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Jacob "JSaf" Saifiti
Personal information
Full nameJacob Saifiti
Born (1996-05-01) 1 May 1996 (age 28)
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Height195 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight114 kg (17 st 13 lb)
Playing information
PositionProp, Second-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2016– Newcastle Knights 158 12 0 0 48
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2015–17 Fiji 7 0 0 0 0
2022–23 New South Wales 2 1 0 0 4
Source: [1]
As of 20 July 2024
RelativesDaniel Saifiti (brother)

Jacob Saifiti (born 1 May 1996) is a Fiji international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop forward for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL.

Background

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Saifiti was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. He is of Fijian and Samoan descent[2] and moved to the Central Coast at a young age.[2] He is the identical twin brother of Knights teammate Daniel Saifiti.[3]

Saifiti played his junior rugby league for the Terrigal Sharks and The Entrance Tigers, before joining the Newcastle Knights in 2015.[3]

Playing career

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2015

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In 2015, Saifiti played for the Newcastle Knights' NYC team.[4] On 2 May, he played for Fiji against Papua New Guinea, alongside his twin brother Daniel.[5] On 27 September, he played in Newcastle's 2015 New South Wales Cup Grand Final win over the Wyong Roos.[6] During the year, he re-signed with the Newcastle club on a two-year contract.[2][7]

2016

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In round 1 of the 2016 NRL season, Saifiti made his NRL debut for the Newcastle Knights against the Gold Coast Titans,[8] playing alongside his brother Daniel, becoming the first twins in Australian rugby league's 108-year history to debut together.[9] On 12 May, he and his brother extended their contracts with the Knights from the end of 2017 until the end of 2018. He made a total of 18 appearances for Newcastle in his debut season as the club finished last on the table.[10][11]

2017

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Saifiti played 21 games for the Newcastle club in the 2017 season,[12] before having his contract extended until the end of 2020. Newcastle would finish bottom of the table for a third straight season.[13][14]

2018

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Saifiti was limited to only eight games for Newcastle in the 2018 NRL season as the club finished 11th on the table.[15]

2019

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Saifiti played 7 games for Newcastle in the 2019 NRL season as the club finished 11th on the table.[16]

Jacob Saifiti (8) and Daniel Saifiti (10) wait as Reagan Campbell Gillard waits to play the ball in 2021

2020

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Saifiti played 21 games for Newcastle in the 2020 NRL season. He played in Newcastle's first finals game since 2013 which was a 46-20 loss against South Sydney in the elimination final.[17]

2021

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He played 23 matches for Newcastle in the 2021 NRL season including the club's elimination finals loss against Parramatta.[18]

2022

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Saifiti was selected as a reserve player for New South Wales in the 2022 State of Origin series. He made his Origin debut against Queensland after the withdrawal of Jordan McLean in Game 3 of the series at Suncorp Stadium. Saifiti scored a first half try as New South Wales eventually lost the match 22-12.[19]

Saifiti played 23 games for Newcastle in the 2022 NRL season as the club missed the finals finishing 14th on the table.[20]

2023

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In round 2 of the 2023 NRL season, Saifiti was sent off for a dangerous high tackle on Wests Tigers player Jake Simpkin. Newcastle would go on to win the match 14-12.[21] Saifiti was later suspended for five matches over the incident.[22] On 3 July, Saifiti was a surprise selection for New South Wales ahead of their match in game 3 of the 2023 State of Origin series.[23] In round 27, Saifiti captained Newcastle for the first time and scored the opening try in a 32-12 win over the St. George Illawarra Dragons.[24][25] Saifiti played a total of 21 games for Newcastle in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 5th on the table. Saifiti played in both finals games as Newcastle were eliminated in the second week of the finals by the New Zealand Warriors.[26]

2024

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Saifiti played 16 games for Newcastle in the 2024 NRL season as the club finished 8th and qualified for the finals.[27]

Controversy

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On 2 December 2018, Saifiti was found unconscious and with a broken leg after a fight with Dane Cordner, the brother of NSW captain and Sydney Roosters player Boyd Cordner. Saifiti was later cleared of any wrongdoing but was fined $50,000 by Newcastle over the incident.[28]

References

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  1. ^ "Jacob Saifiti - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Keeble, Brett (29 April 2015). "Saifiti twins win Fiji call-up | Newcastle Herald". Theherald.com.au. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Saifiti twins first for the Knights - Knights". Newcastleknights.com.au. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  4. ^ "S". Nyc Database. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  5. ^ "TEAM LISTS: Tonga, Fiji Bati, Papua New Guinea Teams For 2015 Representative Round | Triple M NRL". Triplem.com.au. 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  6. ^ "VB NSW Cup Grand Final Team List". NSWRL. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Robert Dillon on Twitter: "@jamiesonmurph Two years"". Twitter.com. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Updated: Round 1 NRL team lists". NRL.com. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Knights Prop Sam Mataora Rewarded for Off-Season Regime with Starting Spot Against Gold Coast". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Saifitis extend contracts with Knights". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  11. ^ "The worst teams in NRL history". Sporting News. 28 June 2016.
  12. ^ Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Custom Match List - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Saifiti twins re-sign with Newcastle Knights - Zero Tackle". 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Knights: 2017 by the numbers". NRL. 12 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Newcastle Knights 2018 season review". NRL. 22 October 2018.
  16. ^ "2019 SEASON REVIEW NEWCASTLE KNIGHT". Nothing But League. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  17. ^ "2020 season by the numbers". www.nrl.com. 28 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Parramatta Eels defeat Newcastle Knights 28-20 in NRL elimination final". ABC News. 12 September 2021.
  19. ^ "'Tad ridiculous': Fittler questions Burton binning". www.nrl.com. 13 July 2022.
  20. ^ "NRL 2022: Newcastle Knights season review". www.sportingnews.com. 6 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Saifiti set for long NRL ban after high tackle". www.espn.co.uk. 13 March 2023.
  22. ^ "Scott Drinkwater hit with lengthy ban for Corey Oates hit, Peta Hiku suspended". www.sportingnews.com. 14 March 2023.
  23. ^ "'That is rude': Brandy fumes at 'disrespectful' call amid fiery Blues Origin III selection grilling". www.foxsports.co.au. 3 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Knights make it nine straight to secure fifth spot". National Rugby League. 2 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Dragons v Knights Round 27 NRL Team List". Newcastle Knights. 29 August 2023.
  26. ^ "NRL 2023: Newcastle Knights season review". www.sportingnews.com. 19 September 2023.
  27. ^ "Brutal reality Newcastle must accept before solving confidence-killing 'riddle'". www.nine.com.au.
  28. ^ "The 66 scandals in four years that have rocked the NRL". Fox Sports. 8 February 2019.
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