A former halfback for the Newcastle Knights and NSW Blues, Jarrod Mullen will make his rugby league comeback next year after he signed a new deal to continue his playing career.
Playing one match for the Blues in the 2007 State of Origin series and 211 games for the Knights between 2005 and 2016, Mullen has joined Macquarie Scorpions in the Newcastle Rugby League competition on a one-year contract for the 2025 season.
Unfortunately, his career was cut short after he received a four-year NRL ban for testing positive for steroids in 2017 and had a fall from grace, which saw him convicted for supplying cocaine.
Last playing in the NRL in 2016, Mullen was thrown a lifeline by the Sunshine Coast Falcons in 2022 in the QLD Cup after his ban but will make his return to the field once again after injuries have seen him miss the past two seasons.
This year, he was named co-captain and set to play for the Corrimal Cougars, but a season-ending shoulder injury ruled him out on the eve of the Illawarra Rugby League season.
"I still think Mullo has something to offer, especially having a period out of the game," Scorpions coach Jye Bayley told The Newcastle Herald.
"He will bring experience and physically I think he has what it takes to lead us into becoming a finals side. He played in the Q Cup a couple of years ago. Last year he was playing down near where he lives in Kiama.
"Mullo and Luke Walsh came through as kids playing together. To have two guys at 37 playing together. Yes, they are a bit older but they will push each other."
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