BRONCOS AND TIGERS JOIN FORCES

The Easts Tigers have announced a new three-year affiliate club arrangement with the Brisbane Broncos.

The agreement will give a direct pathway to the NRL for young Tiger talent while also immediately providing two young men with a taste of life in the NRL.

Tigers players Trent Young and Luke Archer (pictured) have already started pre-season training with the Broncos senior squad, and will continue through until the NRL competition begins.

The pair - along with any other Easts player who catches the eye of the Broncos coaching staff during the season - will be dually-registered with both the Tigers and Broncos, making them eligible for both the NRL and Queensland Cup.

In a further boost to the program, Bronco top-liners Tonie Carroll and Darius Boyd will be listed as affiliate players with the Tigers.

"We are very pleased Easts has chosen to join us in a partnership such as this," Cullen said.

"It has been shown in the past through the exploits of players like Shane Perry, Nick Emmett and Mick Roberts, that Queensland Cup players can make the step up to the NRL if they are just given the chance.

"This scheme has shown to be especially fortuitous for the Broncos when we are without our top players through the representative season.

"We are certain this new relationship with Easts will provide similar benefits to both the Broncos and the talented youngsters at their club," he said.

Easts chief executive Des Morris – a Queensland State of Origin selector – said it made sense to join with the Tigers local NRL club and provide a direct pathway for the clubs junior players.

"We believe we are on track to being able to boast the best Junior Development program in Queensland", said Morris, "and this affiliation means our homegrown talent will be able to continue to play locally right up to the NRL level."

The Tigers are pleased to be able to part amicably with Shane Richardson and the South Sydney Rabbitohs after the 2006 affiliation as they were grateful to the Rabbitohs for the massive assistance given to the Club in their time together.