{"id":710797,"date":"2026-06-02T17:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T17:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/710797\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T17:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T17:32:10","slug":"png-land-fourth-signing-only-hours-after-origin-star-locks-in-chiefs-switch-nrl-daily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/710797\/","title":{"rendered":"PNG land fourth signing… only hours after Origin star locks in Chiefs switch: NRL Daily"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chiefs have landed their fourth signing as they continue to build their inaugural roster, with English international Matty Lees joining the PNG franchise.<\/p>\n

Earlier today it was announced utility Connor Watson had signed a two-year deal, and now Lees joins him by signing on for the 2028 season.<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old joined St Helens as a 16-year-old, going on to make his Super League debut at only 18 before playing 199 games for the Saints.<\/p>\n

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In a statement, Lees said the allure of making a move to PNG was too good to refuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes in life, when an opportunity comes, you have to take it on,\u201d Lees said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying in the NRL has been a dream of mine for a very long time, and the opportunity that has been presented to my family and me is one that I could not turn away from.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last 10 years playing for this club have meant absolutely everything to me. This club is family. It has seen me grow from a young lad coming through the Academy, making my way into the first team, to having the honour of being named captain.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his time at St Helens, Lees has won Super League titles, the Challenge Cup and the World Club Challenge and was a welcome addition to the Chiefs squad according to general manager Michael Chammas.<\/p>\n

\u201cMatty Lees is one of the toughest and most respected forwards in rugby league. He\u2019s built his career through hard work, consistency and an uncompromising approach to the game,\u201d Chammas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose qualities are exactly what we\u2019re looking for as we build our roster and culture for 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to secure Matty as Player 004 and look forward to seeing the impact he\u2019ll have both on and off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matty Lees of England looks dejected during the Rugby League Ashes.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

WATSON MAKES CALL ON NRL FUTURE<\/p>\n

The PNG Chiefs have confirmed the signing of hooker Connor Watson, who has penned a two-deal deal with the expansion side.<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old, who has represented New South Wales in five State of Origin games, will join the NRL\u2019s 19th club ahead of the 2028 season. However, he will not remain at the Sydney Roosters next season, with the Dragons securing his signature on a one-year deal.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the Roosters confirmed that Watson had been granted an early release from the final year of his contract following a request from his management, allowing him to join the Dragons in 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatson will remain with the Roosters for the remainder of the 2026 season and will continue to play an important role within the Club\u2019s NRL squad,\u201d the Roosters said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Watson has scored 34 tries in 177 NRL games for the Roosters and Newcastle Knights since his first-grade debut in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnor has made it clear from the outset that he wanted to be part of the PNG Chiefs and this incredible journey we are building,\u201d PNG Chiefs General Manager Football Michael Chammas said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe and his partner Kiana recently spent time in Port Moresby and genuinely fell in love with the country, the people and the opportunity to be part of something much bigger than football.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnor is the type of player every club wants. He is selfless, tough, professional and incredibly respected across the game. His versatility and experience will be invaluable for us as we continue building our squad towards 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery signing matters for a new club, but there is something exciting about seeing the roster continue to build piece by piece. Connor becoming Signing 003 is another important moment in the journey of the PNG Chiefs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also want to thank the Sydney Roosters for their professionalism, patience and understanding throughout this process.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Connor Watson.Source: The Daily Telegraph<\/p>\n

The PNG Chiefs have already announced the signing of Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston and Wests Tigers playmaker Jarome Luai<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat impressed us most, beyond Connor\u2019s football ability, was his sense of purpose and the way he treats people,\u201d PNG Chiefs CEO Lorna McPherson said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe leads with kindness, he listens, and he brings a calm strength into every environment he enters. We wanted people who would genuinely feel at home in Papua New Guinea, and people Papua New Guinea would feel proud to welcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnor immediately connected with the country and our vision for what this club can become. We know he will have a significant impact both on and off the field as we build towards 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can feel the excitement continuing to build around the club now. With every signing, the vision becomes more real for our fans, our partners and for Papua New Guinea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018DID HE?\u2019: IVAN SHUTS DOWN BIG NATHAN DEBATE<\/p>\n

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary isn\u2019t buying into the debate about his son \u201cdominating\u201d State of Origin, with Nathan set to be joined by Isaah Yeo and Brian To\u2019o as the big guns return for Penrith\u2019s grudge match with the Wests Tigers.<\/p>\n

Origin has always been seen as the final frontier for Nathan Cleary, who has dominated the NRL with four premierships and two Clive Churchill Medals.<\/p>\n

He has been the best player in the best team of the NRL era, but that form hasn\u2019t always carried over to rep sides where he now boasts a 50 per cent winning record for the Blues after his brilliant second half in last week\u2019s series opener.<\/p>\n

The NSW halfback scored a try, nailed a 40\/20 and set up two tries off kicks, including James Tedesco\u2019s in the final two minutes that Cleary duly converted to seal the famous 22-20 victory. <\/p>\n

His father proudly watched on from the stands at Accor Stadium and isn\u2019t overly concerned about whether his son has finally ended the Origin debate after he claimed his third man-of-the-match award. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always seen him do that. He\u2019s learnt a lot over the years and has had some really good games and has had some other games where he feels like he could do better,\u201d Ivan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even know what dominating Origin is because we\u2019ve never seen anyone do it. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven Wally Lewis back in the day, he\u2019s probably the only one who really (went close) but did he? I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just so proud of him (Nathan) that he\u2019s in there for a start and that he prepares as hard as he can and plays as hard as he can.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did well last week, but it\u2019ll all be on again in a couple of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n

