| Starford To'a | |
| Birth Date: | 2000 6, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Height: | 183cm (72inches) |
| Weight: | 97kg (214lb) |
| Club1: | Newcastle Knights |
| Year1start: | 2019 |
| Year1end: | 21 |
| Appearances1: | 20 |
| Tries1: | 11 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Fieldgoals1: | 0 |
| Points1: | 44 |
| Club2: | Wests Tigers |
| Year2start: | 2022 |
| Year2end: | present |
| Appearances2: | 43 |
| Tries2: | 10 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Fieldgoals2: | 0 |
| Points2: | 40 |
| Teama: | Tonga |
| Yearastart: | 2023 |
| Yearaend: | present |
| Appearancesa: | 1 |
| Triesa: | 1 |
| Goalsa: | 0 |
| Fieldgoalsa: | 0 |
| Pointsa: | 4 |
| Source: | [1] |
| Updated: | 26 July 2024 |
Starford To'a (born 23 June 2000) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL).
He previously played for the Newcastle Knights as a er in the NRL.
To'a was born in Auckland, New Zealand[2] and is of Tongan, Māori and European descent. He attended St Paul's College, Auckland.[3]
In 2018, he moved to Australia to play for the Newcastle Knights, after being scouted by a recruitment manager for the Knights in 2016 at a New Zealand national tournament in Rotorua.[2] He played for the Knights' Jersey Flegg Cup team.[4] At the end of 2018, he played for the Australian Schoolboys and was named man of the match in their first game.[5]
In 2019, To'a joined the Knights' NRL squad for pre-season training and played in a first-grade trial match.[6] In June, he re-signed with the Knights on a 2-year contract until the end of 2021.[7] In round 25 of the 2019 NRL season, he made his NRL debut for the Knights against the Penrith Panthers[8] and scored a try.[9] On 29 September, he will play for the Junior Kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos.[10]
He made seven appearances for Newcastle in the 2020 NRL season and scored four tries. To'a did not feature in the club's first finals campaign since 2013.[11]
In 2021, To'a made 12 appearances for the Knights, scoring 6 tries.[12]
In January 2022, To'a was granted a release from the final two years of his Newcastle contract to join the Wests Tigers on a two-year contract effective immediately.[13] To'a played a total of 21 matches for the Wests Tigers in the 2022 NRL season and scored 3 tries as the club finished bottom of the table and claimed the Wooden Spoon for the first time.[14]
In round 12 of the 2023 NRL season, To'a scored two tries for the Wests Tigers in their record breaking victory at 66-18 against the North Queensland.[15] In round 24, To'a scored two tries for the Wests Tigers in their 22-30 loss against the New Zealand Warriors.[16] To'a played a total of 18 games for the Wests Tigers in the 2023 NRL season and scored seven tries as the club finished with the Wooden Spoon for a second straight year.[17] In the end of season internationals, he was selected and made his debut for the Mate Ma’a Tonga team against England, where he scored a hat trick in a 34-16 win.
| 2019 | Newcastle Knights | align=right | 1 | align=right | 1 | align=right | 4 | |
| 2020 | align=right | 7 | align=right | 4 | align=right | 16 | ||
| 2021 | align=right | 12 | align=right | 6 | align=right | 24 | ||
| 2022 | Wests Tigers | align=right | 21 | align=right | 3 | align=right | 12 | |
| 2023 | align=right | 18 | align=right | 7 | align=right | 28 | ||
| 2024 | align=right | 3 | align=right | 0 | align=right | 0 | ||
| 2025 | align=right | 0 | align=right | 0 | align=right | 0 | ||
| Totals | align=right | 63 | align=right | 21 | align=right | 84 |