Queensland Reds make Stephen Moore signing official

WALLABIES captain Stephen Moore is heading home to Queensland after his three-year deal with the Reds was officially confirmed on Friday.

HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 03: Stephen Moore of the Brumbies thanks the crowd after losing the Super Rugby Final match between the Chiefs and the Brumbies at Waikato Stadium on August 3, 2013 in Hamilton, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

WALLABIES captain Stephen Moore is heading home to Queensland after his three-year deal with the Reds was officially confirmed on Friday.

The ACT Brumbies let the cat out of the bag in a scathing press release on Friday after Moore told the club that the 2016 Super Rugby season would be his last in Canberra.

The QRU confirmed the deal which will take the 32-year-old through to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The 102-Test veteran played 102 games for the Brumbies since 2009 after making 46 appearances for the Reds between 2003-2008.

The Brisbane-raised Moore will fill the significant leadership and experience vacuum at Ballymore left by the departures of James Horwill, Will Genia and Quade Cooper.

“Stephen is a world-class player and a talismanic leader with unquestionable integrity and durability,’’ Reds general manager Dan Herbert said.

“He is a product of the Queensland Rugby pathways and the value he will provide to this team and organisation is immense.

“Our Head of Pathways and List Management, Sam Cordingley, is doing an excellent job in retaining and recruiting the very best talent available and we will continue to be very active in this space.

“In the meantime, we have a big year ahead of us and out of respect for our Reds squad, the Brumbies and Stephen himself, our focus is solely on the upcoming season.”

Moore said he was looking forward to returning to Brisbane in 2017.

“It was a really difficult call to make but we were keen to get back to Brisbane to be closer to family and felt the timing was right,’’ he said.

“Queensland is where I started my career and from a distance, it looks like the Reds are building a strong program, which I’m looking forward to being a part of from 2017.”

Originally published as Queensland Reds make Stephen Moore signing official