Michael Bani

Michael Bani (born 3 July 1984) is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He was last contracted to the Canberra Raiders, and has previously played in the National Rugby League (NRL) for the North Queensland Cowboys and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. He played as a fullback, and could also play on the wing.

Michael Bani
Personal information
Born (1984-07-03) 3 July 1984
Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight91 kg (14 st 5 lb)
PositionFullback, Wing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2007–09 Manly Sea Eagles 20 8 0 0 32
2009–11 North Queensland 21 8 0 0 32
Total 41 16 0 0 64
Source: [1]

Background

Bani was born in Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia.

Playing career

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.[2] He made his NRL debut for Manly that year and made 20 first-grade appearances for the club, scoring eight tries.[3] He joined the North Queensland Cowboys during the 2009 season in a swap that saw Ben Farrar move from the Cowboys to Manly.[4] Bani's contract with the Cowboys expired at the end of the 2011 season.[5] He signed for the Canberra Raiders for 2012.[6] In 2014 he played for the Goulburn Workers.

Bani was named in the Papua New Guinea training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.[7]

References
  1. Rugby League Project
  2. Alston, Josh (13 June 2009). "Bani fast-tracked". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  3. Gara, Velma (21 February 2010). "Michael Bani happy to be visiting home". Torres News Online. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  4. Magnay, Jacquelin (24 August 2009). "New boy comes up trumps for Eagles". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  5. "Season 2012 – ins and outs". North Queensland Cowboys. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  6. "Raiders sign Michael Bani". rleague.com. 25 January 2012. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  7. "PNG name preliminary squad". RLWC.com. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 10 April 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
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