Former New Zealand Warriors half Ronald Volkman will reportedly join the Parramatta Eels for the 2025 NRL season.
Volkman left the Warriors at the end of the 2023 campaign and was due to join the St George Illawarra Dragons, but farcical circumstances regarding the discovery of his injury after his release with the Warriors, but before registration of his contract with the Red V, saw him uncontracted through 2024 as he recovered.
The Warriors ultimately stepped up to pay for his medical expenses throughout the last year.
Volkman is now looking for a way back into first-grade, and News Corp are reporting that he will do just that with Jason Ryles’ rebuild at the Parramatta Eels.
While it will likely only be a one-year deal, it will be a way back into the top grade for the talented half, who originally came through the Sydney Roosters’ system before shifting to the Warriors.
There he played the first five games of his NRL career in 2022 and 2023, as well as a Test for Samoa in 2023.
Volkman was also believed to be in talks with the Cronulla Sharks and Manly Sea Eagles, but they have tailed off with only the Eels materialising into an offer.
Should he join the Eels, he will be the second half the club have picked up this off-season, with Dean Hawkins having also joined the club from the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Both Hawkins and Volkman will play back up to Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses, who will be fit for Round 1 after missing time throughout the 2024 campaign.
Moses played State of Origin for New South Wales in Game 3 of the 2024 series, while Brown would have been a walk up starter for New Zealand during the Pacific Championships if not for a late injury.
Parramatta narrowly avoided the wooden spoon in 2024, needing to beat the Wests Tigers in the final round of the season to do so.
