Signing Bulldogs bring local junior Jacob Kiraz home

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https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-2022-canterbury-bulldogs-sign-jacob-kiraz-from-newcastle-knights/25d1aed4-25a5-4a03-9751-580732c88132

The Bulldogs have bolstered their backline strength by signing Lebanese Test utility back Jacob Kiraz from Newcastle.

A speedy centre/winger, the 20-year-old has yet to play in the NRL but will join Canterbury's squad and is expected to make his debut at some stage in the next couple of seasons.

Kiraz hails from the Bulldogs juniors, playing for St Johns Eagles, but has spent the past couple of seasons with St George Illawarra, North Queensland, and Newcastle.

The powerhouse youngster was upgraded to Newcastle's top 30 for this season - a sign of his ability - after he impressed in the NSW Cup in 2021.


But he wanted to come home and has been welcomed back to Belmore with open arms.

"He's a good kid with plenty of ability," Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould told Wide World of Sports.

Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett. (Getty)

At just 17, he made he debut for Lebanon, coming off the bench in a loss to Fiji at Leichhardt Oval.

He played in one game for the Cedars in the 2019 World Cup 9s, only for Lebanon to be stripped of the win after the match for fielding him as an underage player.

International Rugby League rules allow for players over the age of 16 to play, but the nines competition was run under NRL rules.

 

[spiritofaslan]

https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2022/01/08/20-stars-for-2022--jacob-kiraz/​

20 stars for 2022 | Jacob Kiraz​

Tom Gibbs - Sat 8 Jan 2022, 09:31 AM

The Newcastle Knights boast a quality list of young outside backs and Jacob Kiraz is one on that production line who’s building a great case for an NRL start in the near future.

Having previously played for the St George Dragons’ SG Ball Cup side in 2019, the St Johns junior was recruited by the Knights for 2021 after a stint in North Queensland. But Kiraz has managed to make his presence felt in just a short time at his new club.

Since arriving in Newcastle, Kiraz – already with a Lebanon Test appearance on his resume – didn’t take long to become a fixture of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup side.
He played nine matches on the wing for two tries, one try-assist, three line-breaks, 17 tackle busts and eight offloads, averaging a solid 94 run metres and eight tackles per game.
Kiraz produced enough strong performances – particularly through his work-rate – to earn an NRL top-30 contract for 2022.
After making an impact in his opening year with the Novocastrians, Kiraz has clearly caught the eye of NRL head coach Adam O’Brien.
As he keeps making progress in training with the top squad, the healthy competition in the Newcastle backline could be just what Kiraz needs to pair an NRL debut jersey with his first Test cap.

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Seems like a handy Mounties/NSW Cup pickup.