Taniela Paseka

Taniela Paseka (born 8 October 1997) is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Background Paseka was born in Ōtāhuhu, New Zealand and is of Tongan descent. Although born in New Zealand, Paseka has chosen to play rugby league for Tonga at international level.

He played his junior rugby league for All Saints Liverpool junior and attended Patrician Brothers' College, Fairfield and Mount Carmel Catholic College.

Playing career Early career Paseka played in the Under 20s for the Wests Tigers before joining Manly for the 2018 season, he also appeared in a Musashi ad.

2018 In round 6 of the 2018 NRL season, Paseka made his Manly début in the National Rugby League against the Wests Tigers. Paseka played a total of 13 games for Manly in 2018 as the club endured one of their worst seasons on the field finishing 15th on the table and narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon.

2019 Paseka made 13 appearances for Manly in the 2019 NRL season as the club finished sixth on the table. Paseka missed out on playing in the club's finals campaign with a knee injury he sustained in round 25 against Parramatta.

2020 Paseka played 18 games for Manly-Warringah in the 2020 NRL season as they finished a disappointing 13th on the table.

2021 Paseka played 24 games for Manly in the 2021 NRL season including the club's preliminary final loss against South Sydney.

2022 Paseka made 11 appearances for Manly in the 2022 NRL season. The club would finish 11th on the table and miss out on the finals.

2023 On 25 July, it was announced that Paseka would miss the remainder of the 2023 NRL season with a medial ligament injury which he suffered during Manly's 30–26 victory over Cronulla in the battle of the beaches game.

2024 On 5 August, Paseka re-signed with the club until the end of the 2029 season. Paseka played 23 matches for Manly in the 2024 NRL season as they finished 7th on the table and qualified for the finals. Manly would be eliminated in the second week of the finals by the Sydney Roosters.

On 8 October, Paseka got a long-awaited international selection when he was named in the 21 man Tongan squad for the 2024 Pacific Championships. Paseka will join Manly teammates Haumole Olakau'atu, Tolu Koula and 19 year old rookie Lehi Hopoate in the team.

2025 Paseka would be ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a ruptured Achilles during Manly's win against Canberra in round 3.

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