Jacob Laban
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jacob Laban | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 April 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 189 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 110 kg (17 st 5 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jacob Laban (born 17 April 2004) is a Samoan rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Background
[edit]Born in Moto'otua, Samoa, on April 17, 2004, Jacob Laban moved to New Zealand at the age of three. He comes from a diverse heritage; his father, Patelesio Laban, hails from the Samoan villages of Faleula and Sa'anapu, while his mother, Alysia (Albert) Laban, is of Māori descent from the iwi of Te Āti Awa in Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt.
Jacob attended Gracefield Primary School and Hutt Intermediate during his junior years. He later enrolled at St Bernard's College in Lower Hutt before moving to Auckland in 2021. There, he completed Year 13 at Kelston Boys' High School after being awarded a rugby scholarship.
Jacob’s journey in rugby league began at the Te Aroha Rugby League Club in Waiwhetu. However, due to a shortage of players in the junior grades, he moved to the Randwick Kingfishers. It was during his time with Randwick that his talent flourished, earning him selection for the Wellington Orcas representative teams.
Jacob is a nephew to Ken Laban on his Samoan grandfather's father's side.[2]
Career
[edit]Laban made his first grade debut in his side's 34−4 victory over the South Sydney Rabbitohs in round 5 of the 2024 NRL season.
During a match in NSW cup, Laban was sent off after a melee with Canberra Raiders player Corey Horsburgh when Horsburgh and Laban came to blows.[3]
On 30 September 2024, Laban was named in the NSW Cup team of the year.[4]
2025
[edit]On 21 May, the New Zealand Warriors announced that Laban had re-signed with the club until the end of the 2029 season.[5] He played 12 games with New Zealand in the 2025 NRL season as the club finished 6th on the table and qualified for the finals. They were eliminated by Penrith in the first week of the finals.[6]
On 1 August, Laban was injured after fracturing his leg as a result of an illegal tackle by Dolphins prop Felise Kaufusi.[7] The tackle was ruled as a grade two dangerous contact charge and Kaufusi was hit with a two-match ban.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Jacob Laban - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project".
- ↑ "Jacob Laban". Warriors. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ↑ Staff Writer (30 June 2024). "Warriors pair sent off after melee". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ↑ Staff Writers (29 September 2024). "Laban included in NSW Cup Team of the Year". Warriors. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ↑ "Young guns Halasima and Laban signed until 2029". Warriors. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ↑ "The Mole's season review: Disastrous injury blow exposed major issue as Warriors fall flat". www.nine.com.au.
- ↑ "Warriors lose Jacob Laban to broken leg after ugly tackle in late NRL defeat". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
- ↑ "Warriors 'fuming' over ugly act young gun's horror injury exposes NRL call". Fox Sports. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.