![\"Tigers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/60d586be8e912c0c224c950271f3447c595560a7.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nOver half the NRL players have a father born overseas (57 per cent), while 47 per cent have a mother born overseas.\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n
The NRL is in an expansionist phase. The game has been taken to new frontiers, as evidenced by its decision to open the season in Las Vegas. At the same time, there\u2019s a nod to its Pasifika heritage, whether it be via the promotion of more Test football or the introduction of PNG into the competition from 2028.<\/p>\n
NRL player representation by continent<\/p>\n
Africa<\/p>\n
BurundiEgyptRwandaSouth AfricaTanzaniaZimbabwe<\/p>\n
Asia<\/p>\n
ChinaHong KongIndiaIranJapanJordanLebanonMalaysiaPakistanPhilippinesSingaporeSri LankaTimor-Leste<\/p>\n
Europe<\/p>\n
AustriaCroatiaCyprusDenmarkEnglandFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIrelandItalyLatviaMaltaNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRussiaScotlandSerbiaSloveniaSpainSwitzerlandTurkeyUkraineWales<\/p>\n
North America<\/p>\n
Antigua & BarbudaCanadaCubaJamaicaSaint Vincent & The GrenadinesTrinidad & TobagoUSA<\/p>\n
Oceania<\/p>\n
American SamoaAustraliaCook IslandsFijiNew ZealandNiuePapua New GuineaSamoaTokelau IslandsTonga<\/p>\n
South America<\/p>\n
Like all clubs, the Tigers have players from a range of backgrounds. Their cultures are celebrated with flags on their lockers showing which countries their family is from.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve been a part of a team that\u2019s been so mixed, culturally. It just mixes so well together,\u201d said Tigers co-captain Apisai Koroisau, who posed alongside Seyfarth in the club\u2019s multicultural round jerseys.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe personalities of the guys here are all just so laidback, they can all just make fun of each other so much. You get to know each other off and on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
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There are further statistics that tell the NRL\u2019s multicultural tale. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of NRL players have a father born in the Pacific Islands, while 18 per cent have a mother born in the Pacific Islands.\u200b\u200b Over two-thirds (68 per cent) of NRL players have at least one grandparent born outside Australia.\u200b\u200b And 12 per cent of NRL players identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, while 10 per cent are of M\u0101ori descent.<\/p>\n
Seyfarth believes his work ethic was instilled by his parents and grandparents.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mum coming over when she was young, she worked three jobs raising us, me and my brother,\u201d Seyfarth said. \u201cAlways watching them, working hard all my life, it sort of flowed onto me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which is why Seyfarth would love to honour his English heritage by pulling on the white jersey in this year\u2019s Rugby League World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can play some good football and put my name in the ring and get a chance to tour with them, that\u2019d be awesome, representing that side of my family,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would mean the world, especially with my grandfather too, he\u2019s a very proud Englishman.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tigers forward Alex Seyfarth and his No.1 fan, his mum, Yasmin.Credit: <\/p>\n
\u201cSame with my mum. They came out here just for a better life at the time, and they\u2019re still always wanting to get back to get back there whenever they can. If I do ever get the opportunity, yeah, I\u2019ll be extremely proud to put the jersey on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Over half the NRL players have a father born overseas (57 per cent), while 47 per cent have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546806,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-546805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/546806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}