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| Full name | Benjamin Tapuloa Roberts[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1985-07-08)8 July 1985 (age 39) Westmead,New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (14 st 11 lb)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Five-eighth, Halfback, Hooker, Fullback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Benjamin Tapuloa Roberts (born 8 July 1985) is a former professionalrugby league footballer who played as afive-eighth, halfback orfullback in theNRL and theSuper League in the 2000s and 2010s. He representedNew Zealand andSamoa at international level.
He began hisNRL career in 2006 with theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, where he spent six seasons and made over 90 appearances. He also went on to play for theParramatta Eels and theMelbourne Storm. Roberts made the move toSuper League in 2015, joining theCastleford Tigers. After a five-year spell, he departed the Tigers and retired from professional rugby league.
Roberts representedNew Zealand in five test matches in 2006 and 2007. He made fifteen appearances forSamoa between 2008 and 2017 and represented the team at threeRugby League World Cups.
Roberts was born inWestmead,New South Wales, Australia. He is ofSamoan andNew Zealand descent and is the cousin of soccer playersTim Cahill andChris Cahill.
Roberts was educated atJohn Therry Catholic High School, Rosemeadow. He then studied atPatrician Brothers' College, Fairfield, alongside former Sharks centreDean Collis where he represented2003 Australian Schoolboys.
Joining theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2006 as a five-eighth, Roberts was originally recruited fromWestern Suburbs Magpies before became a regular member of theNSWRL Premier League team. In 2007, he has started in halfback in the early rounds due to injury to regular playmakerBrent Sherwin. With Sherwin's return from injury and form, Roberts was shifted tofive-eighth.
He made his second international appearance for theNew Zealand Kiwis on Friday 20 April at the 2007ANZAC Test against theAustralia national rugby league team inBrisbane. In February 2008, Roberts was arrested by police who were forced to use capsicum spray on the player after an altercation outside the Glasshouse Tavern in Wollongong. He was later fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to assaulting police and resisting arrest.[5]
In the2008 NRL season, Robert played 21 games for Canterbury as the club finished bottom of the table and claimed the wooden spoon. The season was also a sour one off the field with star playerSonny Bill Williams walking out on the team.[6]
He was named in theNew Zealand andSamoan extended training squads for the2008 Rugby League World Cup.[7][8] In the end he was selected in the Samoan squad for the tournament.
Five years later he was selected for Samoa in April 2013, for atest match againstTonga inPenrith, New South Wales. Later in the year he was selected for Samoa again, but this time for their2013 Rugby League World Cup campaign. He featured in all four games that the Samoans played, scoring two tries. He scored one try against heavyweightsNew Zealand in an entertaining 42–24 defeat. He scored his second try in Samoa's 38–4 thrashing ofThe Kumuls.
On 17 May 2011 Roberts signed a two-year deal with theParramatta Eels.[9] Roberts was a member of theParramatta sides which finished last in 2012 and 2013.[10][11]
On 23 January 2014, it was announced he had signed on with theMelbourne Storm for the 2014 season. In round 1 of the 2014 NRL season, Roberts made his début for the Storm against theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
On 7 October 2014, Roberts was selected in the Samoan 24 man squad for the2014 Four Nations series.[12][13]
On 7 July 2014, it was announced that Roberts signed a contract to play for theSuper League club theCastleford Tigers in 2015.[14]
He played his first Super League game against the Catalans Dragons in the second round of the season. He scored his first Super League try against the Warrington Wolves in round 9.
Roberts scored in Castleford's opening home fixture against Wakefield in round 2 of the 2016 season. The following season, Roberts played in the2017 Super League Grand Final defeat by theLeeds Rhinos atOld Trafford.[15][16][17][18]
