Irish rugby player Tadhg Leader to compete for Hamilton Tiger-Cats kicking job
Published February 23, 2022 at 10:59 am
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced Wednesday (Feb. 23) the Canadian Football League club has signed global placekicker and punter Tadhg Leader.
Leader, 29, played five games in 2021 with the Aviators of The Spring League, converting four of six field goal attempts (66.7%), six of seven convert attempts (85.7%), and had an average of 42.1 yards per punt.
“I’m over the moon to announce I’ve signed with Ticats of the CFL!” tweeted Leader. “I can’t wait to continue the journey with such a prestigious organization. Looking forward to proudly flying the Irish flag in Canada!”
I'm over the moon to announce I've signed with @Ticats of the @CFL! I can’t wait to continue the journey with such a prestigious organization. Looking forward to proudly flying the Irish flag in Canada! #CFL #Ticats #YearOfTheTiger https://t.co/AjTAjARYYA
— Tadhg Leader (@TadhgLeader) February 23, 2022
Prior to making the switch to football, the six-foot-two, 205 pound native of Galway, Ireland was an established rugby player, and played in Major League Rugby for the San Diego Legion (2018), New England Free Jacks (2018-2021), and had a loan spell with the New Orleans Gold (2019).
Leader also played overseas for Connacht Rugby in Ireland and Rugby Badia ASD in Italy. He also represented Ireland at the youth level, appearing in both the under-19 and under-20 squads before making the switch to represent the United States at the senior level.
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