In signing Tonga international Tesi Niu to the Leopards Den on a three-year contract, Leopards recruited a replacement for the departing Ricky Leutele. Tesi is a hugely talented and versatile three-quarter or fullback with considerable NRL and international experience.

Queensland born, Tesi made his first-grade debut for Brisbane Broncos in 2020 and in the past two seasons has been at the Dolphins, overall scoring 20 tries in a total of 56 NRL appearances.

In 2024 he was a regular in the Norths Devils team that won the Queensland Cup competition. In the grand final, he scored two tries in their 34-20 defeat of Redcliffe Dolphins and lifted the Duncan Hall medal for player of the match. Niu completed a successful personal campaign as the Devils beat NSW Cup winners Newtown Jets 20-18 in the NRL State Championship Final.

On the international stage, Niu represented Australian Schoolboys in 2018. A year later, alongside Leopards’ 2024 captain John Asiata, he represented a Tonga Invitational select team that defeated Great Britain Lions 14-6. More recently he played for Tonga in the 2022 World Cup, scoring a total of four tries in victories over Wales and Cook Islands.

He scored two tries on his Leopards debut in the Challenge Cup tie at Workington Town.