Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (born 5 September 2001), also known by the nickname of "Hammer", is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a  for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL). 

He has also played for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL, Queensland in the State of Origin series, and Samoa at international level. He can also play  and .

Background
Born and raised in Cairns, Queensland to an Indigenous Australian Torres Strait Islander mother and a Samoan father, Tabuai-Fidow played his junior rugby league for the Cairns Kangaroos. He also played junior Australian rules football, being named one of the best in AFL Cape York's Crusaders and Peninsula representatives teams in the 2013 Queensland state underage championships and after a best on ground performance for Cairns Hawks in an AFL Cairns under-15s grand final at Cazalys Stadium in 2016 was signed up to the Gold Coast Suns Academy. The Suns unsuccessfully attempted to relocate him to the Gold Coast however he continued with the Suns Far North Queensland Academy in Cairns before accepting a scholarship to play rugby union for Brisbane Grammar School. While living in Brisbane, Tabuai-Fidow was a member of the Queensland Reds rugby union development squad before being signed by the North Queensland Cowboys rugby league club in 2017. His schooling was completed at Kirwan State High School in Townsville.

Playing career

Early career (2018-2019)
In 2018, Tabuai-Fidow played for the Cairns-based Northern Pride's Mal Meninga Cup team, scoring five tries in seven games. In 2019, he moved to Townsville, joined the North Queensland under-20 squad, and played for the Townsville Blackhawks Mal Meninga Cup team, where he scored 13 tries in six games. Following the Mal Meninga Cup competition, he started at fullback for the Queensland under-18 team in their win over New South Wales.

He then moved up to the Blackhawks' Hastings Deering Colts side, where he scored eight tries in five games. In June 2019, he re-signed with the North Queensland side until the end of the 2022 season. On 29 September 2019, he started at centre for the Australian Schoolboys, scoring two tries in their win over the Junior Kiwis.

North Queensland Cowboys (2020-2022)
In 2020, Tabuai-Fidow joined the North Queensland Cowboys NRL squad and was a member of their 2020 NRL Nines winning side, finishing the tournament as the equal leading try scorer.

In round 5 of the 2020 NRL season, Tabuai-Fidow made his NRL debut against the New Zealand Warriors, setting up two tries in a 26–37 loss. In round 7, he scored his first NRL try in a 32–20 win over the Newcastle Knights. In his rookie season, Tabuai-Fidow played 14 games and scored six tries. On 3 October, he was named the North Queensland club's Rookie of the Year.

2021
Tabuai-Fidow was selected by Queensland for game 3 of the 2021 State of Origin series which Queensland won 20-18.

On 21 July, it was announced that Tabuai-Fidow would be out for six weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

2022
In round 13 of the 2022 NRL season, he scored two tries for North Queensland in a 32-6 victory over the Gold Coast.

Tabuai-Fidow played 23 games for North Queensland throughout the year and scored seven tries.  He played in both of the clubs finals games including their preliminary final loss against Parramatta at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium.  On 5 October, he signed a two-year deal to join the newly admitted Dolphins side starting in 2023.

In October, Tabuai-Fidow was named in the Samoa squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup and played one game late 2022 in England.

Dolphins (2023-present)
In round 1 of the 2023 NRL season, Tabuai-Fidow scored the first try in the Dolphins' NRL history.
The following week, he scored two tries as the Dolphins defeated Canberra 20–14.
 
In round 6, Tabuai-Fidow scored two tries in the Dolphins' 32–22 victory over his former club, the North Queensland Cowboys, at Queensland Country Bank Stadium and became the second player in first-grade Australian Rugby League history to score at least one try in each of the first six games of their team's inaugural season, after Eastern Suburbs winger Horrie Miller in the 1908 NSWRFL season.

Prior to round 8, the Dolphins extended Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow's contract until at least the end of the 2027 season. In Round 9, he scored a try 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, Tabuai-Fidow scored a try for the Dolphins in their 36–16 victory.

In May, Tabuai-Fidow was selected to play for Queensland as a centre in Game I of the 2023 State of Origin series against New South Wales on 31 May at Adelaide Oval in South Australia. 
In the series opener, Tabuai-Fidow scored two tries as Queensland defeated New South Wales 26–18.

Tabuai-Fidow holds a number of first tryscorer records for the Dolphins by virtue of playing in their inaugural season. He is the first Dolphin to score in an NRL game, the first Dolphin to score at home venues Suncorp Stadium and Kayo Stadium, and the first Dolphin to score in a representative game (Game 1 of the 2023 State of Origin series).

Achievements and accolades

Individual
North Queensland Cowboys Rookie of the Year: 2020

Team
AFL Cairns: Cairns Hawks U/16 Grand Final
2020 NRL Nines: North Queensland Cowboys – Winners

Statistics

NRL

Source

References

External links

Dolphins profile
Samoa profile

2001 births
Living people
Australian rugby league players
Indigenous Australian rugby league players
Australian sportspeople of Samoan descent
North Queensland Cowboys players
Dolphins (NRL) players
Queensland Rugby League State of Origin players
Rugby league fullbacks
Rugby league wingers
Rugby league centres
Rugby league players from Cairns
Torres Strait Islanders