NRL: Warriors confirm early release of Bulldogs-bound Josh Curran

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Josh Curran will play for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the 2024 NRL season.

Josh Curran’s time as a Warrior is officially over with the club granting him an immediate release to join NRL rivals the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

As first reported by Stuff earlier this month, Curran was given permission by the Warriors to look around following the club advising him and his management, he was unlikely to be extended when his existing contract finished at the end of the 2024 season.

“We told him we were happy for him to see out his contract but if he did find an option that provided him with longer term security to please come back and talk to us," Warriors chief executive Cameron George said.

Ultimately, that has transpired with the Bulldogs announcing Curran was joining the struggling Sydney team on a multi-year deal, following his release from the Auckland-based Warriors, on Thursday, with a year to run on his contract.

“We really appreciate the contribution Josh has made in his five seasons with us.”

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Josh Curran scored four tries for the Warriors in 2023 but couldn’t find the same form from the previous two seasons.

NRL coach of the year Andrew Webster and the Warriors have a number of talented edge forwards coming through their ranks, highlighted by the just-turned-18-year-old Leka Halasima – who represented Tonga A last weekend after playing New South Wales Cup with the Warriors this year at just 17 – and Jacob Laban, who played against Halasima for New Zealand A and alongside him in the Warriors reserve grade side in 2023.

Both are currently on development contracts but could be pressing for top 30 NRL contracts in 2025.

Curran, a Parramatta Eels junior, debuted with his one and only appearance for the Roosters in 2019 before making a mid-season switch to the Warriors in the same year.

He went on to play 60 NRL games in three and a half seasons for the Warriors, with outstanding years in a struggling team during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

However, following a serious incident on the night of the 2022 NRL Grand Final, where Curran was involved in a violent incident at a Port Macquarie nightclub that eventually saw him plead guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, he was never able to find the same form.

Curran struggled for game time under Webster in 2023, starting just six matches and playing small minutes off the bench.

He even spent time demoted to the NSW Cup during what would eventually turn out to be his final season at the Warriors.

But there were also plenty of highlights, including a critical try in the Warriors' incredible comeback victory over the Sharks.

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Jordan Riki comforts Josh Curran after the Broncos' victory in the Preliminary Final. It turned out to be Curran’s last match in a Warriors jersey.

One of the commentators calling the action that night, way back in April, was none other than Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould.

“He’s a good player this kid, he’s a real good player,” Gould said in commentary.

Six months later, Curran is a Bulldog and Gould’s opinion has not changed.

"From the first time I saw Josh Curran play, he looked like a Bulldog to me.

"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,” Gould said. We are very excited to have Josh in our club.”