- Source: Jamayne Isaako
Jamayne Isaako (born 5 June 1996) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a goal-kicking winger for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL). At the 2023 Dally M Awards, Isaako received the Ken Irvine Medal for being the "Top Tryscorer of the Year". He was also the "Top Pointscorer of the Year", and named as Best Winger of the Year along with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak from the New Zealand Warriors.
In the NRL, Isaako has previously played as a fullback for the Gold Coast Titans and on the wing for the Brisbane Broncos. At international level, he has played for both New Zealand and Samoa.
Background
Isaako was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and is of Samoan and Tokelauan descent. He hails from the villages of Falelatai, Lalomanu and Lona Fagaloa. Isaako played junior rugby league for the Aranui Eagles.
Playing career
= Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (2014–2015)
=In 2014 and 2015, Isaako played at five-eighth for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks' NYC team. In May 2015, he played for the Junior Kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos in their 34–20 loss at Cbus Super Stadium.
= Brisbane Broncos (2016–2022)
=2016–2017
In 2016, Isaako joined the Brisbane Broncos Under 20's team in round 9. In May 2016, he played for the Junior Kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos for a second consecutive year.
In 2017, Isaako graduated to the Broncos Queensland Cup team, Souths Logan Magpies. During the season, Isaako's form for the Magpies prompted Broncos coach Wayne Bennett to debut him in NRL round 19 against the Newcastle Knights, starting at fullback in the 34–22 win at Hunter Stadium.
This was Isaako's only appearance for the Broncos during the 2017 NRL season. However, he continued in the Queensland Cup and was named as fullback in the Intrust Super Cup team of the season.
2018
In round 1 of the 2018 NRL season against the St George Illawarra Dragons, Isaako starred as a winger for the Broncos in their 34–12 loss at Jubilee Stadium. In round 3, the Broncos defeated the Wests Tigers 9–7 at Campbelltown Stadium. In total, Isaako kicked four penalty goals, including one in golden point extra time, and a field goal. . In round 6 against the New Zealand Warriors, Isaako scored his first two NRL tries in the Broncos 27–18 win at Mt Smart Stadium. In Round 11 against the Sydney Roosters, Isaako scored two tries and kicked four goals; one of the tries came from nothing after he was pressured from Roosters defenders after an attempt to kick a field goal, so he stepped around defenders in a razzle dazzle fashion and scored a magnificent try to win the match 28–22 for the Broncos with two minutes to go at Suncorp Stadium.
On 24 June 2018, Isaako made his international debut for New Zealand against England in the historical test match set in Denver, USA, starting on the wing and kicking three goals in the 36–18 loss at Mile High Stadium.
After showing excellent form for the Broncos in the NRL, Isaako started at fullback during rounds 19–21, and the incumbent fullback Darius Boyd was shifted to centre. Isaako showed some success as a fullback but went back to the wing for the rest of season. On 19 July 2018, Isaako extended his contract with the Broncos to the end of the 2024 season, after rejecting a rich offer from the Sydney Roosters because he ultimately believed the Broncos offered the best opportunity to pursue his long-term positional goal of playing fullback. Isaako finished his exciting 2018 NRL season with him playing in all of the Broncos twenty-five matches, scoring eleven tries and kicking ninety-seven goals, being the club's highest point scorer with 239 points. On 26 September 2018, at the 2018 Dally M Awards, Isaako received the Rookie of the Year award and his magnificent match winning try against the Sydney Roosters in round 11 was named as the Try of the Year.
= International =
On 1 October 2018, Isaako was named in the New Zealand squad for their tour of Great Britain. He played in one match, which was the last of the three matches against England, playing on the wing in the 34–0 win at Elland Road in Leeds.
Broncos 2019–2022
In the 2019 NRL season, uncharacteristic errors crept into his game as the Broncos struggled with a 2–6 start leading up to the round 9 Magic Round match against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Isaako as wing and James Roberts as centre were dropped from the team for defensive and handling issues. Isaako returned to his wing spot the following week against the 2018 premiers, the Sydney Roosters, and kicked three goals in the much needed 15–10 win at Suncorp Stadium.
In the 2020 NRL season, Isaako played only ten games for Brisbane. Due to his father's death in New Zealand and COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, he was unable to return to Australia and play for the second half of the season. In round 8 of the 2021 NRL season, Isaako scored two tries and kicked five goals as Brisbane came from 22–0 down to defeat the Gold Coast 36–28. At the start of 2022 NRL season, Isaako played one match and kicked two goals for Brisbane.
= Gold Coast Titans (2022)
=On 22 March, Isaako signed a one-year deal to join the Gold Coast Titans for the remainder of the season. It was initially believed that Isaako would sign a short-term contract with Parramatta but instead chose to sign with the Gold Coast club as he wanted to remain in Queensland prior to commencing with the Dolphins for their inaugural NRL season in 2023.
