Sione Katoa

Sione Katoa (born 26 January 1995) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League. He plays at hooker.

Born in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand, Katoa is of Tongan and Cook Island descent, and attended St. Bernard's College in Lower Hutt. He came from a rugby background and played all of his junior rugby at Avalon Junior RFC. He represented rugby at Hutt and Wellington age grades before deciding to try rugby league. Most of his junior league was played at the Randwick Kingfishers and Upper Hutt Tigers, before moving to Australia and being signed by the Sydney Roosters. He played junior rugby league for the Glenmore Park Brumbies in the Penrith District Rugby League and attended Patrician Brothers Blacktown, playing a part in the team that won the grand final for the 2012 GIO Schoolboy Cup.

Early career

In 2013, Katoa joined the Penrith Panthers and played for their NYC team in 2014 and 2015.

2015

In 2015, Katoa graduated on to the Panthers' New South Wales Cup team and captained the side later on. On 2 May, he played for the Junior Kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos. On 10 June, he re-signed with the Panthers on a 2-year contract. In Round 26 of the 2015 NRL season, he made his NRL debut for the Panthers against the Newcastle Knights. On 11 September, he was named in the 58-man Tonga squad to play the Cook Islands on 17 October.

2016

In February, Katoa played for the Panthers in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines. On 7 May, he made his international debut for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup.