NRL

One of England’s key players in the upcoming Ashes series has signed a new deal in the NRL

Herbie Farnworth is one of, if not the best centres in the world, and his incredible form has earned him a new deal Down Under.

The 25-year-old has signed a new one-year deal with current club the Dolphins, and will go into the three-Test series full of confidence now that his future is secure.

Despite still having a year left on his contract, NRL rules state that clubs are free to negotiate with players who have less than 12 months left on their contract from November 1 onwards. Had he not inked a new deal, Farnworth would have been one of those players, meaning the Dolphins had to be proactive in getting the Englishman to sign for them before he could talk to anyone else.

Farnworth, who grew up playing football and was part of the Manchester United academy before moving to Australia, has had an outstanding career in the NRL so far, and could have helped his team to a first-ever finals series had he not gone down with injury in August.

Since his debut for Brisbane Broncos in 2019, he has made 118 appearances ,scored 54 tries and recorded 28 assists. Not just that, his impressive ability to break the line and bust through tackles makes him one of the most formidable attacking threats the NRL has to offer.

“One of the best” – England star signs new NRL deal ahead of Ashes series

Reflecting on his new deal, Farnworth was over the moon to extend his stay at the Redcliffe-based side.

“This was an easy decision for me as I did not see myself going anywhere else,” he said. “When I look at the roster the club has built for the Dolphins, I am so excited about what this team can achieve in the next couple of seasons.

“I believe we have the team to go with any other in the NRL and I can’t wait to see what we can do.”

Dolphins Chief Executive, Terry Reader, made a bold admission that if Farnworth had been fit until the end of the season, his side would have made the top eight.

He said: “This is a huge announcement for us as Herbie is simply one of the best players in the game. I’ve got no doubt if he had finished the season off with us rather than getting injured, the Dolphins would have made the NRL finals.

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