Josh Curran has revealed the circumstances behind his sudden departure from the New Zealand Warriors and subsequent signing with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
After a turbulent 2023 season, the 24-year-old forward expressed frustration with his treatment at the Warriors, particularly with head coach Andrew Webster, and made the difficult decision to seek a new opportunity.
Curran's exit was supposedly sparked by a lack of trust from the Warriors' coaching staff.
Despite playing 23 matches in 2023, he found himself largely confined to the bench and even spent time in the NSW Cup.
Early speculation pointed to homesickness as the driving force behind his move, but Curran clarified that his frustrations ran deeper, speaking with the NZ Herald.
“Everyone thinks I left because I was homesick. Yeah, I missed my family, but I'd started my career there and it was good,” he explained.
The breaking point came during his season review, just days after the Warriors' end-of-season celebrations.
“I was filthy about the year,” Curran admitted.
“We did the season review and that was pretty tough. They said they weren't going to re-sign me after my deal ran out [in 2024].”
During the meeting, Curran expressed his disappointment at not being given more opportunities to secure a starting spot, particularly after the Warriors brought in Marata Niukore from Parramatta to fill the back-row position he coveted.
Tensions reached a boiling point when Curran confronted Webster directly.
“I remember he looked at me and asked what's wrong. I said: ‘You obviously don't trust in me because if you did, I would have played a lot more minutes.'”
Feeling alienated and overlooked, Curran made the decision to leave.
“So, I looked at him and said I just want to go home to my family right now … it's obvious you don't want me here.”
“He said: ‘It's not like that'. But I told him: ‘I'm not dumb.'”
With the relationship frayed, Curran asked for permission to explore other options, which the Warriors granted.
The Bulldogs wasted no time securing Curran's services.
General Manager of Football Phil Gould had long admired Curran's potential and saw him as a perfect fit for the club.
“From the first time I saw Josh Curran play, he looked like a Bulldog to me,” Gould said.
“Once he became available, we just had to sign him up. At 24 years of age, his best football is clearly in front of him. We are very excited to have Josh in our club.”
