James Tamou

James Tamou

Tamou playing for the New Zealand Māori in 2008
Personal information
Nickname	Aussie Jim, Jimmy
Born	(1988-12-13) 13 December 1988 Palmerston North, New Zealand
Height	194 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	113 kg (17 st 11 lb)
Playing information
Position	Prop
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2009–	North Qld. Cowboys	122	8	0	0	32
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
2008–10	New Zealand Māori	2	0	0	0	0
2012–14	Australia	10	2	0	0	8
2012–14	New South Wales	8	0	0	0	0
Source: RLP, Nth Qld Cowboys

James Tamou (Tah-mow) (born 13 December 1988 in Palmerston North, New Zealand^[1]) is a New Zealand-born Australian professional rugby league prop forward who plays for the North Queensland Cowboys of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative, he has played his entire club career to date with the Cowboys and is contracted to the club until the end of the 2016 season.

Early life

Born in Palmerston North, Tamou is of Māori descent.^[2] He began playing junior rugby league in Levin for the Levin Knights in New Zealand. At the age of 13, Tamou moved with his family to Australia. He then played as a Sydney Roosters junior for the Paddington Tigers and attended Matraville High School in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. He was the Roosters Jersey Flegg Cup Player of the Year in 2007^[3][4] In 2007, Tamou was selected to play for the Junior Kiwis.

Playing career

2000s

Tamou played for the Sydney Roosters' Toyota Cup team in 2008 and was one of the club's best performers, before signing for the North Queensland Cowboys for the 2009 season.^[5] In 2008, he represented New Zealand Maori, when they played Indigenous Dreamtime team in the 2008 World Cup curtain raiser. He represented them for a second time in 2010, when they faced England before the start of the 2010 Four Nations tournament.^[6]

Tamou made his first grade debut in round 9 of the 2009 NRL season. He went on to play 13 games in his first season in Townsville. In 2010, he was named the Cowboys' most improved player of the year, playing 19 games, starting in three of them. His good form was rewarded that year, when re-signed with the Cowboys for a further 3 years.^[7]

2010s

Early in the 2011 season, Tamou and team mate Blake Leary were suspended by the Cowboys for one game for "breaking team alcohol rules".^[8] He later played a major part in the Cowboys surge to the finals, playing 23 games in which he averaged 108 metres.^[9] In 2011, he was selected in New Zealand's train-on squad for the Four Nations, although he was not selected in the final squad for the tournament.

In 2012, despite just weeks earlier expressing his desire to represent New Zealand, Tamou pledged his allegiance to Australia and New South Wales. Tamou had received phone calls from then New South Wales coach Ricky Stuart and captain Paul Gallen about making the switch. In 2012, Tamou has had a breakout year, averaging more metres per game than any other prop in the NRL. In April 2012, Tamou made his Australian debut in the Anzac Test in New Zealand. In May, Tamou was named for New South Wales and played all three games during the series.^[10][11]

Tamou was selected for Australia in the 2013 ANZAC Test and played at prop forward. In what was the first test match ever played in Canberra, New Zealand were defeated. In June Tamou got selected for the New South Wales Blues and played in the New South Wales Blues on the 5th of June in the win of Queensland 14-6 less than a week later Tamou got suspended for game 2 for Drink driving and driving unlicensed in Townsville on the 11th of June.

Personal life

Tamou is the cousin of Parramatta Eels player Kenny Edwards.^[12]

References