Quick Facts
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Solomone Kata (born 3 December 1994) is a Tongan born New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League. A New Zealand and Tongan national representative, he plays at centre.
Background
Born in Neiafu, Tonga, Kata moved to New Zealand in 2011 on a rugby union scholarship at Sacred Heart College, Auckland. Kata represented the Tongan under-21 side.
Rugby league career
2013
Kata switched to rugby league in 2013, signing with the New Zealand Warriors. Kata played for the Warriors Holden Cup team and was part of the side that lost the Grand Final 30–42 to the Penrith Panthers. Kata played in the 2014 Auckland Nines with the first grade side, before returning to the under 20s competition.
2014
Kata played for the Warriors in the inaugural NRL Auckland Nines At the end of the regular season, Kata played at centre in the 2014 Holden Cup grand final, scoring a hat-trick in the Junior Warriors' 34–32 defeat of the Brisbane Broncos juniors. Kata won the Jack Gibson Medal as the grand final player of the match. On 20 October 2014 Kata made his international début, playing for Tonga in their end-of-year test-match against Papua New Guinea.
2015
Kata again played in the Warriors NRL Auckland Nines team in 2015 and was named in the team of the tournament. In Round 1 of the 2015 NRL season, Kata made his first grade NRL debut for the New Zealand Warriors against the Newcastle Knights on the wing in the Warriors' 14–24 loss at Hunter Stadium. In Round 2, against the Canberra Raiders, Kata scored his first NRL career try in the Warriors' 18–6 win at Canberra Stadium. On 2 May 2015, Kata played for Tonga against Samoa in the Polynesian Cup, playing at centre and kicking 2 goals in Tonga's 16–18 loss at Cbus Super Stadium. Kata finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in all of the Warriors 24 matches and being the top tryscorer with 12 tries in the 2015 NRL season, while mid-year his contract was extended until the end of 2018. On 8 September 2015, Kata was named in the New Zealand Kiwis' training squad. After not making the final New Zealand squad for the England tour, Kata played for Tonga in their Asia-Pacific Qualifier match against the Cook Islands for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. He played at fullback, scored a try and kicked 4 goals in Tonga's 28–8 win at Campbelltown Stadium.
2016
In February, Kata played for the Warriors in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines. On 7 May, he played for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup, where he played at centre and kicked 1 goal.
He made his New Zealand debut and played in the Four Nations for his adopted country.
2017
In February, Kata was not selected for the Warriors in the 2017 NRL Auckland Nines.