The Penrith Panthers have confirmed the club's development players for next season, with four players committing to the club.
North Queensland Cowboys forward Riley Price has signed with the Panthers for next season and will join the club as one of the four development players.
Price, who made hisย NRLย debut earlier this season in Round 5 against theย Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, is the son of former NRL great Steve Price.
In the two first-grade games he has played in theย NRL, Price managed two tackle busts, 13.6 post-contact metres, 28 tackles (90.3 per cent efficiency), and 48 total running metres (24 per game) in limited minutes off the interchange bench.
Still young at 22 years of age, Price is yet to live up to his potential; however, if one team can bring it out of him, it would be the Penrith Panthers. At the Panthers, he will be under the mentorship of international forwardsย Isaah Yeo,ย Liam Martin,ย Moses Leota,ย James Fisher-Harrisย andย Scott Sorensen, all of whom will take him under their wing.
The Panthers have also confirmed that Luke Sommerton, Isaiah Iongi and Preston Riki will be development players at the club for next season.
Sommerton made his NRL debut in Round 24 against the Manly Sea Eagles and would also score a try against the Cowboys in the final NRL regular season game of the year. He will add to the hooking depth at the club and will be a backup to Mitch Kenny and Soni Luke.
Preston Riki represented the Maori All Stars earlier this year and has spent the past year in the NSW Cup after joining from the New Zealand Warriors, where he spent three years in the NSW Cup. Unfortunately, he has been set back by multiple injuries in the past but will be eager to play in 2024 as he looks for his NRL debut.
After spending time training with the NRL squad, Isaiah Iongi will be the club's final development player for next season. The fullback was named the club's Jersey Flegg Player of the Year in 2022 and has represented the U19s Queensland team in the past.
In 24 NSW Cup games this season, he scored five tries and managed to provide 18 try assists to his teammates.
โLuke, Isaiah and Preston have been valuable players for the Panthers Pathways teams over the past couple of seasons, and it's exciting to see them confirmed as development players in 2024,โ Panthers Rugby League CEO Matt Cameron said in a club statement.
โAs a club, we're also excited to have Riley join the Panthers from the Cowboys, and we believe he will flourish at the club.โ
