After joining the North Queensland Cowboys feeder team and aiming to push for an NRL debut, Riley Dean has decided to return back home to England, confirming his next move.
Dean made 16 QLD Cup appearances for the Mackay Cutters this season with Cowboys coach Todd Payten confirming at the end of last year that the club was keeping a close eye on his progression and “ heard good things about him”.
However, it seems that Dean's dream of playing in the NRL has come to an end, with the 22-year-old agreeing to return to England with immediate effect until the end of the 2026 season with Oldham RLFC. Oldham RLFC currently competes in the RFL Championship - the second-tier of the English Super League - where they remain at the top of the table.
Competing in the halves at either five-eighth or halfback, Dean's tenure in the QLD Cup consisted of 16 matches, three tries, 17 try assists, 13 line-break assists and 927 total running metres.
"I can't wait to get going and this is a good opportunity for me to hopefully cement myself in this Oldham team for an exciting journey to be part of," Dean told Roughyeds TV.
“It was a great experience and a new way of life in Australia, learning some life lessons and that was an opportunity I wanted to take.
“This now is an opportunity that I did not want to let go and I'm glad I have taken it. I get on with Longy, he is a really good bloke outside of rugby and he doesn't really put the ball down that often.
“He is one of the big reasons I have come back, with the depth and bank of knowledge he has got - if I can take five per cent of that it is good enough for me.
“He and (managing director) Mike Ford laid out the vision of this club and I hope I can play my part to get it to where it deserves to be."
The maiden captain of the Under-16s Ireland national team, he also represented Ireland at the World Cup qualifiers in 2021.
His club career also includes time spent at the Warrington Wolves, York, Dewsbury, Newcastle Thunder, Featherstone and Castleford Tigers.
"I have kept in touch with Riley for a long time and coached him at Fev.,” Oldham coach Sean Long added
“He was talking about coming home so we worked it out, he knows how I play and how we defend and it is great to get it over the line now for the last few games of this season.
“He controls the game and has been learning his craft in Australia tackling those big lads out there. He will bring calmness and clarity and will slot right in - if selected!"
