Morgan Harper (born 28 August 1998) is a New Zealand semi-professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the North Sydney Bears in the NSW Cup.
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 28 August 1998 Hamilton, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 25 May 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He previously played in the National Rugby League (NRL) for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, and Parramatta Eels.
Background
editHarper was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. Harper is of Māori (Ngāti Maniapoto mother and Ngāti Tūwharetoa father) and Irish descent.[2][3]
He played his junior rugby league for the Ngaruawahia Panthers in the Waikato Rugby League.[4]
Career
editHarper made his NRL debut for Canterbury-Bankstown against the Brisbane Broncos in round 25 of the 2019 NRL season.[5] In round 17 of the 2020 NRL season, Harper scored two tries for Manly-Warringah in a 34–32 defeat against the Wests Tigers at Brookvale Oval.[6] In round 19 of the 2021 NRL season, he scored a hat-trick for Manly in their 44–24 victory over the Wests Tigers.[7] Harper played a total of 18 games for Manly in the 2022 NRL season scoring four tries as the club finished 11th on the table and missed out on the finals.[8]
2023
editHarper was limited to only nine appearances for Manly in the 2023 NRL season as the club missed the finals. On 16 October 2023, Harper signed a one-year deal to join Parramatta starting in 2024.[9]
2024
editIn round 1 of the 2024 NRL season, Harper made his club debut for Parramatta and scored a try as they defeated arch-rivals Canterbury 26-8.[10] Following a couple of indifferent performances to start the 2024 season, Harper was demoted to reserve grade by Parramatta head coach Brad Arthur.[11]
Harper made only eight appearances for Parramatta in the 2024 season as the club finished 15th on the table.[12] On 11 September 2024, it was announced that Harper would be departing the Parramatta club after not being offered a new contract.[13] On 17 November, it was announced that Harper signed with NSW Cup side North Sydney Bears for the 2025 season.[14]
Statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
|
4 | 3 | 12 |
| 2021 | 23 | 8 | 32 | |
| 2022 | 18 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024 |  Parramatta Eels
|
8 | 4 | 16 |
| Totals | 64 | 19 | 76 |
References
edit- ^ Rugby League Project
- ^ Cousins, Wayne (9 February 2022). "Morgan Harper honoured to represent Maori All Stars". SeaEagles.com.au.
- ^ Clarke, George (20 April 2022). "Keary to consider Ireland's call". Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser.
- ^ Proszenko, Adrian (16 September 2021). "How family and footy have combined for Manly Sea Eagles centre Morgan Harper". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Round 25 team lists". NRL.com. 3 September 2019.
- ^ "David Nofoaluma 'definitely' deserves NSW Blues selection says Maguire following Manly miracle". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "Penrith beat Brisbane 18-12, South Sydney thrash Warriors 60-22, Manly outclass Tigers 44-24". www.abc.net.au.
- ^ "NRL 2022: Manly Sea Eagles season review". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "Morgan Harper joins Eels". www.parraeels.com.au.
- ^ "Dogs' Foxx fear compounds rough night; Eels may have finally solved big issue: What we learned". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "NRL Round 5 Team Lists 2024". www.nrl.com.
- ^ "The Mole's end of season review: What went wrong at the Parramatta Eels?". www.nine.com.au.
- ^ "Eels farewell departing players". www.parraeels.com.au.
- ^ Pryde, Scott (17 November 2024). "Former Junior Kiwi lands new home for 2025". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 17 November 2024.