Jaydn Su'a (born 23 October 1997) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the St George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League (NRL).
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jaydn Su'a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 October 1997 Christchurch, New Zealand[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (15 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [2] As of 30 June 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL, and at representative level for Queensland in the State of Origin series.
Background
Su'a was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is of Samoan descent and moved to Australia at the age of two.[3]
He attended Marsden State High School and later Anglican Church Grammar School, where he played for their rugby union team.[4] He played his junior rugby league for the Logan Brothers, before being signed by the Canberra Raiders at the age of 13. After two years on a scholarship with the Raiders, he signed with the Brisbane Broncos.[5]
Playing career
Early career
In 2012, Su'a played in the Souths Logan Magpies' Cyril Connell Cup and National Title winning sides as a 15-year-old.[6] In 2013, he represented the Queensland under-16 rugby league team.[7] In 2015, he joined the Brisbane Broncos' NYC team.[8][9] That year, he represented the Queensland under-18 rugby league team, scoring a try and being named Man of the Match.[10]
2016
On 7 May, Su'a represented the Junior Kangaroos and was named Man of the Match in their win over the Junior Kiwis.[11][12] In Round 12 of the 2016 NRL season, he made his NRL debut for the Broncos against the Wests Tigers.[13][14][15] On 13 July, he captained the Queensland under-20 rugby league team.[16][17] In September, he was named at second-row in the 2016 NYC Team of the Year.[18] In September, he re-signed with the Broncos on a 2-year contract until the end of 2018.[19]
2017
In the 2017 NRL season, Su'a was limited to only 4 first grade appearances for Brisbane and did not feature in the club's finals campaign.[20]
2018
In the 2018 NRL season, Su'a made 15 appearances for Brisbane, but missed out on playing in the club's finals campaign due to injury.[21]
2019
At the start of the 2019 NRL season, Su'a made 8 appearances for Brisbane as they lost 8 of their first 13 games which was one of the worst beginnings to a season in the club's history. On 28 June, Su'a signed a two-year contract to join South Sydney in a mid-season switch from Brisbane. Su'a made his debut for South Sydney against Manly-Warringah in Round 17 at ANZ Stadium which ended in a 21–20 victory.[22]
2020
Throughout the 2020 NRL season, Su'a made 21 appearances for South Sydney, establishing himself as one of the competition's most improved players. Su'a was selected in the Queensland rugby league team for the 2020 State of Origin series. He made his debut in Game One, playing a solid 48 minutes off the bench as Queensland upset New South Wales.
2021
In the 2021 NRL Season, Su'a reinforced the previous years success, playing an instrumental role that helped the Rabbitohs achieve a Top 4 finish. In Round 8, Su'a scored his first try of the season in a 34-20 point win over the Canberra Raiders. In Round 19, Su'a scored 2 tries against the New Zealand Warriors in a match that saw the Rabbitohs win 60–22.[23]
On 21 July, Su'a signed a three-year deal with St. George Illawarra.[24]
Su'a played a total of 23 games for South Sydney in the 2021 NRL season, including the club's 2021 NRL Grand Final defeat against Penrith.[25]
2022
In Round 1 of the 2022 NRL season, he made his club debut for St. George Illawarra in their 28-16 victory over the New Zealand Warriors. In Rounds 2 and 3, Su'a was sent to the sin bin in consecutive weeks for dangerous tackles.[26]
Throughout 2022, Su'a played 18 games as St. George Illlawarra finished 10th, missing finals for fourth straight season.[27]
In October Su'a was named in the Samoa squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[28]Su'a played for Samoa in their 2021 Rugby League World Cup final loss to Australia.[29]
2023
Su'a played a total of 13 games for St. George Illawarra in the 2023 NRL season as they finished 16th on the table.[30]
2024
Su’a was named in the second row for Queensland ahead of game one in the 2024 State of Origin series.[31]