Matt Moylan's immediate switch to the English Super League and release from the Cronulla Sharks has been confirmed.
Moylan was first linked with a move away from the Sharks in recent weeks, and it has now become official, with Moylan signing a two-year deal to play for the Leigh Leopards in 2024 and 2025.
The five-eighth had fallen out of favour at the Sharks at the back-end of 2023, falling behind Braydon Trindall in the pecking order for a spot in the halves alongside Nicho Hynes, and that was unlikely to change moving into 2024.
The 32-year-old, who has 191 NRL games under his belt across a career that began with the Penrith Panthers back in 2013, will now link up with coach Adrian Lam at Leigh.
The Sharks confirmed the news in a statement, thanking him for his efforts over six years as a Sharks, while Leigh's head of rugby said Moylan was one of the biggest signings in club history, even suggesting Moylan may wear the number seven in England.
โAdrian got on a plane and met with Matt and his agent, Allan Gainey, face to face. He was able to explain what we want as a club, what we are looking to achieve, and his own coaching philosophy," he said.
โMatt is a world class player, and his CV speaks for itself. Everyone I've spoken to says he's an unbelievable person, and one of those who leads with his actions on the field. He's a great professional and an extremely hard working and talented player.
โMatt will take us to the next level. He's a running half so that will give us threats on both sides of the field. He's got great leg speed, he's durable- he played 24 games last year and 20 this- he's a good goalkicker, and he's a good defender.
โIt's a huge statement of intent by the club and great for our town. It's huge for us as a club that we have attracted a top-quality halfback over from the NRL.
โIt's no secret we have needed a halfback since Ben Reynolds left. I watch a lot of NRL and Matt is a player I've long admired. We have certainly signed a player of great quality.โ
Moylan will link up with Leigh in the coming weeks.
