The North Sydney Bears have confirmed they have released forward Ben Talty for him to take up a full-time playing contract with the Brisbane Broncos.
The forward, who made his debut in 2019 at the Newcastle Knights in the NSW Cup, has played at that level in six individual seasons over the last seven years, only not playing in the cancelled 2020 campaign.
Despite that, the now veteran reserve grade hasn't made his NRL debut, only playing in three pre-season games over his journey.
Formerly at the Newcastle Knights, where he was in and out of the reserve grade team, Talty joined the Bears in Round 14 of the 2023 season and has barely missed a game since.
The Bears confirmed on social media that they were releasing the versatile forward to take up an opportunity with the Broncos.
"The club confirms the immediate release of Ben Talty, who has been offered a full-time contract position with the Brisbane Broncos. Talty came to the Bears in rnd 14, 2023 & has been an important part of our KOE NSW Cup team ever since. We wish Ben well in his NRL journey," the Bears wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) to confirm the news.
It's unclear at this stage whether the contract is a Top 30 or development deal, but there is a chance of a debut this year if the Broncos continue to have injury or form issues in their forwards, with Michael Maguire searching for a way to spark his stuttering side to life.
Talty has played all of prop, second-row and lock at reserve grade level, so can line up anywhere across the forward pack, and has been among the best for the Bears over the last two or so years.
Despite being part of the Melbourne Storm system, he was never given a look-in at first-grade level for Melbourne and will now instead attempt to make it happen in the Queensland capital.
