Lazarus Vaalepu Explained

Laazarus Vaalepu
Birth Date:1999 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
Height:190cm (80inches)
Weight:119kg (262lb)
Club1:Melbourne Storm
Year1start:2024
Year1end:present
Appearances1:7
Tries1:1
Goals1:0
Fieldgoals1:0
Points1:4
Teama:Samoa
Yearastart:2024
Appearancesa:1
Triesa:0
Goalsa:0
Fieldgoalsa:0
Pointsa:0
Source:[1]
Updated:27 October 2024

Lazarus Vaalepu (born 19 March 1999) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL.

Background

Born in Penrith, New South Wales, Vaalepu was raised in Canberra and is of Samoan descent. He played his junior rugby league for the Queanbeyan Kangaroos and attended Erindale College before being signed by the Canberra Raiders.[2] [3] [4]

Playing career

Early career

In 2015, Vaalepu played for the Canberra Raiders in the Harold Matthews Cup.[5] [6] In 2016 and 2017, he played for the Raiders in the SG Ball Cup.[7] [8]

In 2019, Vaalepu played 19 games for the Raiders' Jersey Flegg Cup side, coming off the bench in their Grand Final loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs.[9]

In 2020, he played for the Woden Valley Rams in the Canberra Rugby League before joining the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in 2021.[10] [11]

In 2022, he joined the Sunshine Coast Falcons and underwent pre-season training with the Melbourne Storm later that year.[12] [13] In 2023, he signed with the Storm on a two-year contract.[14]

2024

In round 20 of the 2024 NRL season, Vaalepu made his NRL debut for Melbourne against the Sydney Roosters.[15] On 1 October, he was named on the bench in the 2024 NRL Grand Final, replacing the suspended Nelson Asofa-Solomona.[16] In just his seventh NRL match, Vaalepu entered the field during the Grand Final to become the most inexperienced player to play in a Grand Final since 1994.[17]

Following the Grand Final, Vaalepu was selected by Samoa as part of the Samoan tour of England.[18]

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/lazarus-vaalepu/summary.html Rugby League Project
  2. Web site: 2017 ASSRL 18 Years Championship guide. 7 July 2017. 18thman.com.
  3. Web site: League Tag 9's. 1 March 2017. Erindale College.
  4. Web site: U18's Schoolboys Squad. 8 May 2017. Canberra Raiders.
  5. Web site: 2015 Harold Matthews Squad. 9 October 2014. Canberra Raiders.
  6. Web site: Junior Reps Season Preview. 12 February 2015. Canberra Raiders.
  7. Web site: 2016 SG Ball Squad. 25 September 2015. Canberra Raiders.
  8. Web site: Harold Matthews and SG Ball Summer Training Squads Announced. 30 September 2016. Canberra Raiders.
  9. Web site: Jersey Flegg Team List: Raiders v Rabbitohs. 24 September 2024. Canberra Raiders.
  10. Web site: Blumers Lawyers CRRL Cup Round 8 Wrap. 15 September 2020. Canberra Raiders.
  11. Web site: Lazarus Vaalepu joins the Gulls. 13 November 2020. Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
  12. Web site: Forward leader: Why Vaalepu is key to Sunshine Coast's premiership push. 31 August 2023. QRL. https://web.archive.org/web/20230903224752/https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2023/08/31/forward-leader-why-lazarus-vaalepu-is-key-to-sunshine-coasts-premiership-push/ . 3 September 2023.
  13. Web site: Tonumaipea and Lewis sign on for train and trial. 17 November 2022. Melbourne Storm.
  14. Web site: Storm retain King and add Lazarus Vaalepu from 2024. 9 March 2023. NRL News.
  15. Web site: Vaalepu becomes #235. 20 July 2024. Melbourne Storm. https://web.archive.org/web/20240722062642/https://www.melbournestorm.com.au/news/2024/07/20/vaalepu-becomes-235/ . 22 July 2024.
  16. Web site: Team Announcement: Grand Final. 1 October 2024. Melbourne Storm.
  17. Web site: Lenehan . Martin . Awesome Foursome: Panthers down Storm to claim place in history . NRL.com . 11 October 2024 . 6 October 2024.
  18. Web site: St John . Mark . Luai to captain Samoan squad with 11 debutants for England series after star trio ruled out . foxsports.com.au . News Corporation Australia . 11 October 2024 . 10 October 2024.

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