This time last year, Keenan Palasia was licking the wounds from a grand final defeat with the Brisbane Broncos, intent on returning to the same stage with a new club.
But just one year into his Gold Coast Titans tenure, the prop has packed his bags for England, and will join the Leeds Rhinos in 2025.
Palasia was an unsung hero of Brisbane’s premiership tilt in 2023, returning to the side after being axed midway through the campaign to inject impact off the bench in relief of starting duo Payne Haas and Thomas Flegler.
Billy Walters, Keenan Palasia and Kobe Hetherington line up for the 2023 grand final for the Brisbane Broncos.Credit: NRL Photos
The 27-year-old would average 130 running metres and 24 tackles a game in his final 11 outings, before joining the Titans after being signed by former coach Justin Holbrook.
However, Palasia would play just 15 matches – running an average of 56 metres per encounter – under Des Hasler, which, along with the Gold Coast’s signing of former Kangaroos enforcer Reagan Campbell-Gillard, triggered his release.
“Keenan arrives with a lot of experience of playing in the NRL, with nearly 70 games under his belt, and I think he will complement the options we already have in our forward pack,” said Leeds coach Brad Arthur, a former Parramatta Eels mentor.
“I know he is excited about starting his new life in England with the Rhinos, and I think he will become a firm fan favourite with his style of play.”
Palasia will be joined by Norths Devils battler Cooper Jenkins, who at the weekend celebrated the first NRL State Championship triumph by a Queensland side since 2015.
Jenkins’ departure – after running for 132 metres in a 20-18 win over Newtown – will ignite a fresh fight for the Devils’ front row duties in 2025, with Tuki Simpkins taking Palasia’s place at the Titans.
Simpkins, who previously came through the North Queensland Cowboys before playing five games at Wests Tigers, is fresh off his Queensland Cup Prop of the Year accolade.
The 22-year-old wrecking ball missed the Devils’ State Championship triumph, with coach Dave Elliott revealing he had been playing through injury for much of the year.
But Elliott, who first met Simpkins during their time in Townsville, was confident he had the traits to thrive with the Titans.
“We all felt pretty blessed when he came across our desk as a possibility to come to Norths. He’s just a tough, uncompromising front rower, probably a little bit old-school in that sense,” Elliott said.
“He’s got a wonderful offload … he’s had a little knee complaint he’s been playing with lately, but until that point he was one of the certainly top-three front rowers in the comp.
“He just wants to be here and play with the group, and he’s playing with an injury and has got some things on his plate next year.
“It says something about him as a person and his character, and he just doesn’t want to let your team down.”
