The Sydney Roosters have locked in a new agreement with the Queensland Cup's Ipswich Jets which will kick in from the start of the 2023 season.
While the Roosters will continue utilising their reserve players in the NSW Cup with the North Sydney Bears, the pathways agreement will mean the Roosters now have a foothold in territory which the Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and Dolphins all could have laid claim too.
The Jets are one of the only Queensland Cup clubs without an affiliate NRL team to provide them players, and as a result, they have struggled in previous years, currently sitting in 13th spot on the table after 18 games.
The pathways agreement will mean the Roosters will allow players to remain in Ipswich, working with the Jets before pursuing a dream in the NRL.
It means young players won't have to move away from their local area to Sydney for an opportunity if overlooked by the three clubs in the south east corner of Queensland, as previously would have been the case.
Coaches, support staff, executive staff and sponsors are all set to benefit from the agreement, with the chance of more senior and better players hanging around in Ipswich with a potential opportunity at the Roosters as a result greatly increased.
Ipswich head of football Ben Cross said the opportunity for the club was enormous.
“A relationship with the Roosters is a wonderful opportunity for the Ipswich Jets to partner with an organisation that is a leader in the world of rugby league," Cross said.
"This partnership will help promote and develop our pathways directly through the Jets and hopefully progressing to the Roosters and into the NRL.
"The Roosters' track record of success and professionalism will only help bolster and improve our program through talent identification and recruitment and coach mentoring program.”