‘Not able to compete’: Reece Robson turns down strong offer from the Cowboys to join the Roosters

Representative dummy-half Reece Robson will leave the Cowboys at the end of the 2025 season after agreeing to join the Roosters on a four-year deal.

The Cowboys broke the news on Friday afternoon, with the Roosters confirming the deal an hour later.

North Queensland made the 26-year-old a healthy offer but they weren’t able to keep the tackling machine who joined them in 2020 after a couple of seasons with the Dragons.

Robson has played five matches for the Blues and is expected to start at dummy-half for the Roosters in 2026, a move that could force Brandon Smith out of the club.

“We’re pleased to have secured Reece’s signature and look forward to welcoming him to the Roosters in 2026,” Roosters head of recruitment Daniel Anderson said.

Smith played under-20s footy at the Cowboys but said recently that a return to Townsville wasn’t on the cards, with the Cowboys now in desperate need of a quality number nine after failing to re-sign Robson.

“We tabled our best possible offer, but unfortunately were not able to compete with the final offer Reece received,” Cowboys general manager of football Micheal Luck said.

“Reece now has a young family and we respect his decision.

“He will continue to be an important member of our squad for 2025 and we look forward to his contributions in his final season at the club.”