NSW Blues hooker Reece Robson has been linked with an exit from the North Queensland Cowboys after reportedly catching the interest of at least one Sydney-based team.
Origin star linked with Cowboys exit
He runs off-contract at the end of the season.
Establishing himself as one of the toughest hookers in the competition, the 26-year-old can speak with rival teams about his future and has been a key figure in the North Queensland Cowboys over the past few seasons.
Moving to North Queensland in 2020 after a two-year stint with the St George Illawarra Dragons, Robson has featured in 110 first-grade matches for the side and played five matches for the Blues over the past two years after hitting career-best form.
The two-time Prime Minister’s XIII representative was also selected in Australia’s 2024 Pacific Championships squad but failed to make it onto the field due to being behind Harry Grant in the pecking order.
According to a report from the Wide World of Sports, sources have revealed that Robson has caught the attention of the Sydney Roosters and he could potentially exit the Cowboys as soon as the end of next season.
The hooker is off-contract at the end of next season and is bound to attract a ton of interest after a great season saw him represent the NSW Blues in all three matches during the 2024 State of Origin series.
This comes as Brandon Smith’s future at Bondi looks to have come to a close beyond next season.
On around $850,000 a season, Smith has been linked with an exit from the team for the past few weeks and rival clubs have been made aware of his availability on the open market.
Moving to the Roosters at the start of 2023 after six seasons and 107 matches with the Melbourne Storm, Smith has failed to live up to expectations and has yet to reach his full potential at the Bondi-based club.
Able to play at hooker or lock, Smith will miss the first half of next season due to an ACL injury but will have trouble re-entering the starting team with the emergence of NSW Blues representative Connor Watson and Victor Radley in the No.13 jersey.
“I haven’t spoken to them yet because Robbo is still away,” Smith said on James Graham’s The Bye Round recently.
“When we get back to training, we will have the proper discussion. Ideally, I would like to stay at the Roosters.
“I don’t want to go anywhere, and my partner is well entrenched in the club. Ideally, I would like to stay, but the game of rugby league doesn’t always have the same opinions as yourself.”