Elie El-Zakhem is a Lebanon international rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Elie El-Zakhem | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 April 1998 Merrylands, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 101 kg (15 st 13 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Lock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 4 May 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He has previously played for the Canterbury Bulldogs, the Parramatta Eels, the Sydney Roosters and the North Sydney Bears in the NSW Cup.
Club career
North Sydney Bears
On 24 September 2023, El-Zakhem played for North Sydney in their 2023 NSW Cup grand final loss against South Sydney.[3]
Castleford Tigers
On 29 September 2023, the Castleford Tigers announced the signing of El-Zakhem on a two-year deal from the 2024 Super League season.[4][5] He would be joining his Lebanon teammate Charbel Tasipale at the Tigers upon recommendation from former Castleford player Jordan Rankin.[6]
El-Zakhem was assigned squad number 11 ahead of the 2024 season.[7] He made his Super League debut for Castleford in round 1 against the Wigan Warriors.[8]
International career
El-Zakhem made his international debut for Lebanon in their 56-14 loss to Fiji in the 2019 Pacific Test.[9]
In September 2022, El-Zakhem was named in the Lebanon squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[10] He featured in every game for the Cedars, making 4 appearances and scoring 2 tries.[2]