St George Illawarra Dragons have signed Taane Milne for two years recruiting the 20-year-old from the Sydney Roosters.
Milne, 20, can play either on the wing or centres, and played in the Roosters under-20 team this year when he scored eight tries in 12 games.
The Clovelly Crocodiles junior is a two-time Junior Kiwis representative (2014-15) who has previously featured for both the NSW Schoolboys Rugby Union (2013) and Australian Schoolboys Rugby Union (2013) teams.
‘‘Taane is a former dual-representative at junior grade who is equally at home both in the centres or on the wing,” said Dragons director of recruitment and retention Peter Mulholland.
“He is an up-and-coming player of potential who will continue to develop his game under the guidance of head coach Paul McGregor and along side the more senior players as he joins the NRL full-time training squad.’
The Dragons have also signed under-20s outside back Patrick Herbert, until the end of the 2017.
Herbert, 18, joined the Dragons from New Zealand this year, playing SG Ball under-18s with Illawarra before progressing to the Dragons under-20s squad.
“Patrick is an outstanding talent with a bright future. He can play fullback, wing and centre, has great speed and scored some brilliant tries this year,” said Mulholland.
‘‘He came to the club from a renowned rugby union school in Auckland where he was a target of Super Rugby franchises but he preferred to play league and he will spend some time training with the NRL Squad in the pre-season.’’
The Dragons have also released Adam Tuimavave-Gerard and Jack Kavanagh from the final years of their respective contracts to enable them to take up opportunities at other clubs.
