Don’t let the welcoming smile fool you, with Josh Tuilagi, standing at 193cm and tipping the scales at 106 kgs, just maybe, the muscle the Sharks are looking for out wide in 2018.
Built more like a second rower than a winger, Tuilagi has made his mark for the NYC Sharks over the past two seasons and after being promoted to the full-time NRL training group this summer, is a young gun on the rise.
Hailing from Manurewa near Auckland, Tuilagi came to the Sharks via Brisbane, arriving in the Shire for his final season of SG Ball as he played a part in the Sharks National Championship season of 2015.
From there he made a big impression in the Under-20’s and while likely to begin his year in the Intrust NSW Premiership for the Newtown Jets, Tuilagi would appreciate the fact one wing position is up for grabs in the Sharks NRL team with the departure of Gerard Beale to the Warriors.
An injury towards the back end of last year disrupted his 2017 campaign in the Holden Cup, but now after a strong off-season is ready to test himself in the higher company this year.
Get to know one of the Sharks young stars just a little bit better and see what Tuilagi had to say in our latest instalment of the Young Guns series.
Fact file – Josh Tuilagi
Born: April 14, 1997, Middlemore, NZ
Junior Club: Manurewa Marlins
Position: Wing
Height: 193cm
Weight: 106kgs
2017 NYC: 20 games, 8 tries
