Semi Valemei

Semi Valemei (born 20 January 1999) is a Fijian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er and for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Fiji at international level.

He previously played for the Canberra Raiders.

Background
Born in Labasa, Fiji, Valemei attended Seaqaqa Central College and Natabua High School, where he played rugby union.

In 2017, he was scouted by former NRL player Wise Kativerata and moved to Australia to play rugby league. He moved to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, playing for the Caloundra Sharks before being signed by the Canberra Raiders.

Playing career
In 2018, Valemei played for the Raiders' Jersey Flegg Cup feeder side, Mounties. In 2019, he played for Mounties in the New South Wales Cup and for the Raiders in the Jersey Flegg Cup, scoring a hat-trick in their Grand Final loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. In October 2019, he represented Fiji at the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s.

2020
In Round 10 of the 2020 NRL season, Valemei was named to make his NRL debut against the Sydney Roosters.

He played in all three of Canberra's finals matches including the preliminary final defeat to Melbourne. He played a total of ten games in his debut season.

2021
Valemei made 11 appearances for Canberra in the 2021 NRL season which saw the club finish 10th on the table and miss out on the finals.

2023
On 12 May, Valemei was granted a release from his Raiders contract and joined the North Queensland Cowboys on a one-and-a-half-year contract. Valemei made his club debut for the North Queensland side in their 45-20 win over the Melbourne Storm during Round 14 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, scoring a hat-trick. He played nine matches for North Queensland in the 2023 NRL season and scored nine tries as the club finished 11th on the table.