Michael Bani
Encyclopedia
Michael Bani is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league
player. He has played for the North Queensland Cowboys
and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
in the National Rugby League
(NRL). He is a full-back who can also play on the wing.
Bani was a late starter in rugby league, having first attempted to pursue a career in basketball
. At the age of 21 he started playing in Queensland club competitions, before being picked up by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
in 2007. He made his NRL debut for Manly that year and made 20 first-grade appearances for the club, scoring eight tries. He joined the North Queensland Cowboys
during the 2009 season in a swap that saw Ben Farrar
move from the Cowboys to Manly. Bani's contract with the Cowboys expired at the end of the 2011 season.
Bani was named in the Papua New Guinea training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
.
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. He has played for the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
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). He is a full-back who can also play on the wing.
Bani was a late starter in rugby league, having first attempted to pursue a career in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. At the age of 21 he started playing in Queensland club competitions, before being picked up by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
in 2007. He made his NRL debut for Manly that year and made 20 first-grade appearances for the club, scoring eight tries. He joined the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
during the 2009 season in a swap that saw Ben Farrar
Ben Farrar
Ben Farrar is an Australian professional rugby league player who currently plays for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League competition....
move from the Cowboys to Manly. Bani's contract with the Cowboys expired at the end of the 2011 season.
Bani was named in the Papua New Guinea training 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...
.