The Queensland Rugby Union has signed no less than 6 more players to the Reds squad ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season.
In an effort to continue the restructuring and reviewing of the Reds program – these signings come after a number changes that have already been implemented in the past 2 months, including the appointment of Brad Thorn as Reds elite development squad forwards coach, Damian Marsh as head of athletic performance, the re-signing of Nick Stiles as senior assistant coach and the appointment of Cameron Lillicrap as head physiotherapist.
The announcement is headlined by the signing of 2 promising 21-year-old flyhalves in Jake McIntyre and Sam Greene.
The Reds have also added to the depth in their forward pack by adding prop Pettowa Paraka, hooker Alex Mafi and locks Lukhan Tui and Izack Rodda – all aged 21 or under.
Recent Super Rugby debutants McIntyre (2 years) and Greene (1 year), have inked deals with the franchise, which will continue to strengthen the depth in the playmaker role. Both McIntyre and Greene made their Queensland and Super Rugby debuts in the Reds’ 46 / 29 win over the Melbourne Rebels at Suncorp Stadium in Round 14, with McIntyre scoring a pivotal try in the victory.
Fellow 2015 debutant Paraka has signed a 2-year deal with the Reds. Paraka earned 6 caps for the Reds in 2015, coming off the bench.
Former Australian schoolboy hooker Mafi (19), has signed a 3-year deal with Queensland. Mafi featured for Bond University in Premier Rugby during 2015.
In an effort to further strengthen the Reds’ depth at lock, Queensland has signed 2 developing young locks – 2015 Australian Under 20 representative Tui (18) and current Easts Tigers lock Rodda (19) have both inked 3-year deals.
Tui will make the move to Queensland from Sydney, where he is currently playing in the Shute Shield with Randwick. Rodda, a product of Ipswich Grammar School, represented the Reds Under 20 in 2015.
Reds head coach Richard Graham said: “Jake McIntyre and Sam Greene have been a part of our programs for the past 2 seasons. We saw the benefit of that within our Premier competition, last season’s National Rugby Championship and also when they debuted for the Reds late this season. With another NRC under their belts, their game understanding and ability to help their team around the field will continue to develop.
“Pettowa Paraka has been with us now for the past 2 seasons. He continues to develop strongly in a very competitive position.
“We were impressed by Lukhan’s performances at the Under 20 Rugby Championship. For a guy relatively new to the game, he has grasped the game very well. He will enjoy the move north to the Reds.
“Queensland has developed some of the best young forward talent in recent years.
“Whilst Alex Mafi has missed the 1st part of this season, he has displayed the qualities we wanted to see towards the back end. He has an enormous amount of work ahead of him, however we are pleased to see him in our program for at least the next 3 years.
“Izack Rodda is another great young prospect. He has a lot of hard work to do but will benefit greatly from being in our program.”
The restructuring came as the result of a wide-ranging review of Reds operations over the last 3 to 5 years, the QRU said.
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