Byron Bay Red Devil Jesse Soric signs deal with NRL club New Zealand Warriors

Under the tutelage of a former Origin star, a young Northern Rivers footballer is one step closer to realising his professional dream after signing a deal with an NRL club.

A talented young Byron Bay footballer has come one step closer to realising his dream of becoming a professional rugby league player after signing a contract with NRL club the New Zealand Warriors.

Seventeen-year-old halfback/five-eighth Jesse Soric, who plays for the Byron Bay Red Devils’ first grade team in the Northern Regional Rugby League (NRRRL), will link up with the Warriors’ junior rep sides for next season.

“I’m over the moon,” he said. “It’s been a goal of mine for a couple of years and it’s finally happened.”

Initially joining the SG Ball (under-19s) squad for next season, Soric says he wants to make a good impression and hopefully progress through the grades to the club’s Jersey Flegg (under-21) team.

Both of those sides take part in the NSWRL junior rep competitions, meaning that Soric will fly back to Australia every second week for games.

Jesse Soric will join the Warriors’ junior rep sides for the 2024 season. Picture: supplied

The Byron Bay-Lennox Head junior, who moved to the Gold Coast at 16 to attend rugby league powerhouse school Keebra Park State High, will move to Auckland in late October, ahead of the November 1 start of the 2024 pre-season.

“I’m keen to just to get over there, start playing good footy and training hard,” he said.

Signing the deal caps off a whirlwind last couple of weeks for Soric, who was first put in contact with the Warriors through Red Devils trainer Tobin Cupples, whose brother lives in New Zealand and has connections with the club.

The playmaker then sent a video compilation to the club, and was surprised at how quickly things moved from there.

“It all went so fast,” he said.

“When my highlights got sent to the Warriors I was going for a swim at the beach, and when I got out I got a call from my manager to talk about it and they offered a contract a little bit later.”

The Warriors tabled a two-year deal with the option for a third last week, with Soric finalising the deal on Tuesday.

“I was stoked, it was such a crazy feeling. It’s my first goal but I’ve got a lot more to come.”

While in Auckland, Soric will live in the ‘Warriors house’, the club’s accommodation for its junior overseas players, and will even have a familiar face there, with Keebra Park schoolmate Tom Summer also recently signing with the club.

Soric has impressed in rookie season in A-grade. Picture: supplied

And while he found out about the deal while enjoying a nice winter swim at the beach, that’s not something he’s likely to be doing once he moves across the ditch.

“Yeah, it’s going to be weird,” laughs Soric. “I’m used to hot weather all year round and now I’ll be going into the freezing cold weather.”

The latest developments mark what has already been an excellent 2023 for the young Red Devil, who started off the year playing for the Northern Rivers Titans in the Laurie Daley Cup (under-18s) rep competition.

Soric then got his first taste of A-grade football, making his first grade debut for his hometown club in the opening round of the NRRRL season – with the call-up in a strange way thanks to a former NRL star.

“I made it because Todd Carney was out, and ever since then I’ve been in the team,” he said.

And while still 17 and of a slender build, Soric has impressed in his ability to step up to the demands of A-grade football.

“I’ve been very happy with it all,” he said. “Because we’re versing men it’s obviously a lot harder, but given that we’re versing men I think it’s going pretty well. It also makes it easier if I’m playing against men and then come back and play people my own age.”

One ace up his sleeve has been the presence of Carney, who has played for the Red Devils since 2019.

As a young playmaker, Soric says Carney has been a huge influence on his game in recent times, with the former Canberra, Sydney Roosters and Cronulla half even moving to hooker this season to give Soric more time in the halves.

“He helps so much with all my playmaking abilities: kicking, passing, defence – everything. It just helps so much.”

Todd Carney has been playing for the Red Devils since 2019.

While its less than four months before he makes the big move across the ditch, Soric says he still has some unfinished business at home.

“I’m just focused on club footy now and a bit of school footy,” he says.

“I want to learn as much as I can from Todd before I go.”

Indeed, the Byron Bay Red Devils are currently sitting in fifth place in the NRRRL, with a crucial run of fixtures to determine whether they make the finals.

And while the 17-year-old has benefited immensely from being able to learn from former representative star Carney, he’s also excited about picking the mind of one of the NRL’s top performers.

“I’ve definitely looked up to Todd, but I try to play a bit like Shaun Johnson and I watch him closely,” he said. “So I’m hoping to learn from him – that will help heaps.”