The Sydney Roosters have pulled off another glamorous player signing, picking up New South Wales hooker Reece Robson on a four-year deal that will see him become the main number nine in Bondi for seasons to come.
Robson, 26, is from Sydney and originally came through the St George Illawarra system before being picked up the North Queensland Cowboys – a fact that affected negotiations.
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The Cowboys were, of course, interested in keeping Robson, but several factors kept them from getting the deal done. One was Robson wanting to be back in his home state if possible – which the Roosters can provide – while the other was the fact the Cowboys highly rate Mackay teenager Xavier Kerrisk, one of their young products.
That expectation, which will see Kerrisk play NRL sooner than later, saw the Cowboys walk away.
That left the Roosters ready to swoop, and swoop they did: Robson has now signed a four-year deal worth as much as $3 million that will see him in the tricolours until 2029. He’ll replace Brandon Smith as soon as he arrives.
“It’s disappointing to lose a player of Reece’s calibre,” Cowboys general manager of football Micheal Luck said.
“He’s been great for us since he arrived in 2020. We believe we put forward what we thought was a really competitive offer but it wasn’t enough to get it done.
“We tabled our best possible offer but unfortunately were not able to compete with the final offer Reece received. Reece now has a young family and we respect his decision.
“We look forward to his contributions in his final season at the club.”
For the Roosters, it’s a huge score amid an impending rebuild. Trent Robinson is facing a 2025 NRL campaign without premiership-winning duo Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Luke Keary, while backline guns Joseph Manu and Joseph Suuaalii have left to play rugby. Terrell May was also released from his Roosters deal early.
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Robinson and the suddenly cashed up Roosters had hoped to bag Ben Hunt after he was released from the St George Illawarra Dragons, but the veteran halfback ultimately chose a Brisbane Broncos homecoming instead.
