Championship new boys snap up Australian starlet from Down Under who is son of ex-London Broncos ace

Newly-promoted Championship club Hunslet have announced the signing of Australian hooker Kobe Rugless, who is the son of former London Broncos ace Troy.

Having come through the junior ranks with Sydney Roosters, 23-year-old Kobe joins the Parksiders ahead of 2025 from New South Wales Cup outfit Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles.

The young hooker has 35 appearances and two tries to his name in the second-grade competition Down Under having also donned a shirt for North Sydney Bears and Newcastle Knights’ second string.

With a pre-season appearance in the NRL for Manly Sea Eagles on his CV, made at the start of this year, Kobe will now follow in his father’s footsteps in plying his trade in the British game.

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‘It’s really exciting to see what he achieve with us this year… He is a real statement signing for the club’

Dad Troy, who won numerous national boxing titles in Australia during his youth before moving into rugby league, scored four tries in 15 appearances for London during the 1993/94 campaign.

The half-back, who went on to dip his toe into coaching, featured for the capital club during their time under the ‘Crusaders’ tagline.

And having penned his deal at the South Leeds Stadium, son Kobe said: “Firstly, I just want to say how grateful I am for the club to give me an opportunity to come over to England and represent the fans and the community of Hunslet.

“I can’t wait to meet all the staff and especially can’t wait to meet all the players and get stuck into training together so we can make a mark on the Championship for the season coming.”

Rugless joins a Hunslet side headed up by Dean Muir that earned promotion from League 1 last term.

After finishing fourth, the Parksiders won the third tier’s play-offs and then came out on top in a unique one-off  promotion/relegation final away from home against Swinton Lions, who had ended the campaign 12th in the Championship.

Head coach Muir added: “Kobe is a quality player and will add to our talented squad. He has the ability to play a number of different positions and fits our recruitment mould perfectly.

“He is young and will get better every week. It’s really exciting to see what he achieve with us this year. He is a real statement signing for the club.”

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