‘We are facing a Tigers side on the up’ | 11:52<\/p>\n

Cleary missed Sunday\u2019s epic win over the Warriors, but he will return on Sunday alongside a couple of his NSW teammates after they were rested. <\/p>\n

While they didn\u2019t play, Liam Martin returned from a knee injury for his first game since round 6 that has him in the mix for an Origin recall to add to his 15 appearances in blue. <\/p>\n

Martin had a quiet first stint on the right edge but returned in the middle where he provided plenty against the Warriors. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure,\u201d his coach replied when asked if he should be picked for Origin II at the MCG on June 17, with starting back-rowers Hudson Young and Haumole Olakau\u2019atu unlikely to be dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s obviously been there a lot and understands that arena, but it\u2019s hard to say based on what he\u2019s just done.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure he wouldn\u2019t let anyone down.<\/p>\n

The Panthers are coming off a fiery win over the Warriors in the game of the year. Picture: Cameron Spencer\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a real stop-start year for him, so I think he\u2019s just happy to get back out there. I thought the second stint where he came back on, he was looking pretty free, so he\u2019ll only get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Cleary is looking forward to Sunday\u2019s clash against the Tigers who returned to winning ways with stars like Api Koroisau and Jahream Bula back on deck. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve definitely improved throughout the year,\u201d Cleary said of the team he coached for two seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a high-energy team who look pretty connected. When they\u2019ve got it going, they\u2019re a real handful, so it should be a really good game.\u201d<\/p>\n

STORM SOUND WARNING TO REST OF NRL<\/p>\n

The Storm are six points outside the top eight and has already conceded more points in the opening 13 rounds than it has in entire seasons, but veteran prop Josh King says \u201cthe possibilities are endless\u201d for his team as they mount a mid-year charge towards the finals.<\/p>\n

People write off the back-to-back beaten grand finalists after a record seven-game losing streak earlier in the season, with Melbourne struggling with injuries and the new rules.<\/p>\n

The 50-10 loss to Penrith in round 5 theoretically ended their premiership hopes given no team has conceded 50 and won the title in Australia\u2019s first grade history.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019ve slowly turned the tide with three wins from their past four games, with a huge match at home this Friday against the Knights where a win would give them a massive push towards eighth spot ahead of their first bye of the year next week. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have so much belief in this team, and the possibilities are endless,\u201d King said, with the rest of the NRL hoping they don\u2019t make the top eight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe season isn\u2019t written off by any means. The ladder is quite tight and you don\u2019t really see it sort of sitting on place until after this Origin period. <\/p>\n

\u201cSome teams have had two byes, but we haven\u2019t had a bye yet, so we\u2019ll certainly keep on fighting each week.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that ends with us in the top eight at the end of the year, then we\u2019ll take everything we can get.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finals aren\u2019t on the radar for the Storm who are more focused on getting back to the footy that made them the most dominant team of the past two decades.<\/p>\n

The Storm has steadied the ship with three wins from their past four matches. Picture: Hannah Peters\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Cameron Munster is getting back to his best form, while local junior Sua Fa\u2019alogo has carried the team in attack and was best on ground against the Roosters last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a point in worrying about the end result at the minute; the destination is where we\u2019re trying to get to,\u201d King said, pointing to a round 9 loss against the Dolphins as the turning point in their season. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think at the moment for us, it\u2019s about each week at a time and really making sure we\u2019re building on our performances and every week we can be proud of our performance. <\/p>\n

\u201cI reckon it\u2019s not that we\u2019re trying any harder or I think we\u2019ve explored different things, but rugby league, there are so many different things that happen in a game and you tend to put your focus in different areas. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think the Dolphins game, we started putting our focus back in some areas that we were doing last year and probably didn\u2019t realise that we\u2019d fallen away in a little bit. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd in that game, even though we lost, we put in what was probably one of our better performances for the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then again on the back of that, we revisited a few other things that really worked for us last year. And since then, I think we\u2019ve been a really competitive side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will Warbrick says the belief is still strong as they push for a finals spot. Picture: Graham Denholm\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n

The losing streak was foreign territory for everyone at the club, but the past month suggests they could be about to do something special as they try to qualify for the finals after a shocking 2-7 start. <\/p>\n

They only have to look at the Panthers who were 3-1-7 last year and almost made the grand final, while the 1999 Broncos won one of their first 10 matches but recovered to finish eighth. <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, we lost seven in a row, but the biggest thing for us was trying to not panic and have doubt and to then maintain belief in the playing group with the way we wanted to play,\u201d winger Will Warbrick said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a few things we\u2019ve needed to tweak and improve on, but I think as long as everyone is on the same page with what we\u2019re trying to do, the belief is still strong. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne win sometimes helps with building that confidence back up and getting us back on track. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe destination\u2019s not the worry. It\u2019s probably more what works for us this week to help us win and just being able to do that and back that up.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Chiefs have landed their fourth signing as they continue to build their inaugural roster, with English international…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":710798,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-710797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=710797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/710798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=710797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=710797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=710797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}