{{short description|Fiji international rugby league footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}} {{Infobox rugby league biography |name = Taane Milne |fullname = Taane William Milne |image = Taane Milne Warriors.jpg |imagesize = 290 |birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1995|05|19}} |birth_place = [[Auckland]], New Zealand |height = {{convert|1.83|m|ftin|abbr=on|order=flip}} |weight = {{convert|99|kg|stlb|abbr=on|order=flip}} |position = {{rlp|CE|LF|SR|}} |club1 = {{nowrap|[[St. George Illawarra Dragons|St. George Illawarra]]}} |year1start = 2016 |year1end = 17 |appearances1 = 18 |tries1 = 1 |goals1 = 0 |fieldgoals1 = 0 |points1 = 4 |club2 = {{nowrap|[[New Zealand Warriors]]}} |year2start = 2019 |year2end = |appearances2 = 1 |tries2 = 0 |goals2 = 0 |fieldgoals2 = 0 |points2 = 0 |club3 = [[South Sydney Rabbitohs|South Sydney]] |year3start = 2021 |year3end = 24 |appearances3 = 69 |tries3 = 24 |goals3 = 1 |fieldgoals3 = 0 |points3 = 98 ||club4 = [[Huddersfield Giants]] |year4start = 2024 |year4end = present |appearances4 = 30 |tries4 = 4 |goals4 = 0 |fieldgoals4 = 0 |points4 = 8 |teamA = [[Fiji national rugby league team|Fiji]] |yearAstart = 2017 |yearAend = present |appearancesA = 17 |triesA = 4 |goalsA = 16 |fieldgoalsA = 0 |pointsA = 32 |teamB = [[Fiji national rugby league team|Fiji 9s]] |yearBstart = 2019 |yearBend = |appearancesB = 3 |triesB = 0 |goalsB = 0 |fieldgoalsB = 0 |pointsB = 0 |retired = |source = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/taane-milne/summary.html|title=Taane Milne - Career Stats & Summary|publisher=Rugby League Project|date=|accessdate=2016-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.loverugbyleague.com/stats/players/taane-milne/|title=Taane Milne Player Stats|publisher=Loverugbyleague.com|date=2015-07-17|accessdate=2016-08-04}}</ref> |updated = 2 November 2025 }}
'''Taane Milne''' (born 19 May 1995) is a [[Fiji national rugby league team|Fiji]] international [[rugby league]] footballer who plays as a {{rlp|cn|sr}} or {{rlp|lf}} for the [[Huddersfield Giants]] in the [[Super League]].
He previously played for the [[St. George Illawarra Dragons]], [[New Zealand Warriors]] and [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]] in the [[National Rugby League]], and was briefly contracted to the [[Wests Tigers]]. Milne also played for the [[Mount Pritchard Mounties]] and the [[New Zealand Warriors]] in the [[Intrust Super Premiership]].
==Background== Milne was born in [[Auckland]], New Zealand. He is of [[Māori people|Māori]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/150078981675686/photos/a.515525111797736.139354.150078981675686/942453649104878/?type=3&theater|title=CHANGES FOR QLD TOUR: There have been... - NZ Maori Rugby League|publisher=Facebook|date=2014-10-10|accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref> and [[Fijians|Fijian]]<ref>{{cite web|author=NRL Digital Media |url=https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2017/05/01/fiji_and_cook_island..html |title=Fiji and Cook Islands squads named |publisher=QRL |date= |accessdate=2017-05-03}}</ref> descent. He moved to Australia at a young age.
He played his junior rugby league for the [[Clovelly Crocodiles]] and spent some time in [[rugby union]]<ref>{{cite web|author=NRL|url=http://www.dragons.com.au/team/profiles/taane_milne.html|title=Taane Milne|publisher=Dragons|date=|accessdate=2016-04-25}}</ref> whilst attending [[Randwick Boys High School]] and [[Newington College]] (2011–2013), where he played junior representative grades for [[Randwick DRUFC|Randwick]] as well as in New South Wales and [[Australian Schoolboys rugby union team|Australian Schoolboys]] teams alongside future [[Parramatta Eels]] backrower [[Tepai Moeroa]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Georgina Robinson|url=http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/aru-moves-to-halt-young-guns-slide-to-rugby-league-may-have-come-too-late-20130920-2u5bk.html|title=ARU moves to halt young guns' slide to rugby league may have come too late|publisher=Smh.com.au|date=|accessdate=2016-06-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=NRL|url=http://www.roosters.com.au/news/2013/06/26/generation-next-time-to-get-excited.html|title=Generation next: time to get excited|publisher=Roosters|date=|accessdate=2016-08-24}}</ref> He was then signed by the [[Sydney Roosters]].
