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, a hugely talented and versatile three-quarter or fullback with considerable NRL and international experience, proved an excellent acquisition, scoring 12 tries in 30 games in 2025.

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’ 2023 and 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 and provided cutting edge and creativity on the left with his explosive runs, quickly becoming a crowd favourite.