NRL's kick-blocker crackdown changes the game - but the question is do we want that?
NRL kickers are under more pressure than ever. But what will the knock-on effects of the new crack-down be?
Gold Coast’s long hunt for an experienced half in the wake of Daly Cherry-Evans backflip has ended with Tyrone Roberts to join the struggling NRL club.
Newcastle have agreed to release Roberts from the final year of his contract, allowing the 24-year-old to sign a two-year deal with the Titans.
Roberts’ addition will be a welcome one for Titans coach Neil Henry, with Aidan Sezer heading to Canberra and Cherry-Evans famously reneging on a four-year deal to stay at Manly.
Henry says Roberts will be a vital asset to the club alongside rookie half Kane Elgey and young recruit Ashley Taylor.
“Tyrone is an accomplished playmaker and goalkicker who has played nearly 100 first grade games and has all the skills,” Henry said.
“He will complement Ashley and Kane who are young players at the start of their NRL careers and gives us more depth in the squad next year.”
Roberts’ future at the Knights had come under doubt with NSW halfback poised to join the club at season’s end from Canterbury.
After joining the Knights as a 15-year-old, Roberts has played 94 first grade games for the club and admits leaving wasn’t his original intention.
“The plan was to continue my football in Newcastle,” Roberts said.
“But I’ve made a decision that is best for my football career and for my family.”
Roberts will become the third member of his extended family on the Titans’ books with second cousins James Roberts and Tyronne Roberts-Davis already members of the club’s playing stocks.
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