The Gold Coast Titans have secured the signature of New Zealand Warriors fullback Paul Turner on a two-year deal.
Turner recently injured his shoulder and was ruled out for the rest of the season while playing for the Warriors. Now, the next time we see him on an NRL field he will be in Titan's colours.
Titans Coach Justin Holbook said the club was thrilled to land the exciting young back.
“To have Paul Turner join our Club is very exciting , he had a few clubs to choose from and he chose to become a Titan," Holbrook said, per the club website.
"Paul is a young player that we would have seen a lot more of this year had he not been injured.
“Paul is versatile where he plays, he prefers the halves but he is equally as good at centre or fullback.
“That’s what you need in a player, as squads now we use a lot of players, so you need players that are versatile and can play a number of positions and Paul fills that role.
“He’s a really hard runner of the football that is extremely skilful, so that’s a really good mix especially with the new rules and how fast the game is getting.”
News Corp reported back in April that Brisbane had attempted to lure the 20-year-old to Red Hill but even then he still favoured a move to the Gold Coast.
The Warriors weren't thrilled to lose Turner considering they made a larger offer to him, but said they respect his decision.
“It’s unfortunate to lose Pauly as he’s been with us since 2018 and made his NRL debut with the club last year,” Warriors recruitment manager Peter O’Sullivan said on the club website.
“His shoulder reconstruction has obviously ended his season and now it has ended his time with us.
“We made him a good offer which outweighed his new club’s deal but he and his support network believe his chances of playing NRL are greater elsewhere.
“While we are disappointed we thank Pauly for his contribution and wish him all the best for his future.”