York add Australian half-back for 2021

York have signed Australian half-back Brendan O’Hagan for the 2021 season.

O’Hagan, 21, is yet to make an appearance in the NRL but has been on the books of Newcastle Knights, Canberra Raiders and Wests Tigers.

York coach James Ford said: “I’m looking forward to working with Brendan, and I’m excited to see what he can bring to our group. His pedigree is first rate and from the footage I’ve seen I’m very confident he’ll be a key player in our team.

“He is clearly a running threat, works very hard off the ball, and has been around some elite coaches and environments, but I was mostly drawn to Brendan’s hunger to continue improving and his drive to be the best version of himself.”

The half-back, who was selected for New South Wales’ State of Origin squads at under-16s, 18s and 20s level, joins the Knights after discussing the move with an England and NRL star and highlighted his ambitions for his time with the club.

O’Hagan said: “I’ve been speaking to John Bateman a fair bit, as we were teammates at Canberra Raiders, trying to get what it’s like over there and he had some great things to say about the place of York and the club as well so he helped me make the decision.

“I’m pumped to get over there, start ripping in and get ready to win a comp over there. I heard great things and obviously the new facilities we have at York are awesome.

“The club’s got a real professional feel and it looks like it’s going to be a good year.”