Born: May 29, 1981 – Saleimoa, Gaga’emauga, Samoa
Test record: 13 Tests (2001-06) – 3 tries, 1 goal (14 points)
Tours: 2004 Tri Nations, 2005 Tri Nations, 2006 Tri Nations

Samoa-born livewire Motu Tony played Tests for New Zealand at fullback, halfback, hooker and off the bench, as well as starring in the Warriors’ early-2000s surge to NRL prominence.

A De La Salle College product, Tony played for Bartercard Cup team Marist-Richmond Brothers and represented New Zealand Residents as a teenager in 2000 to pique the interest of the Warriors.

He broke into the improving club’s line-up in 2001 – firstly as a bench utility, then as a fullback and later a five-eighth – and earned a Kiwis call-up after just eight NRL appearances, less than a fortnight after his 20th birthday.

Tony scored a try on Test debut from fullback in a 36-0 rout of France at Ericsson Stadium.

Starring in the No.6 as the Warriors qualified for their maiden finals series in 2001, surged to the grand final in 2002 and reached a preliminary final in 2003, Tony’s next Test appearances were against Australia in the 2002-03 post-seasons. He came off the bench in a 32-24 loss in Wellington in 2002 and was at halfback for a shock 30-16 victory at North Harbour Stadium in 2003.

Tony signed with Brisbane Broncos for 2004 but made just three top-grade appearances before making a midyear move to Castleford, while his only Test appearance that season was in the 16-all draw at North Harbour that got the Tri Nations underway.

Hull FC snapped up Tony’s services and he won a Challenge Cup final in 2005 as a winger. Another positional shift to hooker saw the 24-year-old star in New Zealand’s Tri Nations triumph, scoring a try in the 28-26 loss to Australia in Auckland and wearing the No.9 as the Kiwis trounced the Kangaroos 24-0 in the Leeds-hosted final.

Tony also featured at halfback in a non-tournament win over France. His Kiwis tenure wrapped up in 2006, starting at hooker in the midyear Test against Great Britain, and coming off the bench in three Tri Nations fixtures – scoring a try in a win over Great Britain in Christchurch and bowing out in the epic extra-time final against Australia in Sydney.

The ultra-versatile dynamo stayed with Hull FC until 2009 before stints with Whitehaven (2010) and Wakefield Trinity (2011-12).

After hanging up the boots, he served as GM of Football Operations at Hull FC, interim CEO at Baseball New Zealand and GM High Performance with New Zealand Rugby League.