Papua New Guinean second-rower Emmanuel Waine has joined the London Broncos for the 2023 RFL Championship season.
The forward made his debut for the Kumuls at the 2022 Pacific Test in Campbelltown against Fiji, and went on to play another two games at the World Cup for the nation, who made the quarter-finals before falling to England.
At 26 years of age, Waine played his football for the Hunters in the QLD Cup competition, where he had become an important cog in the system of the team, who were admitted to the competition a number of years ago, but were forced to play home games in Queensland during the coronavirus pandemic owing to border closures.
Waine's move to England will see him continue to push for a deal in either the Super League or the NRL, with a chance to express his talents as the Broncos push for promotion back to the top flight - a competition they last played in 2019.
They were relegated back to the Championship after just a single season and only won eight games out of 27 in the second-tier last year, with the club dropping dangerously close to further relegation down the chain.
The versatile Waine can also play at centre or lock, and said in a club statement that he was excited about joining the London-based outfit.
“This is a really exciting opportunity for me, and I'm pleased to be part of the Broncos squad. I enjoyed my first World Cup in the UK during the autumn which was a great experience and hopefully I can develop my own game in the coming months.
“It will be good to link up with Welly (Wellington Albert) again and meet my other new teammates. I've kept myself fit by training with The Dolphins and will be ready to go straight into battle when I arrive.”
The Broncos start their Championship campaign against the Batley Bulldogs this coming Monday morning (AEDT).