Position: Prop

Date of birth: 21/09/1990

Heritage number: 1194

Previous club: Catalans Dragons

Representative honours: Junior Kiwis, New Zealand, Samoa

Warrington debut: vs Leeds Rhinos, substitute forward, won 42-10 on 16/02/23

Honours

League Leaders’ Shield: 2021 (with Catalans).

Big Sam Kasiano is a giant 6ft 5in prop who can be unstoppable close to the tryline and is at his best as an impact substitute. He also has a clever offloading game. Born in Auckland with Samoan heritage, he has represented both New Zealand and Samoa at international level.

He started playing rugby league, aged eight, for the Otahuhu Leopards before moving to Brisbane as a teenager.

He joined Canterbury Bulldogs in 2010 and over the next seven years he made 139 NRL appearances for the club, scoring 15 tries. He also represented the Junior Kiwis and the Kiwis, winning six full caps in 2012 and 2013.

In 2012, he was named the NRL’s prop forward of the year and played in the Grand Final defeat by Melbourne Storm.

He played in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup final against Australia at Old Trafford in front of a sell-out crowd of 74,468. In July 2017, he signed a three-year contract with the Melbourne Storm.

At the end of the 2018 season, he was released from his contact with the Storm and joined the Catalans Dragons.  In 2021, he helped the Dragons win the League Leaders’ Shield and reach the Super League Grand Final.

He signed a two-year contract with Warrington in May 2022 for the 2023 and 2024 seasons and quickly became a favourite with the fans because of his powerhouse runs.