Warrington Wolves confirm signings of overseas forward duo for 2027 as Sam Burgess’ verdict delivered

Warrington Wolves have confirmed the signings of young Australian props Toby Crosby and Mitchell Prest for 2027, with the pair each penning a two-year deal.

As is the case with Prest, fellow front-rower Crosby awaits his first-grade debut, but has featured at NRL level in pre-season – doing so for Penrith Panthers earlier this year as they were beaten by North Queensland Cowboys.

Prest did not feature in that game, but was involved with the Cowboys in pre-season as they beat Canterbury Bulldogs, 12 months on from donning a shirt in a trial game for Canberra Raiders against Penrith.

Both boast honours at various development levels on their CV, and become the second and third additions made by Wire for 2027: following on from Leeds Rhinos half-back Brodie Croft.

‘The chance to work under Sam Burgess was a huge attraction. He’s someone I’ve looked up to for a long time’

Crosby’s New South Wales Cup debut was made for New Zealand Warriors’ reserves in 2024, and the following year, he had a leading role as they won both the NSW Cup Grand Final and NRL State Championship (National Premiership).

He joined Penrith’s second string ahead of the 2026 campaign and has so far played 17 games for the Panthers’ NSW Cup side this term to take his overall appearance tally in the competition to 41 – with eight tries scored.

The 23-year-old said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Warrington. Ever since I was young, I’ve had the ambition to play professional footy in England, and the approach from Warrington made me consider it as the next step of my career.

“The chance to work under Sam Burgess was a huge attraction. He’s someone I’ve looked up to for a long time, and I think he’ll really help me develop.

“I’m very blessed to go from an open trial, to spending time in both the Warriors and Panthers’ systems. Now, I’m looking forward to making an impact for Warrington.”

Wire head coach Burgess added: “Toby is a young forward with a lot of potential, and we’re excited about bringing him into our environment. He’s got the physical attributes you look for in a front-rower, and he has a strong desire to improve.”

‘These are two highly sought-after forwards who have been identified after months of detailed analysis’

Prest – who LoveRugbyLeague revealed last week was in advanced talks with Wire – is also 23, and makes the move to Super League from Queensland Cup outfit Mackay Cutters.

The prop had spent his youth career with the Raiders up until joining the Cutters earlier this year following a brief pre-season stint with the Cowboys.

His time with the Raiders saw him win the SG Ball Grand Final and get called up to represented New South Wales’ Country under-19s side before he scooped the Coaches’ Award during the 2024 campaign as Canberra topped the Jersey Flegg Cup ladder.

Prest has played 16 times for the Cutters this season, and now has 36 second-grade appearances on his CV between the NSW Cup and Q Cup, scoring nine tries – with three of those coming in 2026.

He said: “I’m really excited to join Warrington. It’s a great opportunity for me and I can’t wait to get over there and continue my development as a young, hungry forward.”

Warrington boss Burgess added: “.Mitchell is another young player who we feel has plenty of upsides.

“There’s still lots of development ahead of him, but we’re confident he can continue to improve and make a real contribution to this club in the future.”

Director of Rugby Gary Chambers is the man who leads on Wire’s recruitment.

He said: “These are two highly sought-after forwards who have been identified after months of detailed analysis.

“We’re really excited to see them flourish in a Warrington shirt and believe they both have the potential to make a big impact at the club.”