The Dolphins will bring a player home with the signing of Dragons’ forward Josh Kerr for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Kerr will join the NRL’s newest club after coming through the junior system at the Redcliffe Dolphins.
When the 27-year-old left the Redcliffe peninsula to play in the Melbourne Storm system back in 2015, the chance of playing NRL with the Dolphins was just a long-held dream for the club’s supporters and players.
Kerr went on to make his NRL debut with the Dragons in 2019 and has now played 61 NRL matches in the ‘Red V’, including yesterday’s ANZAC Day clash against the Roosters.
The 197cm and 112kg middle forward will add the gold colour to his playing kit next year when he joins the Dolphins on a two-year contract.
Dolphins’ chief executive Terry Reader said the acquisition of Kerr was a great story for rugby league.
“Josh is a really important recruit for the Dolphins and a good story for the game in general,” said Reader.
One of the key reasons to put in the 17th team was to give more young local players a pathway to the NRL through our system.
“Josh is an example of a good young Dolphins player that had to head to first Melbourne and then Sydney to make it in the NRL.
“Now he will be able to represent his junior club in the best rugby league competition in the world.
“In addition, he is a big and fast athletic forward with a point of difference who will add some size and balance to our pack.
“And there is no doubt with his local history that Josh will become an immediate fan favourite with the Dolphins.”
Kerr played in the Storm’s junior teams from 2015 and represented the Queensland under-20s team in 2016.
In 2019 he represented the Indigenous All Stars team just a couple of weeks before making his NRL debut for the Dragons.
In 2020 Kerr was named in the Queensland State of Origin squad under Wayne Bennett.
Despite not playing in a match, he was named the team’s FOGs Peter Jackson Memorial Medal winner for his contributions in the camp as the Maroons produced a stunning upset series win.
