Quick Facts
LeoBiography
Junior Moors (born 30 July 1986) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop, second-row and loose forward for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.
He previously played for the Penrith Panthers, Wests Tigers and the Melbourne Storm in the NRL.
Background
Moors was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and moved to Australia and was educated at Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown.
Moors played his junior football for Cambridge Park RLFC before being signed by the Penrith Panthers. He played for the Panthers' Premier League reserve-grade team in 2006.
Playing career
In Round 1 of the 2007 NRL season he made his NRL debut for the Panthers against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
In a 2009 pre-season trial, Moors suffered a broken ankle which stopped him from playing first-grade that season.
In September 2009, Moors signed a 1-year contract with the Wests Tigers 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 in 2012, with a 94.1% success rate in tackles. He was also a member of the Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers side that lost the NSW Cup grand final.
On 13 September 2012, Moors signed a 1-year contract with Melbourne Storm starting in 2013.
His first game was interchange for Storm's 2013 World Club Challenge win over Leeds Rhinos.
Super League Career
On 11 July 2014, it was confirmed that Junior Moors signed a contract to play for the Super League club the Castleford Tigers in 2015.
He played his first Super League game against the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in Round 1. He scored his first try, and his team's lone try, against Warrington Wolves in last round of regular season (round 23).
He played in the 2017 Super League Grand Final defeat by the Leeds Rhinos at Old Trafford.
| Club | Season | Super League | Challenge Cup | Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Tries | Goals | Drop Goals | Points | Apps | Tries | Goals | Drop Goals | Points | Apps | Tries | Goals | Drop Goals | Points | ||
| Castleford Tigers | 2015 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Career total | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
As of 25 September 2015
International career
While attending Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown, Moors played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2004.
In 2013, Junior was selected for the Samoa national rugby league team in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. He played in 3 of the Samoans 4 tournament games, scoring one try against the French in the group stage.