The Broncos may have a battle on their hands to find the next superstar with the Warriors opening up a base in their rugby league heartland, while in-form dummy-half Blayke Brailey has admitted he wants to remain at the Cronulla Sharks.
Warriors fans have enjoyed watching their side climb to fourth on the ladder in 2025 with their youngsters leading the way in a stellar season.
And it appears the Warriors want to target the Broncos’ feeder grounds for emerging talent as they prepare to open a base in Logan. The New Zealand-based club has watched plenty of their junior talents join Australian-based clubs on scholarships as they move through the system.
The Logan Brothers have produced a number of NRL superstars across the years, but few of them have ever played for the Warriors. This is despite Southeast Queensland enjoying a strong population of New Zealand-born migrants. And the Warriors were losing these New-Zealand born stars to the surrounding teams with no easy pathway to bring them home.
Naturally, there are more pathways into rugby league in Australia and players from New Zealand have made the move over to find an opportunity. Benji Marhsall is one of them, who moved to Queensland as a junior and was recognised as a star. He then went through the Wests Tigers system.
And the club has moved to give locals a chance to join the Warriors juniors. The Warriors are aiming to identify the talent in the area and provide them an alternative pathway into the NRL through their system.
“As a club, we focus on the person first and foremost. It’s not just about footy – it’s about providing opportunities to all young people so they can reach their potential,” Warriors CEO George Cameron said. “Our elite academy for boys and girls in Logan will provide a direct pathway to the Warriors NRL and NRLW teams. Through the community program we’ll also be offering come-and-try days, school visits and talent identification.”
The Brisbane Broncos have been the side that has benefited the most from having a rugby league mad town feeding them superstars, but the likes of the the Cowboys, Titans and most recently the Dolphins have all benefited. Now the Warriors will be looking to snare the next Cameron Smith or Corey Parker – who both played for Logan Brothers juniors – as rugby league gets bigger in New Zealand.
