{{short description|Cook Islands international rugby league footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=March 2015}} {{Infobox rugby league biography | name = Lavinia Kitai | fullname = Lavinia Kitai | image = | image_size = 270px | caption = Kitai in 2025 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2004|8|18|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]] | height = {{convert|175|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|85|kg|stlb lb|abbr=on}} | position = {{rlp|PR}} | club1 = {{nowrap|[[New Zealand Warriors Women|New Zealand Warriors]]}} | year1start = 2025 | appearances1 = 11 | tries1 = 0 | goals1 = 0 | fieldgoals1 = 0 | points1 = 0 | club2 = {{nowrap|[[St. George Illawarra Dragons Women|St. George Illawarra Dragons]]}} | year2start = 2026 | year2end = present | appearances2 = 0 | tries2 = 0 | goals2 = 0 | fieldgoals2 = 0 | points2 = 0 | teamA = [[Cook Islands women's national rugby league team|Cook Islands]] | yearAstart = 2022 | yearAend = 25 | appearancesA = 7 | triesA = 0 | goalsA = 0 | fieldgoalsA = 0 | pointsA = 0 | updated = {{date|{{REVISIONTIMESTAMP}}|DMY}} | source = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/players/pacific-championships-women/cook-islands-women/lavinia-kitai/|title=Lavinia Kitai - Cook Islands Rugby League|date=22 Oct 2023|website=NRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref name = "Warriors Kitai profile upon signing for 2025">{{Cite web|url=https://www.warriors.kiwi/news/2024/12/20/six-players-added-to-nrlw-squad/|title=Six players added to NRLW squad|date=20 Dec 2024|website=Warriors.Kiwi|access-date=20 Dec 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lavinia Kitai – Career Stats & Summary |url=https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/lavinia-kitai/summary.html |publisher=Rugby League Project}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rugbyleaguerecords.online/playersummary.php?tselect=15754|title=Lavinia Kitai|date=2 Nov 2022|website=Rugby League Records|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref> }}
'''Lavinia Kitai''' (born 18 August 2004) is a Cook Islands professional [[rugby league]] footballer who currently contracted to play for the [[St. George Illawarra Dragons Women|St. George Illawarra Dragons]] in the 2026 season of the [[NRL Women's Premiership]].<ref name = "Dragons contract">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2025/10/16/cook-islands-international-lavinia-kitai-joins-red-v/|title=Cook Islands international Lavinia Kitai joins Red V|date=16 Oct 2025|website=Dragons.com.au|access-date=17 Oct 2025}}</ref> Primarily a {{rlp|PR}}, Kitai is a [[Cook Islands women's national rugby league team|Cook Islands]] representative.<ref name = "Warriors Kitai profile upon signing for 2025"/>
==Club career== ===2022 to 2024=== Recruited from the Parkwood Sharks, Kitai played for the [[Brisbane Tigers]] in both the Under 19 (three matches) and open-age [[QRL Women's Premiership]] (four matches) in 2022.<ref name = "Warriors Kitai profile upon signing for 2025"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thetigers.com.au/team-list-tuesday-5-6-march/|title=Team List Tuesday: 5-6 March|date=1 Mar 2022|website=Tigers Brisbane|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thetigers.com.au/bmd-premiership-suzuki-brisbane-tigers-full-squad-list-for-2022/|title=BMD Premiership: Suzuki Brisbane Tigers Full squad list for 2022|date=27 Mar 2022|website=Tigers Brisbane|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thetigers.com.au/team-list-tuesday-1-3-april/|title=Team List Tuesday: 1-3 April|date=29 Mar 2022|website=Tigers Brisbane|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref>
Following a transfer to [[Souths Logan Magpies]] in 2023, Kitai played four matches for that club in the [[QRL Women's Premiership]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2023/03/10/souths-logan-magpies-bmd-premiership-gains-and-losses-for-2023/|title=Souths Logan Magpies: BMD Premiership gains and losses for 2023|last=Arnold|first=Rikki-Lee|date=10 Mar 2023|website=QRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref>
In 2024, Kitai played seven matches for the [[Burleigh Bears]] in the [[QRL Women's Premiership]] between March and May, including in a semi-final loss, and then nine matches for the [[Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Women|Cronulla Sharks]] in the [[NSWRL Women's Premiership]] between July and September.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2024/02/26/burleigh-bears-bmd-premiership-gains-and-losses-for-2024/|title=Burleigh Bears: BMD Premiership gains and losses for 2024|last=Arnold|first=Rikki-Lee|date=26 Feb 2024|website=QRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qrl.com.au/draw/qrl-womens-premiership/2024/round-1/bears-v-devils/|title=BMD Premiership - Round 1 - Bears v Devils|date=9 Mar 2024|website=QRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qrl.com.au/draw/qrl-womens-premiership/2024/semi-final/devils-v-bears/|title=BMD Premiership - Semi-Final - Devils v Bears|date=18 May 2024|website=QRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nswrl.com.au/draw/nsw-womens-premiership/2024/round-2/sharks-v-wv-magpies/|title=Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership - Round 2 - Sharks v WV Magpies|date=14 Jul 2024|website=NSWRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nswrl.com.au/draw/nsw-womens-premiership/2024/round-11/sea-eagles-v-sharks/|title=Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership - Round 2 - Sea Eagles v Sharks|date=15 Sep 2024|website=NSWRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref>
===2025=== Katai was signed by the [[New Zealand Warriors Women|New Zealand Warriors]] in December 2024 ahead of their return to the [[NRL Women's Premiership|NRLW]] in the [[2025 NRL Women's season]].<ref name = "Warriors Kitai profile upon signing for 2025"/> Katai made her NRLW debut in Round 1.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/draw/womens-premiership/2025/round-1/roosters-v-warriors/|title=Telstra Women's Premiership - Round 1 - Roosters 30 v 6 Warriors|date=6 Jul 2025|website=NRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref>
