Parramatta Eels veteran lock forward Nathan Brown has been released from the remainder of his contract with the club, officially linking up with the Sydney Roosters, while Tuku Hau Tapuha has been released from the tri-colours.
Brown was off-contract at the end of the year, but it had become clear he would be granted an immediate move away from the west of Sydney if he could find a new home.
That has been the case for much of the last 12 months, with Brown dropped out of Parramatta's 17 next year and told he had no future at the club.
While the Eels would have honoured his contract through to the end of the 2023 campaign, they made it clear during 2022 that he could have had an immediate move.
He ultimately couldn't find one though and returned to first-grade for the losing grand final effort against the Penrith Panthers last year.
The 30-year-old, who debuted for the Wests Tigers in 2013, before playing 28 games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2015 and 2016 has since played 109 games in blue and gold.
The Eels confirmed his release was to join another NRL club, and the Roosters have confirmed they are his new outfit on Tuesday afternoon.
They also confirmed Hau Tapuha has been released and will join another NRL club, although the new club is yet to be confirmed.
It's rumoured the Roosters' prop with three first grade games under his belt could be headed to the Cronulla Sharks, while it appears the Roosters beat out the Manly Sea Eagles and Wests Tigers for Nathan Brown.
Brown has only signed on until the end of the 2023 season though, and will be almost immediately back in the player market looking for a new deal for 2024.
Eels general manager of football Mark O'Neill thanked Brown for his contribution to the Eels.
โWe would like to thank Nathan for his hard work and contribution to the Club's success over the last six years. Key achievements for Nathan during his time at the Eels include making his NSW Origin debut in 2020 and being a part of our 2022 Grand Final team," O'Neill said in a club statement.
โWe wish him all the best in the future.โ
