Dragons snap up Reimis Smith

Catalans Dragons have announced the signing of Reimis Smith with immediate effect.

The New-Zealand centre, who currently plays for Melbourne Storm, has signed with the club until the end of the 2024 season.

He is expected to arrive in Perpignan in the coming days.

Smith said: "I am truly excited to be joining a strong organisation like the Catalans Dragons. I look forward to contributing to a team of quality players led by an outstanding coach.

"Over the past nine years in the NRL including the last four years at the Melbourne Storm, I have learned valuable traits that I will certainly apply to my training and game with the Dragons."

Born in Sydney, Reimis Smith trained at Parramatta before joigning Canterbury Bulldogs during the 2015 season.

He started his career in New South Wales Cup with Canterbury reserves team before making his professional debut in NRL in May 2016, where he scored two tries in his first appearance.

With limited opportunities in the Bulldogs’ squad, he played in the NSW Cup, scoring 23 tries in 46 appearances between 2015 and 2018.

Then, he established himself as a major player on the wing for Canterbury from the 2018 season and confirmed his good performances the next two seasons, playing 38 games and scoring 23 tries in three years.

In 2021, he signed for Melbourne Storm, NRL reigning champions. He made a convincing first season with the Storm, scoring 14 tries in 25 NRL appearances in the 2021 season, in which the Storm finished top of the table at the end of the regular season before being beaten by Penrith in a semi-final.

A key player of the Melbourne squad in the last four seasons, he made 69 appearances with the Storm, including 13 of the 18 NRL games of the current season.

He has scored 50 tries in 118 NRL appearances since his professional debut. He also made his international debut for the Maori All-Stars against the Indigenous All-Stars in 2022 where the Maori won 16-10.

Dragons head coach Steve McNamara said: "We are very happy to have secured Reimis and it is a real bonus for us that he can join us immediately. He is coming to us from a club with a great culture and he will add quality to our team."