==Playing career== ===Early career=== From 2013 to 2015, Milne played for the Sydney Roosters' [[National Youth Competition (rugby league)|NYC]] team.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nycdatabase.org/players/m/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622220803/http://nycdatabase.org/players/m/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=22 June 2015|title=M|publisher=Nyc Database|date=|accessdate=2016-04-25}}</ref> On 18 October 2014, he played for the [[Junior Kiwis]] against the [[Junior Kangaroos]].<ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/2014-junior-kiwis-team-announced/|title=2014 JUNIOR KIWIS TEAM ANNOUNCED|publisher=Rugbyleagueweek.com.au|date=2014-10-10|accessdate=2015-03-13|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092606/http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/2014-junior-kiwis-team-announced/|archivedate=2 April 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> He was again selected for the Junior Kiwis on 2 May 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nrl.com/representative-round-team-lists/tabid/10874/newsid/85557/default.aspx|title=Representative Round team lists|website=NRL.com|date=2015-04-28|accessdate=2015-12-20}}</ref> Milne was released by the Roosters, with "a questionable work ethic, including being late for training and poor training performance, coupled with some minor off-field dramas" said to be contributing factors.<ref name=smh>{{cite web| work= [[Sydney Morning Herald]] | title=Benji Marshall says St George Illawarra Dragons recruit Taane Milne has 'best in and away' he's seen| author=Michael Carayannis | url=http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/st-george-illawarra-dragons/benji-marshall-says-st-george-illawarra-dragons-recruit-taane-milne-has-best-in-and-away-hes-seen-20151217-glpv7d.html|archivedate=25 July 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160725054919/http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/st-george-illawarra-dragons/benji-marshall-says-st-george-illawarra-dragons-recruit-taane-milne-has-best-in-and-away-hes-seen-20151217-glpv7d.html}}</ref>
On 27 October 2015, he signed a two-year contract with the [[St. George Illawarra Dragons]] starting in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zerotackle.com/dragons-sign-youth-19475/#TC7zeMCEJuMojjA6.97|title=Dragons sign youth|publisher=Zero Tackle|date=|accessdate=2016-04-25}}</ref>
===2016=== In round 8, Milne made his [[National Rugby League|NRL]] debut for the Dragons against the [[Sydney Roosters]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nrl.com/updated-team-lists-dragons-v-roosters/tabid/10874/newsid/95225/default.aspx|title=Updated team lists: Dragons v Roosters|publisher=NRL.com|date=2016-02-28|accessdate=2016-04-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=NRL|url=http://www.dragons.com.au/news/2016/04/25/late_mail_round_8_v_.af_news.html|title=Late Mail: Round 8 v Sydney Roosters|publisher=Dragons|date=|accessdate=2016-04-25}}</ref> After further games in reserve grade, he returned to centre in first grade for six games at the end of season. Teammate [[Benji Marshall]] said Milne "has one of the best in and aways and flick passes I've seen at training. He is a very talented kid."<ref name=smh />
He was named in the [[New Zealand Māori rugby league team|New Zealand Māori squad]] for a match against the [[New Zealand Residents]] on 15 October 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sporty.co.nz/aucklandleague/newsarticle/39969|title=Auckland Rugby League - Auckland Rugby League|publisher=}}</ref>
===2017=== Milne played in 11 games in 2017, almost entirely from the bench. He scored his first try in round 11 against the Warriors, his sole match starting at centre for the season, and his only try for the year. On 6 May, Milne made his international debut for Fiji against [[Tonga national rugby league team|Tonga]] in the [[2017 Pacific Rugby League Tests|2017 Pacific Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwos.nine.com.au/2017/05/06/19/50/tonga-break-fiji-s-hearts-in-test-thriller|title=Late Latu try grabs Test win for Tonga - NRL|publisher=}}</ref> Milne said, "I received a call from [[Mick Potter]] to play for Fiji against Samoa last year but I couldn't due to personal reasons. I was disappointed, but I had let him know that I was keen to play for Fiji this year. This has been an emotional moment for me. One of the best things about being in camp is the devotion time and learning some Fijian songs. This has been one of the best camps I have ever been in."<ref>{{cite news| work= Fiji Times | title=Milne's rise| author=Elenoa Baselala | url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=422110|archivedate=31 October 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031005255/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=422110}}</ref>
In June, Milne signed a two-year contract with the [[Wests Tigers]] starting in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zerotackle.com/wests-tigers-sign-taane-milne-27750/ |title=Wests Tigers sign Taane Milne |publisher=Zero Tackle |date=2017-02-04 |accessdate=2017-06-09}}</ref>
Selected for Fiji in the World Cup at the end of the season, Milne scored two tries and kicked two goals in Fiji’s opening match against the [[United States national rugby league team|USA]].<ref>{{cite web| work=nrl.com| title=Bati vs USA| url=https://matchcentre.nrl.com/match/2017/131/20171310140/| archivedate=28 October 2017| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028230435/https://matchcentre.nrl.com/match/2017/131/20171310140/#match-report| access-date=28 October 2017| url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> In his next game, he scored two tries and kicked three goals against [[Wales national rugby league team|Wales]].
