Karl Oloapu

Karl Oloapu

Personal information
Full name	Karl Oloapu
Born	(2005-01-18) 18 January 2005 (age 20) Wellington, New Zealand
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	94 kg (14 st 11 lb)
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth, Loose forward
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2023– Canterbury Bulldogs 7 0 0 0 0
Source: [1] As of 18 June 2023

Karl Oloapu (born 18 January 2005) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Background

Oloapu was born in Wellington, New Zealand and is of Samoan descent.[2][3] He began playing junior rugby league for the Randwick Kingfishers before moving to Brisbane, Queensland.[4]

In Brisbane, Oloapu played junior rugby league for the Redcliffe Dolphins and attended Wavell State High School.[5][6]

Playing career

Early career

Oloapu was signed by the Brisbane Broncos as a 13-year-old, joining their academy.[7][8] In 2021, he played for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Cyril Connell Challenge.[9]

In January 2022, Oloapu re-signed with Broncos until the end of the 2025 season. Later the year he played for the Norths Devils in the Mal Meninga Cup and was selected for the Australian Schoolboys, captaining the side on their tour of Fiji.[10][11]

In November 2022, 10 months after re-signing with the Broncos, Oloapu requested a release from his contract, citing a number of broken promises by the club.[12] On 9 November 2022, the Broncos released a statement, denying the request and any wrongdoing, stating that Oloapu had since hired a new manager and requested an upgrade to his deal.[13] On 11 November 2022, Oloapu and his manager, former NRL player Matt Adamson, released a statement, with Oloapu stating "I will never play for Brisbane as long as I live." He subsequently stopped attending training with the club. The NRL and RLPA later reviewed the situation at the request of Oloapu and Adamson and found no wrongdoing by the Broncos.[14]

2023

On 26 January, the Broncos placed a $500,000 transfer fee on Oloapu.[15] On 27 January, a day later, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs announced the signing of Oloapu on a four-year contract.[16]

On 1 February, Oloapu was named in Queensland's under-19 emerging Origin squad.[17] In March, he began the season playing for the Bulldogs' New South Wales Cup side.[18]

In round 9 of the 2023 NRL season, Oloapu made his first-grade debut for Canterbury, coming off the interchange bench in their 18–16 win over the St. George Illawarra Dragons at WIN Stadium.[19][20]

2024

Oloapu would not play in the 2024 NRL season, after he underwent surgery for a bulging disc in his neck. [21] In March 2024, the Bulldogs requested salary cap relief due to his injury.[22]

References

1. "Karl Oloapu - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
2. "Dogs ready to give Oloapu extended run in halves". Wellington Times. 30 April 2023.
3. "'Broken hearted' teen superstar accuses Broncos of breaking promises". Wide World of Sports. 7 November 2022.
4. "Meet the NZ teens among the NRL's cream of the crop before they become household names". Stuff.co.nz. 7 February 2023.
5. "Dolphins anger over Broncos denying them chance to sign Karl Oloapu". Code Sports. 3 February 2023.
6. "20 reasons Greg Inglis' old school is a go-to for NRL talent scouts". Courier Mail. 25 July 2022.
7. "Karl Oloapu Brisbane Broncos contract standoff". 7News. 10 November 2022.
8. Chammas, Michael (3 February 2023). "Meet the cream of the NRL's 2023 crop before they become household names". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
9. "'What a weapon!' - Karl Oloapu". QRL. 8 March 2021.
10. "Colts begin season in clash with the Cutters". Norths Devils. 21 April 2023.
11. "Australian Schoolboys captain Karl Oloapu doubles down in ferocious feud with Broncos". Wide World of Sports. 10 November 2022.
12. "Broncos fighting to retain Deine Mariner and Karl Olapau". Courier Mail. 9 November 2022.
13. "Broncos Statement: Karl Oloapu". Brisbane Broncos. 8 November 2022.
14. "'Will never play for Brisbane as long as I live': Prodigy's Broncos contract dispute gets ugly". Fox Sports. 11 November 2022.
15. "Brisbane Broncos slap monster transfer fee on Karl Oloapu, blocking Dolphins". Courier Mail. 26 January 2023.
16. "Karl Oloapu Signs With the Bulldogs". Canterbury Bulldogs. 27 January 2023.
17. "Queensland Under 19 emerging squad named". QRL. 1 February 2022.
18. "Dogs' $500k teen freak stuns after ugly Broncos exit; Sharks plot No.1 plan: Reserves Wrap". Fox Sports. 7 March 2023.
19. "Canterbury's future on display with Oloapu to debut". The West Australian. 29 April 2023.
20. "Awesome Averillo leads Bulldogs to victory over Dragons". au.sports.yahoo.com.
21. "'Feeling grateful': Oloapu heads north on road to recovery". National Rugby League. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
22. Pengilly, Adam (11 March 2024). "Bulldogs seek cap relief from NRL over injured young gun Oloapu". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 December 2024.

External links

• Canterbury Bulldogs profile