Kurt Donoghoe

Kurt Donoghoe

Personal information
Born	(2001-11-30) 30 November 2001 (age 23) Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	92 kg (14 st 7 lb)
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth, Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2023– Dolphins 16 1 0 0 4 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2023–24 Fiji 5 2 0 0 8
Source: [1] As of 30 June 2024

Kurt Donoghoe (born 30 November 2001) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL) and internationally for Fiji.

Background

Donoghoe is of Fijian descent and played his junior rugby league for the Central Newcastle Butcher Boys and attended Hunter Sports High School.[2]

Playing career

Early career (2018-2022)

In 2018, Donoghoe represented Australia Under-18 at the Touch Football World Cup. In 2019, he played for the Newcastle Knights Development Squad in the Laurie Daley Cup. Later that year he played for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL Touch Premiership.[3][4]

In 2020, Donoghoe played for the Knights in the Jersey Flegg Cup, playing one game before the competition was cancelled.[5][6] In 2021, he played for the club's New South Wales Cup side.[7] In May 2022, he was named in Fiji's 2022 Rugby League World Cup train-on squad.[8]

In September 2022, he played in the Knights' Jersey Flegg Cup Grand Final loss to the Penrith Panthers.[9]

International

At the end of the 2023 season, Donoghoe was named in the Fijian squad for the 2023 Pacific Rugby League Championships and scored two tries in their 43-16 win over Papua New Guinea on 29 October.

Dolphins (2023)

Donoghoe (left) with other Dolphins in 2024

In 2023, Donoghoe signed with the Central Queensland Capras and underwent pre-season training with their NRL affiliate club, the Dolphins.[10] After playing in all three of the Dolphins' NRL trial games, Donoghoe signed a one-year contract with the club,[11] and made his NRL debut in Round 1 of the 2023 NRL season in the Dolphins' inaugural match against the Sydney Roosters.[12] In total, Donoghoe played seven regular season matches for the Dolphins in 2023. Donoghoe re-signed with the club until the end of 2025.[13] Donoghoe played a total of ten matches for the Dolphins in the 2024 NRL season as the club finished 10th on the table.[14] On 19 December, the Dolphins announced that Donoghoe had re-signed with the club on a one year extension.[15]

Further information: List of Dolphins (NRL) players

References

1. RLP
2. "Central Newcastle junior Kurt Donoghoe to make shock debut in Dolphins' first NRL match against Roosters in Brisbane". Newcastle Herald. 28 February 2023.
3. "Get to know our Knights touch men's team!". Newcastle Knights. 15 April 2019.
4. "Touch Football: Central's Kurt Donoghoe doubles up for shot at national title with Newcastle Knights". Newcastle Herald. 16 August 2019.
5. "Kurt Donoghoe". 18th Man. 18 March 2020.
6. "TEAMS: NSWRL U20 Jersey Flegg Cup - 2020 Round 1". League Unlimited. 10 March 2020.
7. "How did Kurt Donoghoe slip through the Newcastle Knights' fingers?". Newcastle Herald. 3 March 2023.
8. "Six Super League players in 50-man Fiji squad ahead of World Cup". Love Rugby League. 26 May 2022.
9. "Ultimate Guide: Jersey Flegg Cup Grand Final". Newcastle Knights. 21 September 2022.
10. "Central Queensland Capras: Cup gains and losses for 2023". QRL. 23 February 2023.
11. "Young guns elevated to top 30". Dolphins. 1 March 2023.
12. "Final Team: Lemuelu in for Ese'ese". Dolphins. 5 March 2023.
13. Chalk, Ethan Lee (29 August 2024). "Dolphin confirms future with new deal". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
14. "The Mole's end-of-season review: How one star 'lost his way' as Dolphins struggle with 'demanding' schedule". www.nine.com.au.
15. "Donoghoe extends until 2025". The Dolphins. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.

External links

• Dolphins profile