Tyson Smoothy Returns to NRL, Addresses Bears' Key Concern

Tyson Smoothy, the former Brisbane Broncos dummy half, has officially announced his return to the NRL by signing a three-year contract with the Perth Bears.

Now aged 27, Smoothy made his NRL debut with the Melbourne Storm in 2021 before joining the Brisbane Broncos in 2023, where he has participated in 42 of 46 NRL matches thus far.

Following the conclusion of the 2025 season, and with Brisbane's abundance of dummy halves, he decided to relocate to England, signing a three-year deal with Wakefield Trinity in 2026.

Although this arrangement has been shortened, Smoothy will conclude the year in England before reuniting with Mal Meninga's side until late 2029.

"I'd like to thank Daryl, Ste and the Wakefield club for releasing Tyson and allowing him to sign with the Perth Bears," remarked head coach Mal Meninga upon the announcement.

"They are a proud club and the fact they let Tyson return home early shows how much they care about their players."

"I'm looking forward to working with Tyson when he returns home. He is a super talented player who has had success throughout his career."

"the squad is starting to take shape and with the addition of Gehamat and Tyson, we now have four players in the squad who have tasted Premiership success over the last two seasons."

Previously, the dummy half position had posed challenges for the Bears, especially with the recent signing of Tyran Wishart and Toby Sexton as their halves, while Jamie Humphreys recently opted out of the club.