Ex-NRL veteran, and former Hull FC man, Will Smith, has found a new club ahead of 2026, after securing a move to play with some familiar faces to the UK competition in Australia.
Smith will join the Mata’utia brothers, Sione and Peter, as he switches to Newcastle-based side Lakes United for the upcoming campaign.
A former player at Penrith Panthers, Parramatta, Gold Coast and Wests Tigers, the now 33-year-old left the Southern Hemisphere in 2022, to join the Black and Whites for the latter part of that season.
In seven matches, he scored twice, but it wouldn’t be enough to guide them to a play-off spot, as they ended the season in ninth, six points off the top six.
He returned to the NRL once his half-year under Brett Hodgson had concluded, which is where he joined Wests for the following campaign.
An 88-time NRL player, Smith will now continue his playing career with the Lakes, and will add huge versatility, having played at full-back, centre, the halves and hooker in his time as a professional.
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Former Hull FC man Will Smith joins new club
It is not just the Mata’utia brothers that he will be playing with, or against, in 2026, with a number of former Super League stars featuring in the same competition, which is one of the strongest regional divisions in Australia.
Kevin Naiqama, Albert Kelly, and Mitch Garbutt are all other big names in the league, with the latter recently confirming that he would be the captain-coach of the Scone Thoroughbreds.
