An international forward who was recently released from his Super League side has signed with an Australian club.
It’s been just over two weeks since Bradford Bulls confirmed the immediate release of Ireland international Ronan Michael, with the prop having struggled for game time since the West Yorkshire club’s promotion to Super League.
The Bulls’ statement revealed that Michael was set to ‘pursue opportunities elsewhere’ and it turns out, that opportunity is in Australia.
Innisfail Leprechauns have announced Michael’s signing with the lower grade Australian side taking to social media to confirm the deal.
Posting on Instagram, they confirmed: “We’re stocked to welcome Ronan Michael from the UK to our team. He’s also dual signed with the Northern Pride.”
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Innisfail and Northern Pride are both based in Cairns with Northern Pride playing in the Queensland Cup, which effectively serves as the reserve grade competition for the NRL.
A level below that are the regional leagues with Innisfail playing in the Cairns District League but because Michael is signed on a dual reg deal, he could well end up playing in the Q Cup, which would be a very significant move.
Capped nine times by Ireland, the 25-year-old started his career with Huddersfield Giants but has played the majority of his games for York Knights, from whom he joined Bradford Bulls.
A loan spell at the Knights in 2022 turned into a permanent deal over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, during which he earned plenty of games before then joining the Bulls. During their 2025 campaign, he played 30 times but failed to make a Super League appearance with his only games in 2026 to date being out on loan with Keighley Cougars.
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