St.George Queensland Reds sign forward Caleb Timu

The St.George Queensland Reds have signed Broncos forward Caleb Timu through to the end of 2017.

The 22-year-old will join the Reds for training at Ballymore immediately, after seeking an early release from his contract with the NRL club.

He has signed as a loose forward, a position he is familiar with after playing there as a student at St. Joseph’s Nudgee College and for the Queensland and Australian Schoolboys Rugby sides in 2011. The Australian Schoolboys side in 2011 also featured Timu’s new Reds teammates Jake McIntyre, Curtis Browning and Pettowa Paraka.

Although from a Rugby background, Timu signed with the Broncos after high school, where he played for their under-20s side. He left league in 2014 to undertake a two-year Mormon mission in the South Pacific, returning to the club in late 2015.

Queensland Rugby Union, Executive General Manager – Reds, Daniel Herbert said: “We’re pleased to be able to welcome Caleb (Timu) back to Rugby and to the Reds.

“He is a dynamic footballer and someone we’ve tracked since his high school days. We expect he will offer a lot to our side over the next two years, as we continue to build our program. Caleb will spend the next two weeks working intensively with Brad Thorn to refamiliarise himself with Rugby and will train with the Reds main squad on their return from the African tour.”

The majority of the Reds squad is currently in South Africa preparing for its match against the Bulls in Pretoria, but Timu will join his remaining teammates at Ballymore this week to train with coaches Jason Gilmore and Brad Thorn, who was today announced as Reds Assistant Coach for the remainder of the 2016 season.

Timu said: “I am pleased to be returning to Rugby and joining the Reds. I know some of the players from schoolboy Rugby and am looking forward to joining the team. I’m grateful to the Broncos for their understanding and their support of my Rugby ambitions.”

Caleb Timu
Position: Loose forward
Height: 190cm
Weight: 112kg
DOB: 22/02/1994 (22 years old)
Representative honours: Queensland Under-16s, Queensland Schoolboys (2011), Australian Schoolboys (2011).
Junior Rugby Club: Sunnybank Dragons Rugby Club (from Under-8s)