Josiah Karapani

Josiah Karapani (born 19 January 2002) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League, with whom he won the 2025 NRL Grand Final.

Background Born in Auckland, Karapani is of Samoan descent. He played junior rugby league for the Otahuhu Leopards and junior rugby union for East Tamaki. He attended Pakuranga College before being signed by the New Zealand Warriors.

Playing career Early career In 2020, Karapani played for the Warriors in the SG Ball Cup. In 2021, he signed with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, playing for their SG Ball, Jersey Flegg Cup and New South Wales Cup sides over the following three seasons.

2024 Karapani moved to the Brisbane Broncos for the 2024 season, originally on a train-and-trial deal before earning a fulltime contract in March. He began the season playing for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup.

In Round 11 of the 2024 NRL season, Karapani made his first grade debut in Brisbane's 13–12 win over the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. He played 9 games in his rookie season for the Brisbane outfit.

2025 In round 14 of the 2025 NRL season, Karapani scored two tries for Brisbane in their 44-14 win over strugglers the Gold Coast. In round 16, Karapani scored two tries for Brisbane in their come from behind victory against Cronulla. Karapani played 13 matches for Brisbane in the 2025 NRL season including the club’s 2025 NRL Grand Final victory over Melbourne.

2026 On 19 February, Karapani played in Brisbane's World Club Challenge loss against Hull Kingston Rovers. On 1 April, Karapani was stood down by Brisbane for one match after he was charged by Queensland police for being a public nuisance. Karapani was fined $1000 over the incident.

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