On 4 November, Milne signed a two-year deal with the [[New Zealand Warriors]]. Milne had written a letter to coach [[Stephen Kearney]] asking him for a second chance to play in the NRL. "I told him I'm not a drug addict," Milne said. "I wrote to him – spelling errors and all – telling him that I wanted to play in the NRL again. That I owned up to my errors and I was on the right track. I knew I could offer something to the club".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12154335|title=League: Former Wests Tigers centre Taane Milne signs two-year deal with New Zealand Warriors |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=4 November 2018 |access-date=26 September 2019}}</ref>
===2019=== In round 25 of the [[2019 NRL season]], Milne made his return to first grade and made his [[New Zealand Warriors]] debut against the [[Canberra Raiders]].
===2020=== On February 15, Milne suffered a badly broken nose in the pre-season [[NRL Nines]] tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/au/league/news/nrl-nines-perth-tournament-rugby-league-2020-injury-list-casualty-ward/r3anmrjgmwu81ne7zzdvv6kep/|title=NRL Nines 2020: Each club's injury list following tournament|website=www.sportingnews.com}}</ref> Then, in March, he suffered a season ending knee injury whilst playing for the New Zealand [[Canterbury Cup NSW]] team,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/warriors/nrl-2020-coronavirus-news-updates-covid19-warriors-squad-signings-loan-free-agents-contracts/news-story/5d8ce5ce9be4e7337eaf1793ab070517/|title=Warriors 2020 coronavirus news update|website=www.foxsports.com.au}}</ref> and made no appearances in first grade for the season.
In October 2020, he signed a contract to join [[South Sydney Rabbitohs|South Sydney]] for the [[2021 NRL season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2020-transfer-centre-contract-news-offcontract-players-melbourne-storm/news-story/a1d403f5fbebe2b170174ad5103d6665?fbclid=IwAR0SizH39Jk9vhUjIx6zeByhYPFrej0fPcUJaMKDooT4ncZnh7DGzU_5LNc/|title=Penrith confirm departure of six players|website=www.foxsports.com.au}}</ref>
===2021=== Milne made his club debut for South Sydney in round 10 of the [[2021 NRL season]] against the [[Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks]]. In round 15, he scored his first try for Souths in a 46–0 victory over Brisbane, He never lost a game that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-17/nrl-south-sydney-rabbitohs-thrash-brisbane-broncos/100215554/|title=South Sydney Rabbitohs thrash Brisbane Broncos 46-0, Payne Haas on report|website=www.abc.net.au}}</ref>
In round 17, Milne scored a [[hat-trick]] during South Sydney's 46–18 victory over [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-09/nrl-south-sydney-defeats-north-queensland-in-newcastle/100275734/|title=South Sydney Rabbitohs defeat North Queensland Cowboys 46-18 in Newcastle|website=www.abc.net.au}}</ref>
===2022=== In round 10 of the [[2022 NRL season]], Milne scored two tries for South Sydney in a 32–30 victory over the [[New Zealand Warriors]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2022/05/14/rabbitohs-survive-big-scare-to-beat-warriors-after-first-half-blitz/|title=Rabbitohs survive big scare to beat Warriors in thriller|website=www.nrl.com}}</ref> In round 25, Milne scored two tries in the first match to be played at the new Sydney Football Stadium. South Sydney would lose the match 26-16 to their arch-rivals, the [[Sydney Roosters]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2022/09/02/roosters-down-rabbitohs-in-costly-match-for-both-teams/|title=Roosters down Rabbitohs but win proves costly|website=www.nrl.com}}</ref> The following week in the elimination final, Milne was sin-binned twice in South Sydney's 30-14 upset victory over the [[Sydney Roosters]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2022-sin-bin-punch-sydney-roosters-victor-radley-south-sydney-rabbitohs-taane-milne-thomas-burgess-ashley-klein-video-high-tackle/news-story/769cf6e583f605ae656c0617f5064469/|title=SEVEN players binned in historic first after Roosters-Rabbitohs clash explodes|website=www.foxsports.com.au}}</ref> In the preliminary final against [[Penrith Panthers|Penrith]], Milne was sent off for a swinging arm to the head of Penrith player [[Spencer Leniu]]. South Sydney would go on to lose the match 32-12, and Milne was later suspended for six matches over the incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/au/rugby-league/news/rabbitohs-taane-milne-ban-panthers-duo-suspensions-shoulder-charge/wx4nfjhjrenneuuu6kdpvrkt/|title=Rabbitohs' Taane Milne cops big ban as Penrith duo set to dodge suspensions for shoulder charges|website=www.sportingnews.com}}</ref>
