King Vuniyayawa
King Vuniyayawa is a Fijian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for Newcastle Thunder in the RFL Championship.
He has previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and represented Fiji at international level. He has also previously played for Leeds Rhinos, Salford Red Devils and Hull FC in the Super League, and Featherstone Rovers in the Championship.
Background
Vuniyayawa was born in Lautoka, Fiji.Career
New Zealand Warriors
Vuniyayawa made his NRL debut in Round 1, 2020, in the Warriors' 20–0 loss to the Newcastle Knights.Leeds Rhinos
On 16 January 2021, it was reported that he had signed for Leeds in the Super League.On 9 October, Vuniyayawa signed a two-year contract to join Salford.
Salford Red Devils
On 9 October 2021 Salford announced the signing of Fijian international King Vuniyayawa on a two-year contract. Following Salford's 30-14 victory over Castleford in May 2022, Vuniyayawa was ruled out of the remainder of the 2022 season with a pectoral injury. Vuniyayawa made a remarkable recovery and made returned to first team action in the resounding Round 26 victory away at Castleford.In the 2023 Super League season, he played 25 matches for Salford as the club finished 7th on the table and missed the playoffs.