===2026=== Kitai signed with the [[St. George Illawarra Dragons Women|St. George Illawarra Dragons]] on a three-year deal in October 2025.<ref name = "Dragons contract"/>
==Representative== === Pathways === In 2021, Kitai was selected to play for the Queensland City Under 17 team in an early October match against a Queensland Country team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2021/09/09/three-of-four-city-v-country-teams-named/|title=All four City v Country teams named|last=Brinums|first=Jorja|date=9 Sep 2021|website=QRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref> In June 2022, Kitai played for the Queensland Rubys Under 19 in the National Championships.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2022/05/17/final-queensland-teams-named-for-harvey-norman-womens-national-championships/|title=Final Queensland teams named for Harvey Norman Women's National Championships|last=Hillier|first=Michael|date=17 May 2022|website=QRL|access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref> Following the tournament, Kitai was selected for and played in the [[Queensland women's under-19 rugby league team|Queensland Under 19 team]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2022/06/16/rubys-headline-strong-queensland-under-19-womens-team/|title=Rubys headline strong Queensland Under 19 women’s team|last=Edwards|first=Colleen|date=16 Jun 2022|website=QRL|access-date=17 Jun 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/draw/womens-state-of-origin-u19s/2022/round-1/nsw-u19s-women-v-qld-u19s-women/|title=Women's State of Origin U19s - NSW U19s Women v QLD U19s Women|date=23 Jun 2022|website=NRL|access-date=26 Jun 2022}}</ref> === International === Kita was selected in the [[Cook Islands women's national rugby league team|Cook Islands]] squad for the postponed [[2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup]] held in October-November 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://leagueunlimited.com/news/38191-2021-rugby-league-world-cup-mens-squad-lists/|title=2021 Rugby League World Cup squad lists|date=6 Oct 2022|website=League Unlimited|access-date=6 Oct 2022}}</ref> Her first appearance for the Cook Islands was against the [[England Knights#Women's rugby|England Knights]], in which both teams played extended benches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://europeanrugbyleague.com/fixtures/1153|title=England Knights 14 v 24 Cook Islands|date=28 Oct 2022|website=European Rugby League|access-date=29 Oct 2022}}</ref>
Kitai made her senior international debut for the [[Cook Islands women's national rugby league team|Cook Islands]] in as a starting edge forward against the [[Australia women's national rugby league team|Australian Jillaroos]] in the opening round at [[York Community Stadium|LNER Community Stadium]] in [[York]]. The Cook Islands lost 74–0 to the eventual tournament winners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/draw/womens-rugby-league-world-cup/2022/round-1/australia-v-cook-islands/|title=Women's Rugby League World Cup - Australia 74 v 0 Cook Islands|date=2 Nov 2022|website=NRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rugbyleaguerecords.online/matchdetails.php?tselect=19051|title=Women's World Cup 2021 - 74 Australia v 0 Cook Islands|date=2 Nov 2022|website=Rugby League Records|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref> Katai also played in the second round loss to [[New Zealand women's national rugby league team|New Zealand]] and third and final round win over [[France women's national rugby league team|France]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/draw/womens-rugby-league-world-cup/2022/round-3/france-v-cook-islands/|title=Women's Rugby League World Cup - France 18 v 26 Cook Islands|date=10 Nov 2022|website=NRL|access-date=11 Nov 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://europeanrugbyleague.com/fixtures/1061|title=France 18 v 26 Cook Islands - Match report|date=10 Nov 2022|website=European Rugby League|access-date=14 Nov 2022}}</ref>
Kitai played in the Cook Islands' single matches in the [[2023 Rugby League Pacific Championships#Women's games|2023]] and [[2024 Rugby League Pacific Championships#Women's Pacific Bowl|2024 Pacific Championships]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://leagueunlimited.com/news/39957-papua-new-guinea-v-cook-islands-report/|title=Orchids shine bright despite late Moana comeback|last=Lucantonio|first=AJ|date=22 Oct 2023|website=League Unlimited|access-date=22 Oct 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/10/22/pacific-championships-team-lists-week-2/|title=Pacific Championships Team Lists: Week 2|date=22 Oct 2024|website=NRL|access-date=22 Oct 2024}}</ref> Playing in both matches as the Cook Islands won the [[2025 Rugby League Pacific Championships#Women's Pacific Bowl|Women's Pacific Bowl]] in the 2025 tournament, Katai made her seventh consecutive appearance for her international team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.warriors.kiwi/news/2025/10/08/warriors-quartet-in-cook-islands-squad-for-pacific-championships/|title=Warriors quartet in Cook Islands squad for Pacific Championships|last=Becht|first=Richard|date=8 Oct 2025|website=Warriors.Kiwi|access-date=8 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2025/10/08/griffiths-unveils-cook-islands-moana-squad-for-pacific-bowl/|title=Griffiths unveils Cook Islands Moana squad for Pacific Bowl|date=8 Oct 2025|website=NRL|access-date=8 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/draw/pacific-championships-women/2025/round-2/cook-islands-moana-v-tonga-xiii/|title=Pacific Championships Women - Cook Islands Moana|date=25 Oct 2025|website=NRL|access-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{St George Illawarra Dragons women's squad}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Kitai, Lavinia}} [[Category:2004 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century New Zealand sportswomen]] [[Category:Cook Islands women's national rugby league team players]] [[Category:New Zealand female rugby league players]] [[Category:New Zealand Warriors (NRLW) players]] [[Category:St. George Illawarra Dragons (NRLW) players]] [[Category:Rugby league props]] [[Category:Rugby league players from Auckland]]