Dom Young’s giant 200cm brother Alex Young ready to ignite NRL with Sydney Roosters

Dom Young is already one of the NRL’s most exciting players. Now his 200cm brother has joined him at the Roosters and they are ready to rip in.

They are poised to become the most famous Young brothers in Australia since Angus and Malcolm formed AC/DC.

This is Alex Young, the 200cm-tall older brother of NRL star Dom who is ready to ignite the Sydney Roosters next season by “throwing himself” into the NRL.

English-born Alex arrived in Sydney last Friday night ahead of his NRL debut season and immediately started training with renowned sprint coach Roger Fabri.

Alex, 24, stands six feet, six inches and weighs 101 kgs – a human giant ready to terrorise opponents alongside Dom, who has joined the Roosters from Newcastle.

Also a winger, Alex has signed with the Roosters on a one-year development deal with a mutual option to join the club’s top-flight squad in 2025.

Alex was born in West Yorkshire. He is of Jamaican descent and twice represented Jamaica at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. He has previously played for Workington Town and Newcastle Thunder in England.

“I want to throw myself in (at the Roosters) – that’s my only goal,” Alex said. “I don’t want to dip my toe in the water, as such.

Sydney Roosters English NRL recruit Alex Young. Picture: Richard Dobson

“I have been blessed to be given this great opportunity by the Roosters. I’m really excited, as you can tell. I haven’t been to Roosters training yet but I want to turn up with the right attitude every day.

“I went to (Allianz Stadium) yesterday and was blown away. It’s all brand-spanking new and the facilities were incredible. Seeing all the stars on the walls of the dressing room gave me goosebumps, it was great inspiration.

“Putting yourself in a position where you’re uncomfortable and there’s not many family or friends around, there’s no better reason to transfer everything onto the footy side of things.

“I only arrived here a few days ago but I was really keen to start training straight away.

“I have already learned quite a bit from Roger about my (running) mechanics, accelerating, decelerating. I want to take that into the season. This is all new to me – it’s a lot to think.

“Roger is impressed with how I have started but there’s no background so he wants to see where he can take me and hopefully I can get a lot quicker.”

When quizzed about his height, Alex said: “I was 200cm the last time I checked, similar to my brother but I might just have him covered. Dom lists himself as 200cm but when he’s home, I was sizing myself up a bit and it was: ‘Maybe I’ve still got you’.”

Young worked hard in Fabri’s training group – which included Souths winger Izaac Thompson – at Snape Park, Maroubra, on Wednesday morning.

Alex Young during sprint training at Snape Park in Maroubra. Picture: Richard Dobson

While impressed with Alex’s natural speed, Fabri said the new Rooster had plenty of work to complete.

“I will be honest with you, he is nowhere near where he could be,” Fabri said. “Alex has a great set of wheels but has never done speed (work) before.

“He has a Ferrari engine in a Datsun. That Ferrari engine, he just doesn’t know how to use it but he is still damn impressive. Time is against me but he has an opportunity to be express. His running style is just decent, it’s not great.

“If Alex was a horse and you went to a sale yard, he would take your attention straight away. He’s big and athletic and when you look at the breeding, he’s a full relation to Dom Young.

“He has heaps of potential, raw talent and natural ability. It would be sad if he’s never had any speed training before and I just walk out of here saying that’s as fast as he’s going to get. That wouldn’t make any sense.”

Young rejected Super League offers in recent years to complete a degree in law.

Young ‘shocked’ by brother’s hospitalisation

Dom Young’s brother Alex admits he was “shocked” at the illness which has hospitalised the Sydney Roosters star recruit.

Dom, 22, remains in a Leeds hospital recovering from a severe infection which will rule him out of England’s three Test series against Tonga.

Dominic Young will team up with brother Alex at the Roosters. Picture: NRL Photos

He is expected to remain in hospital another few days on antibiotics before travelling back to Australia to prepare for next season.

A long flight to England inflamed Dom’s sinus infection, which moved to his brain.

“Dom is getting there. I spoke to him this morning and he is in good spirits,” said brother Alex.

“It was a little bit of a shock at first but I have seen first-hand that he is on the mend. There was an element of the unknown, not quite knowing what was wrong with him.

“They have done tests to see what it could have been and the infection is being treated with the right antibiotics.

“I don’t know the exact information (about Dom’s discharge) but I was told he is being monitored to make sure the infection is completely gone.

“It’s now a case of him getting back to strength. Hopefully he will be all-good soon.”

Alex has already started house hunting, with the brothers planning on sharing a place.

“It’s a fairytale. I’m looking around Maroubra and we’re hopefully going to live together,” Alex said.

“But it’s been quite challenging finding a place to be honest. There’s a lot of competition out there but hopefully we’ll find a little spot for us both.”

A Sydney Rooster for the next four years, Dom was a key contributor to Newcastle’s charge into the NRL finals this year.