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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1994-02-18)18 February 1994 (age 31) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 103 kg (16 st 3 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:[1] As of 6 January 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Shalom Catholic College, Bundaberg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Antonio Kaufusi (brother) Felise Kaufusi (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Patrick Kaufusi (born 18 February 1994) is a formerTonga internationalrugby league footballer who last played as aprop for theTownsville Blackhawks in theIntrust Super Cup.
He previously played for theNorth Queensland Cowboys,Melbourne Storm and theSt George Illawarra Dragons in theNRL.
Kaufusi was born inAuckland, New Zealand, and is ofTongan descent. He moved to Australia at a young age and was educated atShalom Catholic College, Bundaberg.
Patrick played his junior rugby league for theBundaberg Brothers, before being signed by theNorth Queensland Cowboys.
From 2012 to 2014, Kaufusi played for the North Queensland Cowboys'NYC team.[2] On 20 April 2013, he played for theQueensland Under-20s team against theNew South Wales Under-20s team.[3] On 3 October 2013, he re-signed with the Cowboys on a 3-year contract.[4] In September 2014, Kaufusi was named in theJunior Kangaroos train-on squad.[5]
In 2015, he moved on to the Cowboys'Queensland Cup team,Northern Pride RLFC.[6]
In Round 16 of the2015 NRL season, Kaufusi made hisNRL debut for the Cowboys against theCronulla-Sutherland Sharks.[7]
In Round 7 of the2016 NRL season, Kaufusi played his second NRL game, coming off the bench in the Cowboys' 44-18 win over theSouth Sydney Rabbitohs.[8][9] On 7 May, he made his international debut forTonga againstSamoa in the2016 Polynesian Cup.[10]
Kaufusi played 12 games for the Cowboys in 2016, coming off the interchange bench in all 12.[11]
Kaufusi started the2017 NRL season coming off the bench for the Cowboys. After starting prop and co-captainMatthew Scott tore hisanterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Round 2, Kaufusi moved into the starting line-up for the first time. In Round 3, he started his first NRL game, a 30-8 loss to theManly Sea Eagles. On 6 May, he representedTonga in the2017 Pacific Test againstFiji. He broke his foot in the fixture, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.[12]
On 1 September,Melbourne Storm head coachCraig Bellamy confirmed that Kaufusi would join the club in 2018.[13]
In Round 16 of the2018 NRL season, Kaufusi made hisMelbourne Storm debut against theSydney Roosters atAdelaide Oval. Patrick became the third Kaufusi to play for theMelbourne Storm, after his brothersAntonio andFelise.
Kaufusi made a total of 6 appearances for St George in the2019 NRL season as the club finished second last on the table.[14]In November 2019, it was announced that Kaufusi had been released by the club.[15]
On 6 February, Kaufusi signed a one-year deal with theTownsville Blackhawks.[16] On 19 February, the Blackhawks announced that Kaufusi had ruptured hisachilles tendon in training, ruling him out for five to six months.[17][18] In March 2021, Kaufusi finally played his first game for Townsville.[19]
On 21 October 2024, Kaufusi announced his retirement from rugby league.[20]
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |  North Queensland | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | North Queensland | 12 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | North Queensland | 9 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 |  Melbourne | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Melbourne | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 |  St George Illawarra | 6 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 |
| Career totals | 31 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Tonga | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Tonga | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career totals | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
Kaufusi is the younger brother of formerAustralian andQueensland representativeAntonio and currentDolphins (NRL) playerFelise.[21]