Young Salford Red Devils ace has seen his three-year deal with Super League leaders confirmed
Super League young gun Declan Murphy says he can’t wait to start his Hull KR career. The Robins have confirmed the signing of the Salford Red Devils ace on a three-year deal.
He will link up ahead of the next season after a remarkable rise to fame with Salford. Murphy, 20, has only played THREE professional games of rugby league after making a cross-code switch from Saracens reserves.
But he has made such an impact with his lightning quick attacking raids and elusiveness that he quickly had a raft of Super League clubs making a play for him. Leeds Rhinos, Catalans Dragons and Leigh Leopards all tabled bids but Murphy has decided to join Willie Peters’ Robins revolution, as first revealed by Hull Live last night.
After announcing he will join the Challenge Cup holders and Super League leaders, Murphy said: “I’m excited to have signed for a club with such high standards and big ambitions.
“They have amazing staff, players and support. I’m buzzing to be a part of this exciting environment and play under Willie Peters and his coaching staff. I’m looking forward to learning and developing new skills at Hull KR and can’t wait to get started.”
Murphy was born in England but spent much of his childhood in New Zealand playing rugby union before returning to the country of his birth.
With that in mind, and given he’s considered as a player from a new player pool, Rovers will get dispensation on the first year of his contract. Only 50 percent of his salary will count on the cap in 2026.
Head coach Peters said: “It all happened fairly quickly with the signing of Declan (Murphy). There were several clubs in for Declan and rightly so.
“Based on the potential that we see, and what the other clubs saw as well, we are very happy Declan chose Hull KR.
“We feel he’s the right fit for us and we’re the right fit for him in terms of his development. And this is the most important area now for Declan towards having a long and successful Super League career.”
Ironically, Murphy featured against the Robins in last night’s 74-12 mauling. He will go up against Frenchman Arthur Mourgue for the No1 role at Craven Park next term as Peters continues to strengthen his squad in the long-term.