NRL Market Watch: Roosters to sign Cowboy Reece Robson, Sharks upgrade Liam Ison
The Sydney Roosters wasted no time bouncing back from their failure to sign Ben Hunt, blowing North Queensland out of the water with their pursuit of Reece Robson. Elsewhere, the Sharks upgraded the contract of a rising star to offset the loss of Daniel Atkinson.
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The Cowboys refused to match the Roosters’ $3 million bid for NSW Origin hooker Reece Robson because it would have cost them one of Queensland’s best young talents.
Robson became the latest NRL player to drop a transfer bombshell in a manic off-season when he inked a four-year contract with the Roosters on Friday.
The deal will see Robson depart North Queensland at the end of the 2025 NRL season to join the Roosters until at least 2029.
Born in the Tweed region, Robson went to school in Sydney and was part of the Dragons’ development system before being snared by the Cowboys in 2020.
He has flourished in Townsville, making his Origin debut for NSW in 2023 and starting at hooker in all three games of this year’s successful series for the Blues.
Having missed out on the signature of Ben Hunt, and with Brandon Smith headed for the exits in the next 12 months, the Roosters launched an all-out bid on Robson.
And they were ultimately successful after Robson informed the Cowboys that he would be departing the club following six years.
The Cowboys were only prepared to offer Robson a three-year extension because they did not want to block the development path of Mackay teenager Xavier Kerrisk.
A product of St Patrick’s College, which developed Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans, Kerrisk is regarded as one of the game’s brightest young No. 9 talents.
He is still some time away from becoming an NRL regular, but the Cowboys wanted Kerrisk to see a pathway to first grade at his home club.
That ultimately contributed to the departure of Robson, who will return to his home state with the guarantee of four years, this time at the Bondi glamour club.
“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.
“He will continue to be an important member of our squad for 2025 and we look forward to his contributions in his final season at the club.”
After missing out on Hunt to the Broncos, the Roosters zeroed in on Robson with a multimillion dollar deal that convinced him to leave the Cowboys.
Things were already looking bleak for injured Roosters hooker Smith. His future now looks elsewhere as he enters the final year of his big-money contract, having suffered a knee injury that prematurely ended his 2024 season.
The good news for Smith is that the Cowboys have ruled out an early release for Robson and insist he will remain an integral member of their squad for the next 12 months.
It means Smith will get the chance to show what he can do when he gets back on the field, without having to worry about Robson’s presence.”
Sharks bite back by locking down rising star
-David Riccio
The Sharks have locked down one of their rising stars with rookie fullback Liam Ison re-signing until the end of 2027.
Once touted as the successor to Dylan Edwards at the Penrith Panthers, Ison was a standout in Penrith’s junior representative ranks, helping the club win the under-21s Jersey Flegg premiership in 2022.
Ison, 19, moved to Cronulla 12 months ago, wasting no time progressing from NSW Cup to make his NRL debut in round 21 against the Cowboys.
Originally contracted for only the 2025 season, Ison’s retention on Friday for a further two years is crucial for Cronulla in the wake of utility Daniel Atkinson committing to St George Illawarra from 2026.
He scored 10 tries in 17-games for Newtown in the NSW Cup in 2024.
Dynamic on his feet and difficult for opposition to contain, the St Marys Saints junior will apply pressure to first-choice fullback Will Kennedy, who remains off-contract beyond 2025.
Originally published as NRL Market Watch: Roosters to sign Cowboy Reece Robson, Sharks upgrade Liam Ison
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