Feleti Mateo
Encyclopedia
Feleti Sosefo Mateo is a professional rugby league
player who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors
in the National Rugby League
(NRL) competition. Mateo plays a variety of positions from centre to five-eighth to second row and is renowned for his versatility and extravagant style of play. He has played at international level for Tonga
.
until Year 10 and then moved to Terra Sancta College
. During this time he played for the St Patricks Shamrocks and Lalor Park Kookaburras before joining the Parramatta Eels
. Mateo made his first grade debut against the Melbourne Storm
in Round 20 of the 2004 season
. He then played a season with the London Broncos in 2005, appearing in 13 games after joining the club mid-season. Mateo returned to the Parramatta Eels in 2006
and played in the NSWRL Premier League
. He was named the Parramatta Premier League Player of the Year and grand final Man of the Match.
Mateo was selected for the NRL team. Often coming off the bench averaging 50 minutes per game. Mateo was used as an attacking weapon against tiring defenses. He was awarded 1 Dally M award for the game against the West Tigers and 2 Dally M points for the game against Penrith Panthers.
Mateo finished first at the end of the regular season on offloads with 64.
for the 2011 NRL season and the following two seasons.
Before playing a match for the Warriors he was voted as their representative in the 2011 NRL All Stars team.
On 3 November 2011, at the annual RLIF Awards
dinner, Mateo was named the Tonga
player of the year.
under 19's and also made the Junior Kanagaroo's tour of Papua New Guinea.
Mateo made his debut for Tonga in 2006 and was named in the Tongan squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
.
He played at five-eighth and acted as the main play-maker for Tonga. He scored one try and a number of assists for the Tongan team and also a vital 40/20 kick in the dying stages of their round one clash against Ireland that lead to the match winning try.
In 2008 Mateo played for the New South Wales City
team. He also is eligible to represent England
through his English
mother, while also playing for London Broncos he obtained a British passport.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
(NRL) competition. Mateo plays a variety of positions from centre to five-eighth to second row and is renowned for his versatility and extravagant style of play. He has played at international level for Tonga
Tonga national rugby league team
The Tonga national rugby league team is a national sporting side, representing Tonga in rugby league football. Rugby league is a popular sport in Tonga, and the national team has become one of the best performed nations in the world...
.
Early career
Mateo attended Westfields Sports High SchoolWestfields Sports High School
Westfields Sports High School is Australia's first Sports High school. It is a coeducational school in Fairfield West, Sydney, Australia...
until Year 10 and then moved to Terra Sancta College
Terra Sancta College
Terra Sancta College is a dual campus co-educational, systemic Catholic, day school located in Quakers Hill & Schofields, North Western Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Founded in 1996, the college is a school of the Diocese of Parramatta...
. During this time he played for the St Patricks Shamrocks and Lalor Park Kookaburras before joining the Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
. Mateo made his first grade debut against the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
in Round 20 of the 2004 season
National Rugby League season 2004
The year 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership...
. He then played a season with the London Broncos in 2005, appearing in 13 games after joining the club mid-season. Mateo returned to the Parramatta Eels in 2006
National Rugby League season 2006
The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 Telstra Premiership...
and played in the NSWRL Premier League
NSWRL Premier League
The New South Wales Cup is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales previously known as the NSWRL Premier League. It has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve grade competition. It is now the premier open age competition in the state...
. He was named the Parramatta Premier League Player of the Year and grand final Man of the Match.
2007
In 2007National Rugby League season 2007
The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League...
Mateo was selected for the NRL team. Often coming off the bench averaging 50 minutes per game. Mateo was used as an attacking weapon against tiring defenses. He was awarded 1 Dally M award for the game against the West Tigers and 2 Dally M points for the game against Penrith Panthers.
2008
Mateo started 2008 in the five-eighth role, a position he played in his time at the London Broncos. Mateo played the opening two matches of the year and proved crucial scoring two tries in a historic Round One comeback.Mateo finished first at the end of the regular season on offloads with 64.
2009
In 2009 Mateo suffered an injury early on in the season which took him out for most of the year. However he did make a return in the final rounds of the season and played in the matches leading up to the Grand Final against Melbourne and in the Grand Final itself.Warriors
In May 2010, Mateo signed with the New Zealand WarriorsNew Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
for the 2011 NRL season and the following two seasons.
Before playing a match for the Warriors he was voted as their representative in the 2011 NRL All Stars team.
On 3 November 2011, at the annual RLIF Awards
RLIF Awards
The Rugby League International Federation currently oversees and awards the major international sporting award for rugby league on an annual basis and has done so since its inception in 2004....
dinner, Mateo was named the Tonga
Tonga national rugby league team
The Tonga national rugby league team is a national sporting side, representing Tonga in rugby league football. Rugby league is a popular sport in Tonga, and the national team has become one of the best performed nations in the world...
player of the year.
Representative career
Mateo played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2003 on a tour of New Zealand. In 2004 he was selected for the New South WalesNew South Wales rugby league team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
under 19's and also made the Junior Kanagaroo's tour of Papua New Guinea.
Mateo made his debut for Tonga in 2006 and was named in the Tongan squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
.
He played at five-eighth and acted as the main play-maker for Tonga. He scored one try and a number of assists for the Tongan team and also a vital 40/20 kick in the dying stages of their round one clash against Ireland that lead to the match winning try.
In 2008 Mateo played for the New South Wales City
City Origin Team
The City Origin Team is a representative rugby league team consisting of players formerly of the New South Wales Rugby League competition, one of two federations in the state of New South Wales...
team. He also is eligible to represent England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
through his English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
mother, while also playing for London Broncos he obtained a British passport.