Cornwall RLFC announce Darcy Simpson signs from Australia

Darcy Simpson, a 21-year-old who can play in the second-row or centre, makes the move to Cornwall from Queensland, Australia.

Simpson holds both an Australian and British passport and most recently, he has been playing in the Queensland Cup for Brisbane Tigers - the competition winners in 2023. He has also gained state representative honours by playing for Queensland’s under-21 side.

During his formative rugby league years, Simpson was part of former NRL premiers North Queensland Cowboys’ regional academy.

“Over the past few seasons, I have always had hopes and aspirations to come and play football in England,” Simpson told cornwallrlfc.co.uk.

“I have a few contacts over here and they all said ‘you have to go to a beautiful place like Cornwall’.

“The scenery is lovely and it is a great club. I have looked at the direction Cornwall have moved in over the past two seasons and I really like what I see. I am hoping that I can help get the football club where they want to be - both on the field and in the community.

“In the pat few years, I have played in both Queensland and New South Wales so it is going to be different over here. I played in 35 degree heat but coming over here I know I will be playing in different conditions, but it is still really exciting. 

“I pride myself on hard work and the club prides itself on that too, so this is going to be a good fit for me.”

Meanwhile, Mike Abbott, Cornwall RLFC head coach, added: “Darcy will be a fantastic addition to the squad and he comes highly recommended from Australia after playing in the Queensland Cup.

“He will add further depth to our back row options and he could also play in the back division as a centre if needed. 

“We have seen the impact Australian players have made to the Cornwall cause over the past two seasons and we are looking forward to seeing Darcy follow in the footsteps of Cam Brown and Luke Collins.”