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| Born | (1992-05-19)19 May 1992 (age 32) Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 189 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 109 kg (17 st 2 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 22 March 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Shalom Catholic College, Bundaberg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Antonio Kaufusi (brother) Patrick Kaufusi (brother) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Felise Kaufusi (born 19 May 1992) is a professionalrugby league footballer from New Zealand who plays as asecond-rower for theDolphins in theNational Rugby League (NRL), and has played forTonga andAustralia at international level.
He previously played for theMelbourne Storm and won the2017 NRL Grand Final and2020 NRL Grand Finals with them. Kaufusi has also played for theQueensland Maroons.
Kaufusi was born inAuckland, New Zealand, and is ofTongan and Niuean descent. He is the younger brother ofAntonio and older brother ofPatrick.[4][5]
At age seven, Kaufusi moved to Australia and was educated atShalom Catholic College, Bundaberg. He played junior football for theBundaberg Brothers before being signed by theNorth Queensland Cowboys.[6]
From 2010 to 2012, Kaufusi played for the North Queensland Cowboys'NYC team,[7][8] including their2011 NYC Grand Final 30-31 golden point extra time loss to theNew Zealand Warriors.[9] In 2013, he moved on to the Cowboys'Queensland Cup team,Northern Pride RLFC.[10] The following year, Kaufusi played for theQueensland Residents against theNew South Wales Residents.[11]
In Round 1 of the2015 NRL season, Kaufusi made hisNRL debut for theMelbourne Storm against theSt. George Illawarra Dragons, playing off the interchange bench in the 12-4 win atJubilee Oval.[12][13] In Round 4 against theNorth Queensland Cowboys, Kaufusi scored his first NRL career try in the Storm’s 18-17 loss at1300SMILES Stadium.[14] On 2 May 2015, he played forTonga againstSamoa in thePolynesian Cup.[15] On 2 July 2015, Kaufusi re-signed with the Storm on a two-year contract.[16]
On 7 May 2016, Kaufusi played for Tonga against Samoa in the 2016Polynesian Cup.[17] On 6 July, he was named as 18th man forQueensland in Game 3 of the2016 State of Origin series.[18] Kaufusi was named as 18th man for the Storm in their2016 NRL Grand Final clash against theCronulla-Sutherland Sharks but didn’t play in the 12-14 loss.[19] Kaufusi finished the2016 NRL season having played in twenty-one matches and scoring four tries for the Storm.
On 21 April 2017, Kaufusi re-signed with the Storm to the end of the 2019 season.[20] On 6 May 2017, he played for Tonga againstFiji in the2017 Pacific Test, where he started at second-row in the 26-24 win atCampbelltown Stadium.[21] During the season, Kaufusi took over the void second-row position from the departedKevin Proctor and was instrumental for the Storm to their run leading up to the Finals series when they won the Minor Premiership trophy.[22] In the Storm’s 2017 NRL Grand Final 34-6 victory against theNorth Queensland Cowboys, Kaufusi started at second-row and scored a try.[23][24] Kaufusi finished the2017 NRL season having played in all of the Storm’s twenty-seven matches and scored nine tries.Two days after the Grand Final win, Kaufusi was selected in the Kangaroos squad for the2017 Rugby League World Cup.[25][26] On 3 November 2017, Kaufusi made his test debut forAustralia againstFrance, where he played off the interchange bench in the 52-6 win atCanberra Stadium.[27][28]
In Round 1 of 2018, Kaufusi suffered ahamstring injury and was sidelined for three weeks. In May, he signed a two-year extension to remain with the Melbourne Storm.[29]
Kaufusi made his debut forQueensland in Game 1 of the2018 State of Origin series, starting at second-row in all three games. He then featured in theMelbourne Storm's grand final loss to theSydney Roosters. Kaufusi played in twenty-one games for the Storm in 2018, scoring five tries. He also played forAustralia in the end of season tests vsNew Zealand andTonga.[30]
Kaufusi played twenty-five games for Melbourne in the2019 NRL season. Although Melbourne finished asminor premiers, they were defeated by theSydney Roosters in the preliminary final.[31] In the2020 NRL season, Kaufusi played twenty-one games for Melbourne including the club's2020 NRL Grand Final victory over Penrith.[32] In round 2 of the2021 NRL season against Parramatta, Kaufusi was placed on report suspended for three games after tackling Parramatta playerRyan Matterson, who subsequently missed the following five matches.[33] In round 10, Kaufusi was placed on report for tripping aSt. George Illawarra but later beat the charge, and was then selected for Queensland to play in the2021 State of Origin series.[34]
Kaufusi was selected by Queensland for game one of the2022 State of Origin series. In game two, he scored a try but was later sin binned for a professional foul during Queensland's 12-44 loss against New South Wales.[35]Kaufusi played twenty-one games for Melbourne in the2022 NRL season including the club's elimination final loss toCanberra.[36]
In round 1 of the2023 NRL season, Kaufusi made his club debut for theDolphins[37][38] in theirinaugural game in the national competition, defeating theSydney Roosters 28-18 at Suncorp Stadium.[39] After a late tackle in round 3 against theNewcastle Knights atMcDonald Jones Stadium, Kaufusi was suspended on a dangerous contact charge for the next four games (rounds 4-7).[40] In round 10 against theCronulla Sutherland Sharks atSuncorp Stadium, Kaufusi captained the Dolphins in their 36-16 victory at Suncorp Stadium.[41] In the second minute of round 12 against the Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium, Kaufusi was sin-binned for a grade-two careless high tackle[42] and suspended for the next three rounds.[43]
Internationally, Kaufusi was selected to represent Tonga in a three-Test series against England that commenced at St Helens'Totally Wicked Stadium on 22 October 2023.[44]
In game 1 of the2024 State of Origin series, Kaufusi became the first 18th man to be activated into state of origin due toReece Walsh being fouled out of the game following a high tackle byJoseph Suaalii which he was sent from the field for. Kaufusi played 18 games for the Dolphins in the2024 NRL season as the club finished 10th on the table.[45]
Melbourne Storm
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |  Melbourne Storm | 17 | 2 | 8 |
| 2016 | 21 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2017 | 27 | 9 | 36 | |
| 2018 | 21 | 5 | 20 | |
| 2019 | 25 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2020 | 21 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2021 | 20 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2022 | 21 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2023 |  Dolphins | 16 | ||
| 2024 | 18 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2025 | ||||
| Totals | 207 | 31 | 124 |
Source:[46]