24-22 win at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.[31]

2018

After showing some powerhouse performances in the earlier rounds of the season, Ofahengaue skyrocketed in contention for the Queensland Maroons as an interchange option but instead stuck with Tonga for the time being. Y[32][33] On 23 June 2018, Ofahengaue was selected for Tonga to play in the 2018 Pacific test against Samoa, playing off the interchange bench in the 38-22 win at Campbelltown Stadium.[34][35] Ofahengaue finished his best season up to date in the 2018 NRL season with him playing in 24 matches and scoring 3 tries. On 20 October 2018, Ofahengaue was selected for Tonga to play in their historical first test against Australia, playing off the interchange bench in the 34-16 loss at Mt Smart Stadium.[36][37]

2019

Ofahengaue was selected to play for Queensland in the 2019 State of Origin series. Ofahengaue played in two of the matches in the series which New South Wales won 2-1. Ofahengaue made 20 appearances for Brisbane in the 2019 NRL season as the club finished 8th on the table and qualified for the finals. Ofahengaue played in the club's elimination final against Parramatta which Brisbane lost 58-0 at the new Western Sydney Stadium. The defeat was the worst in Brisbane's history and also the biggest finals defeat in history. Ofahengaue was also placed on report during the match after hitting Parramatta player Blake Ferguson in the head with a swinging arm.[38][39][40] Ofahengaue was a part of Tonga’s historic victory over Australia in November, playing off the Interchange Bench.

2020

Ofahengaue made 15 appearances for Brisbane in the 2020 NRL season as the club suffered their worst ever year both on and off the field culminating in the club's first Wooden Spoon.[41]

On 29 November, he signed a three-year deal to join the Wests Tigers starting in 2021.[42]

Controversy

In February 2016, Ofahengaue was involved in the Maroons camp nightmare as he was one of the designated drivers alongside Dale Copley as they were with 8 other players such as Anthony Milford, Cameron Munster, Valentine Holmes and Dylan Napa who broke the camp midnight curfew and partied on into the night after a drinking session at the Story Bridge Hotel. Ofahengaue and Copley, however were still eligible for selection for the Maroons in 2016 as they weren’t banned.[43]

In 2017, Ofahengaue had to appear in court in April 2017 after he was caught on CCTV footage cheating in a game of poker at the Treasury Casino by slipping a $100 chip under a $15 chip while the dealer was looking away and later copped a $400 fine with no conviction of fraud.[44]

On 26 January 2020, Ofahengaue was charged by Queensland police for a traffic infringement. It was alleged that Ofahengaue was found asleep behind the wheel of a stationary vehicle. The Brisbane Broncos issued a statement to say the club is “aware of a motor vehicle-related offence involving forward Joe Ofahengaue, The NRL’s Integrity Unit was immediately informed of the incident and the Broncos are working with authorities on the matter".[45][46]

On 28 February 2020, Ofahengaue was suspended for two matches by Brisbane. Brisbane CEO Paul White spoke to the media saying "The Broncos took the decision to stand down the player after taking into consideration that it was not his first driving offence in recent years, “Joe is really disappointed in himself and very remorseful for what he has done,” he said. As a club, our goal is to set a standard for our players and Joe understands that he must pay a price for his actions that night.[47]

References
  1. "Broncos player Jo Ofahengaue fined for driving offence". Brisbane Times. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  2. "Players".
  3. "Jo Ofahengaue - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project.
  4. "Joe Ofahengaue". Broncos.com.au. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  5. Webeck, Tony (7 January 2015). "Ofahengaue honours family name". NRL.com. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  6. "Claver class shining in league stars". Queensland Times. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  7. "Former Wallaby Willie Ofahengaue's nephew Joe a Broncos rising star". Daily Telgeraphy. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  8. "Ipswich stars to tackle NSW | Ipswich Queensland Times". Qt.com.au. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  9. "Ipswich talent Milford, Ofahengaue and Greinkein in U20s | Ipswich Queensland Times". Qt.com.au. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  10. "Go Time For Joe". Broncos.com.au. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  11. "Queensland name Under-20s Origin team". NRL.com. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  12. "Warriors survive Broncos scare to win Holden Cup". National Rugby League. 5 October 2014.
  13. "Junior Kangaroos side to face NZ". NRL.com. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  14. "Boyd backs Ofahengaue to debut". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 1 March 2015.
  15. "Gritty Broncos overcome Sharks". www.couriermail.com.au. 13 March 2015.
  16. "Junior Kangaroos named to face Junior Kiwis". National Rugby League. 26 April 2015.
  17. "Junior Roos hold on in thriller". National Rugby League. 2 May 2015.
  18. "Broncos to re-sign Ofahengaue". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 31 May 2015.
  19. "2015 Holden Cup Team of the Year". National Rugby League. 14 September 2015.
  20. Lutton, Phil (4 October 2015). "2015 NRL grand final: Brisbane Broncos player ratings". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  21. "Baby Joe's all go for the big show". NewsComAu. 2 October 2015.
  22. "Live stream: Tonga v Cook Islands". NRL.com. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. "Maroons name Emerging Origin squad". National Rugby League. 12 January 2016.
  24. Dillon, Robert (16 April 2016). "Devastating Brisbane Broncos humiliate Newcastle Knights with 10-try showpiece". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  25. "Samoa holds on in pulsating Pacific Test". National Rugby League. 7 May 2016.
  26. "It's all come down to this". www.couriermail.com.au. 26 August 2016.
  27. "Milford fires back after blow-up". www.couriermail.com.au. 22 April 2017.
  28. "Unlikely hero inspires 12-man Tonga to victory". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 6 May 2017.
  29. "Broncos NRL contracts: Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett re-signs Joe Ofahengaue". 18 July 2017.
  30. "Fifita, Taumalolo in Tonga World Cup squad". National Rugby League. 4 October 2017.
  31. "Tonga escape Lebanon in thriller". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 18 November 2017.
  32. "Ofahengaue ready to double up for Maroons after Tonga success". National Rugby League. 27 June 2018.
  33. "Couriermail.com.au - Subscribe to The Courier Mail for exclusive stories". www.couriermail.com.au.
  34. "Ofahengaue named in star-studded Tonga squad". National Rugby League. 17 June 2018.
  35. "Tonga overpowers Samoa in Pacific Test blockbuster". National Rugby League. 23 June 2018.
  36. "NRL 2018: McGuire backs Broncos Pangai Jr and Ofahengaue for Origin, Tonga vs Australia Kangaroos". 18 October 2018.
  37. "Dailytelegraph.com.au - Subscribe to The Daily Telegraph for exclusive stories". www.dailytelegraph.com.au.
  38. "Parramatta Eels eliminate Brisbane Broncos from the NRL Finals with a thumping 58-0 win". ABC.
  39. "Fuming Seibold fires off at players, promises review of roster after 'embarrassing' loss". Fox Sports.
  40. "Seibold: 'Top to bottom' review needed as Brisbane search for answers". NRL.
  41. "Brisbane get wooden spoon as North Queensland finish on a high". www.nrl.com.
  42. "Joe Ofahengaue joins Wests Tigers on three-year deal". www.sportingnews.com.
  43. "Dailytelegraph.com.au - Subscribe to The Daily Telegraph for exclusive stories". www.dailytelegraph.com.au.
  44. "How the Bronco cheated a casino". www.couriermail.com.au. 28 April 2017.
  45. "Ofahengaue charged over driving infringement". www.nrl.com.
  46. "Broncos forward Joe Ofahengaue charged by police over driving infringement". Fox Sports.
  47. "Brisbane star cops suspension for driving infringement". www.foxsports.com.au.
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