Wellington Albert

Wellington Albert (born 3 September 1994)[lower-alpha 1] is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the London Broncos in the Betfred Super League[5] and Papua New Guinea at international level.

Wellington Albert
Personal information
Born (1994-09-03) 3 September 1994
Mendi, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea
Height6 ft 4 in (1.94 m)
Weight17 st 5 lb (110 kg)
Playing information
PositionProp, Loose forward
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2017 PNG Hunters
2018–19 Widnes Vikings 13 2 0 0 8
2018(loan) → N. Wales Crusaders 1 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Leeds Rhinos 7 1 0 0 4
2019(DR) → Featherstone Rovers 12 2 0 0 8
2020(loan) → Featherstone Rovers 6 4 0 0 16
2021 Keighley Cougars 0 0 0 0 0
2022– London Broncos 41 6 0 0 24
Total 80 15 0 0 60
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2013– Papua New Guinea 11 2 0 0 8
Source: [1][2][3]
As of 16 October 2023

He previously played for the North Wales Crusaders, Leeds Rhinos, Featherstone Rovers, Widnes Vikings and the Keighley Cougars.

Background

Albert was born in Mendi, Southern Highlands in Papua New Guinea.[6] He is the elder brother of fellow PNG international Stanton Albert.

Playing career

Mendi Muruks

He played for the Mendi Muruks and the Lae Snax Tigers in the PNGNRL before being selected to represent Papua New Guinea at the 2013 World Cup.[7]

PNG Hunters

On 12 December 2013, Albert was named in the Papua New Guinea Hunters' squad for their inaugural 2014 season in the Queensland Cup,[8] though he later signed a two-year deal with the Penrith Panthers starting in 2014.[6] He was the second Papua New Guinean player to be signed by an NRL club without having played junior rugby league in Australia.[9]

Albert played 5 games for the Panthers' NYC team in 2014 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.[4] In 2015, Albert moved into the Panthers' NSW Cup team.

Keighley Cougars

At the end of the 2020 championship Albert joined League 1 team, Keighley Cougars[10] Prior to the start of the 2021 season he suffered a serious ankle injury in training which prevented him playing at all in 2021.

London Broncos

On 3 November 2021, it was reported that he had signed for London Broncos in the RFL Championship.[11] On 15 October 2023, Albert played in the London Broncos upset Million Pound Game victory over Toulouse Olympique.[12]

International career

He played for the Kumuls in their pre-tournament match against Scotland, where he scored a try. His only match of the tournament was against New Zealand on 8 November 2013, where he again scored a try.

On 2 May 2015, he represented Papua New Guinea in the 2015 Melanesian Cup against Fiji.

He is the largest man in the PNG pack standing at 196 cm tall and weighing in at 113 kilograms.

Personal life

In 2014, Albert started an economics degree at the University of Western Sydney.[6] His brother Stanton has returned to Papua New Guinea from England to play for the PNG Hunters team in the Queensland Cup in 2018.

Notes
  1. The official website of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup lists Albert's birth year as 1993, though the Penrith Panthers list his birth year as 1994, claiming it to be the date recorded on his passport. PNG media and rugby league coaches have also reportedly claimed that Albert was born in 1992.[4]

References
  1. "Player Summary: Wellington Albert". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  2. loverugbyleague
  3. "Wellington Albert". Rugby League Project.
  4. Massoud, Josh; Hooper, James (9 May 2014). "Penrith hit by age-old mystery over Panther Wellington Albert". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  5. "Cougars snap up international star from Challenge Cup winners Leeds".
  6. Chammas, Michael (3 February 2014). "Penrith sign giant PNG youngster with size 15 feet". Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. Webeck, Tony (29 April 2015). "Brothers pave way for PNG recognition". NRL.com. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  8. Tassel, Brad (12 December 2013). "PNG names 25-man Intrust Super Cup squad". QRL.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013.
  9. Garry, Chris (20 December 2013). "Penrith poach Papua New Guinea star likened to a young Petero Civoniceva". Courier-Mail. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  10. "Cougars snap up international star from Challenge Cup winners Leeds".
  11. "Wellington Albert makes Championship move". Love Rugby League. 3 Nov 2021. Retrieved 25 Dec 2021.
  12. "Championship Grand Final: Toulouse 14-18 London Broncos - Capital club back in Super League". www.bbc.co.uk.
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