In round 10, Isaako scored the winning try for Gold Coast in their golden point victory over St. George Illawarra which ended a five-game losing streak.
= Dolphins (2023–present)
=Dolphins 2023
Isaako commenced a three-year contract with the Dolphins in 2023, and played in every match that year. Even though the Dolphins did not qualify for the finals, Isaako recorded both the highest number of NRL tries and points in the 2023 competition; a feat last achieved by Canberra Raiders goal-kicking centre Mal Meninga in 1990.
In round 1 of the 2023 NRL season, Isaako made his club debut for the Dolphins on the wing in their inaugural NRL game. He scored two tries and kicked four goals as the new club pulled off a major upset defeating the Sydney Roosters 28–18 at Suncorp Stadium. In round 2, Isaako kicked four goals in the Dolphins 20–14 defeat of the Canberra Raiders at Kayo Stadium. In round 3, Isaako scored two tries and kicked four goals in a 36–20 victory over the Newcastle Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium. In round 4, Isaako kicked two goals in the inaugural "Battle for Brisbane" derby at Suncorp Stadium, which the Brisbane Broncos won 18–12. In round 5, he scored one try and kicked two goals in the Dolphins 12–38 loss to St George Illawarra Dragons at WIN Stadium.
In round 6, Isaako kicked four goals and scored his first career hat-trick in the Dolphins 32–22 victory against the North Queensland Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. In round 7, he kicked three goals in the Dolphins 14–36 loss to South Sydney Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium. In round 8, Isaako kicked four goals in the Dolphins 28–26 victory over the Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium. In round 9, Isaako kicked five goals in the Dolphins 30–31 loss to the Canberra Raiders at McDonalds Park, Wagga Wagga. In round 10 against the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks at Suncorp Stadium, Isaako kicked six goals for the Dolphins in their 36–16 victory at Suncorp Stadium. In round 12, he scored two tries and kicked two goals for the Dolphins in their 16–24 loss to the Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium. Round 13 was Isaako's one-hundredth NRL game; he scored two tries and kicked five goals for the Dolphins in their 26–12 victory over the St. George Illawarra Dragons at Kayo Stadium.
In round 23, Isaako scored a hat-trick in the club's 30–28 loss to the Newcastle Knights at Optus Stadium, Perth.
By the end of the 2023 season, Isaako had scored twenty-four tries and kicked seventy-three goals with a goal conversion rate of 72.3% and a tackle efficiency of 76.9%. At the Dolphins' Inaugural Presentation Ball held at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, he was awarded the
Arthur Beetson Medal Player of the Year as well as the Best Back, the Most Consistent, and the Players' Player awards for 2023. At the 2023 Dally M Awards held at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Isaako was awarded the Ken Irvine Medal for being the "Top Tryscorer of the Year", named as the "Top Pointscorer of the Year" and Winger of the Year.
= International =
In October, Isaako was selected to represent New Zealand in the 2023 Pacific Championships. He finished the tournament with forty-two points across three Tests, including eighteen points in New Zealand's 30–0 win over Australia in the Pacific Championship Cup final at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand. Isaako also represented New Zealand in all three of their 2024 Pacific Championships matches. He scored four tries and kicked twelve goals for a total of forty points.
Dolphins 2024 and onwards
In 2023, the Dolphins extended Isaako's contract until the end of 2026. In round 9 of the 2024 NRL season,he scored a hat-trick and kicked four goals in the Dolphins 28–26 victory over North Queensland.
Isaako played every game for the Dolphins in the 2024 NRL season and finished as the club's top point scorer and the second highest NRL point-scorer for that year.
Achievements and honours
Individual
Dally M
Rookie of the Year: 2018
Try of the Year: 2018
Best Winger of the Year: 2023
Top Pointscorer of the Year: 2023
Top Tryscorer of the Year: 2023 (Ken Irvine Medal)
Dolphins (NRL)
Arthur Beetson Medal Player of the Year: 2023
Best Back: 2023
Most Consistent: 2023
Players' Player: 2023
National Rugby League
Highest number of NRL tries (24) and points (244) in a season: 2023
Team
New Zealand Kiwis
2023 Pacific Champions
Career Stats
Personal life
Isaako and his partner Abby Sutherland, a former legal secretary from Melbourne, have two children. On 26 October 2018, their son Isaiah Jamayne Isaako was born at Mater Mother's Hospital in South Brisbane, Australia, and their daughter Iylah was born on 23 February 2021.
References
External links
Dolphins Profile
Brisbane Broncos profile
Rugby League Project (summary)