Born: 11 October, 1984 – Auburn, NSW
Test record: 1 Test (2010) – 0 points

A veteran of more than 300 NRL and Super League matches, rugged forward Zeb Taia played one Test for New Zealand in 2010.

Sydney-born Taia was an Enfield Generals and St Clair Comets junior, before playing in Parramatta’s 2005 Premier League grand final win. He made his NRL debut the following season for the Eels but heading to Newcastle midway through 2007.

The back-rower flourished at the Knights and would bring up a century of top-grade appearances for the club over five and a half seasons.

Taia earned a Kiwis call-up as a starting second-rower for the 2010 Anzac Test, one of three debutants in the side as the Kangaroos won 12-8 in Melbourne.

He joined Catalans for a three-season stint in 2013 and represented Cook Islands in that year’s World Cup.

Taia returned to the NRL and played 24 games in Gold Coast Titans’ spirited 2016 campaign, but he went back to Super League the following season and played over 100 games for St Helens, celebrating in the club’s 2019-20 grand final victories.

The journeyman turned out for Wynnum Manly in the 2021 Queensland Cup.