Former Junior Kiwi and Maori All Star Morgan Harper has signed on with the North Sydney Bears for the 2025 NSW Cup season.
Harper, at 26 years of age, makes the step back to the NSW Cup after struggling to break into the Parramatta Eels' first-grade side during 2024.
He managed just eight first-grade games, having previously also fallen out of the best 17 at the Manly Sea Eagles under Des Hasler and Anthony Seibold.
He had, however, played 54 games during his time at the Sea Eagles after the first two games of the New Zealand-born centre and winger's career came in 2019 and 2020 at the Canterbury Bulldogs.
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"Our first new player signing announcement is Morgan Harper," the club wrote on their Instagram account.
"Harper brings to the Bears solid NRL game time experience as a centre with the Manly Sea Eagles (2020-2023), Canterbury Bulldogs (2019-20) and this season [2024] with the Parramatta Eels. He has also represented the Maori All Stars and was a Junior Kiwi.
"Great to have Harper on board for 2025."
While Harper has dropped back to reserve grade level for the season to come, the North Sydney Bears' link with the Melbourne Storm - which commenced at the start of the 2024 season - could mean he is on the radar for the Victorian club as a potential train and trialist with a view to getting his foot back through the door of top grade rugby league.
Outside of his games with the Bulldogs, Sea Eagles and Eels, Harper played for the Junior Kiwis in 2018, the NSW Residents team while he was at Canterbury in 2019, and had two games for the Maori All Stars in 2022 and 2023.