===2023=== In round 11 of the [[2023 NRL season]], Milne scored two tries for South Sydney in their 20-0 victory over the bottom-placed [[Wests Tigers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-13/nrl-live-scores-souths-tigers-cowboys-dragons-raiders-eels/102332720/|title=Raiders beat Parramatta Eels in Canberra, Rabbitohs and Cowboys also win|website=www.abc.net.au}}</ref> Milne played a total of 14 games for Souths in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 9th on the table and missed the finals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2023-south-sydney-rabbitohs-latrell-mitchell-changing-position-centres-halves-fullback-jack-wighton-sam-burgess-2024-jason-demetriou/news-story/d7c72c901f9e61a0b76b55f9162b64cd/|title=‘Absolute madness’: Potential Latrell switch slammed as a ‘band aid’ for broken Bunnies|website=www.foxsports.com.au}}</ref>
===2024=== Milne played 21 matches for South Sydney in the [[2024 NRL season]] as the club endured a difficult campaign finishing second bottom on the table.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nine.com.au/sport/nrl/news-2024-the-mole-exclusive-south-sydney-rabbitohs-season-review-latrell-mitchell-20240907-p5k8qx.html/|title=The Mole's end of season review: What went wrong at the South Sydney Rabbitohs?|website=www.nine.com.au}}</ref> On 29 November, it was announced that Milne had signed a two year deal with the [[Huddersfield Giants]].<ref>{{Cite web |author=Staff Writer |date=2024-11-29 |title=Taane Milne: Huddersfield Giants sign Fiji international for 2025 |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/articles/cde71jrnr3zo |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref> ===2025=== He is squad number 23 at Huddersfield and made his competitive debut against [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] coming off the bench in a 44-18 defeat.<ref>https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/super-league-2025/round-4/wigan-warriors-vs-huddersfield-giants/summary.html</ref> Milne played 21 matches for Huddersfield in the 2025 Super League season as the club finished 10th on the table.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/huddersfield-giants-coach-sounds-nrl-warning-as-honest-admission-made-over-2025-shortcomings/|title=Huddersfield Giants coach sounds NRL warning as honest admission made over 2025 shortcomings|website=www.loverugbyleague.com}}</ref>
== Statistics == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Year !Team !Games !Tries !Goals !Pts |- |2016 | rowspan="2" |{{leagueicon|St. George|16}} [[St. George Illawarra Dragons]] |7 | | | |- |2017 |11 |1 | |4 |- |2019 |{{leagueicon|Auckland|16}} [[New Zealand Warriors]] |1 | | | |- |2021 | rowspan="4" |{{leagueicon|South Sydney|16}} [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]] |12 |8 | |32 |- |2022 |22 |10 | |40 |- |2023 |14 |2 | |8 |- |2024 |21 |4 |1 |18 |- |2025 | rowspan="2" |{{leagueicon|huddersfield|16}} [[Huddersfield Giants]] |21 |2 | |8 |- |2026 |9 |2 | |8 |- | |Totals |108 |28 |1 |102 |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} *[https://www.warriors.kiwi/teams/telstra-premiership/warriors/taane-milne/ New Zealand Warriors profile] *[https://www.nrl.com/players/nrl-premiership/wests-tigers/taane-milne/ NRL profile] *[http://www.dragons.com.au/team/profiles/taane_milne.html St. George Illawarra Dragons profile] *[http://www.rlwc2017.com/players?team=382#Taane-Milne 2017 RLWC profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105170435/http://www.rlwc2017.com/players?team=382#Taane-Milne |date=5 November 2017 }}
{{Huddersfield Giants squad}} {{Fiji 2017 Rugby League World Cup squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milne, Taane}} [[Category:1995 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century New Zealand sportsmen]] [[Category:Fiji national rugby league team players]] [[Category:Huddersfield Giants players]] [[Category:Illawarra Cutters players]] [[Category:Junior Kiwis players]] [[Category:New Zealand Māori rugby league players]] [[Category:New Zealand people of Fijian descent]] [[Category:New Zealand rugby league players]] [[Category:New Zealand Warriors players]] [[Category:People educated at Newington College]] [[Category:People educated at Randwick Boys High School]] [[Category:Rugby league centres]] [[Category:Rugby league players from Auckland]] [[Category:South Sydney Rabbitohs players]] [[Category:St. George Illawarra Dragons players]] [[Category:Western Suburbs Magpies NSW Cup players]]