Khaled Rajab

Khaled Rajab (Arabic: خالد رجب; born 2002) is a Lebanese Australian footballer who plays as a five-eighth or fullback for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL). He also plays for the Lebanon international rugby league team.

Khaled Rajab
Personal information
Born2002
Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia
Height179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight85 kg (187 lb; 13 st 5 lb)
Playing information
PositionFive-eighth, Fullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2023– Canterbury Bulldogs 4 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2022– Lebanon 3 1 0 0 4
Source: [1]
As of 2 July 2023

Background

Rajab was born in New South Wales, Australia. He is Muslim and of Lebanese descent.[2] Rajab played his junior football for Bankstown Sports, whom he joined as a four-year-old.[3] Rajab graduated from Al Noori Muslim School in Greenacre in 2019.

Playing career

Rajab played in every Canterbury junior rank, including Harold Matthews Cup, Jersey Flegg, NSW Cup and was the SG Ball player of the year in 2021.

2022

In 2022, Rajab captained the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Jersey Flegg side. He also played in four games for the Bulldogs in the NSW Cup including the NSW Cup grand final loss against the Penrith Panthers NSW Cup team.[4]

International career

In 2022, Rajab was named in the Lebanon squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[5]

Rajab made his international debut against Ireland in 42–18 victory for Lebanon.

Rajab's impressive form on the international stage attracted considerable attention from Phil Gould and rugby league commentators, with Gould declaring on Twitter "I'm sure he will debut next year, probably at 7".[3] Rajab said in response to the attention: “I heard about that tweet. Some of my mates sent it to me saying, ‘Look what Gus said about you’. I was shocked, I thought, ‘No way’,” Rajab told The Daily Telegraph. “As a kid this is what you dream of. “For Gus to even mention I might have a chance to play NRL, I’m grateful. It makes me want to work harder to get that shot.”

Rajab was included in the Top 30 for the 2023 season.

2023

Rajab began the NSW Cup season with 11 appearances, six try assists and three tries guiding the Bulldog's reserve grade squad to the top of the ladder.

Rajab was a late inclusion into the Canterbury team that faced the Sydney Roosters in round 15 at Central Coast Stadium, losing 25–24. Rajab came off the bench to replace Karl Oloapu in the last twenty minutes, achieving his National Rugby League first grade debut.[6] Rajab played four games for Canterbury in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 15th on the table.[7]

References
  1. "Khaled Rajab - Career Stats & Summary". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
  2. "Khaled Rajab". Zero Tackle.
  3. "Khaled Rajab eyeing Bulldogs debut, has backing of Phil Gould & Cameron Ciraldo". Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  4. "'I bleed blue and white': Lebanon rookie set to step up for Bulldogs". National Rugby League. October 24, 2022.
  5. "Full list of every squad at the Rugby League World Cup 2021". LoveRugbyLeague. October 4, 2022.
  6. "'I pretty much deleted all social media': James Tedesco bounces back from State of Origin criticism with Roosters masterclass". www.news.com.au.
  7. "NRL 2023: Canterbury Bulldogs season review". www.sportingnews.com.
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