The Canterbury Bulldogs season may have come to a close on Sunday afternoon but a young forward has earned his maiden NRL contract as they continue rebuilding for the future.
Aiming to go further over the next few seasons after finishing in 6th place, the Bulldogs have one of the best junior pathways systems in the competition and have a ton of young prospects coming through the ranks.
As the club earned a spot in the 2024 Jersey Flegg Cup Grand Final after a golden-point victory against the Canberra Raiders, Zero Tackle understands that impressive forward Jack Underhill has earned a maiden NRL contract.
Training with the NRL squad during pre-season in 2025, he will progress to a train and trial contract in 2026 and later move to a development contract for the 2027 NRL season.
Originally from the Sunshine Coast, the 20-year-old has played in the SG Ball Cup, Jersey Flegg Cup and NSW Cup competitions for the club and previously represented the U17s QLD Country team in the past.
Able to play anywhere in the forwards, Underhill has been used as a hooker, prop, back-rower and lock throughout his career to date but has mainly found himself in the front-row during the NSW Cup this season.
In 14 appearances he has made 395 tackles (90.2 per cent tackle efficiency), 14 tackle busts, and averaged 80 running metres per match.