Naufahu Whyte
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Naufahu Whyte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 April 2002 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Lock, Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 13 March 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Naufahu Whyte (born 4 April 2002) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop, second-row or lock forward for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) and for New Zealand at international level.
Background
Whyte was born in Auckland, New Zealand and is of Samoan and Tongan descent.[2][3]
Playing career
In round 22 2021, Whyte made his NRL debut for the Sydney Roosters against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in a 21–20 win. Whyte re-signed with the Roosters club until the end of 2024. Whyte played nine matches for the Sydney Roosters in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 7th on the table and qualified for the finals.[4]
2024
On 21 May 2024, the Sydney Roosters hit back at claims that Whyte had been taking illegal substances on a live stream along with fellow players Brandon Smith, Zach Dockar-Clay, Terrell May and Spencer Leniu. The club released a statement which read “The Sydney Roosters have been made aware of a small clip from a longer live stream that some on social media have claimed identifies behaviour that breaches NRL rules. “The clip reveals no use of illicit substances or any other breach of NRL rules, however some see fit to make that grossly distorted and clearly damaging claim".[5] Whyte played 23 games for the Sydney Roosters in the 2024 NRL season as they finished third on the table. Whyte played in the clubs preliminary final loss against Melbourne.[6]
2025
On 24 June, the Sydney Roosters announced that Whyte had re-signed with the club for a further three years.[7] He played 23 games for the Sydney Roosters in the 2025 NRL season as the club finished 8th on the table and qualified for the finals.[8]
Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Sydney Roosters | 3 | ||
| 2023 | 8 | |||
| 2024 | 23 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2025 | 23 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2026 | ||||
| Totals | 57 | 4 | 16 |
References
- ^ Rugby League Project
- ^ "Be like JWH, but only a bit: How Roosters unlocked NRL's most improved player". www.smh.com.au.
- ^ "'New Zealand's my home': Whyte makes Pac Champs pledge". nrl.com. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
- ^ "NRL 2023: Sydney Roosters season review". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "'Not right': Tedesco defends teammates as Roosters blast 'grossly distorted' claims over viral video". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "The Mole's end of season review: Maligned signing suddenly looms as Roosters saviour after exodus, injuries". www.nine.com.au.
- ^ "Naufahu Whyte extends with Roosters". Sydney Roosters. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "The Mole's season review: Looming Daly Cherry-Evans signing could help fix Roosters' biggest issue". www.nine.com.au.