Australian rugby is in danger of losing its hottest rising star to the PNG Chiefs, with teenage sensation Treyvon Pritchard a priority target for the NRL’s cashed-up new club.
And the expansion franchise won’t be stopping at poaching the hugely talented Reds rookie – the Chiefs are looking to make it a family package by also signing his older brother, rising Brumbies centre Kadin Pritchard.
This masthead can reveal the Pritchard brothers met with PNG Chiefs officials in Brisbane on Tuesday, where the new league club laid out its pitch for Treyvon, 19, and Kadin, 21, to join the inaugural Chiefs roster in 2028.
With much of the NRL player pool off-limits to the PNG club until November 1, when players coming off contract in 2027 are free to negotiate with rival clubs, the Chiefs are looking at rugby targets, where no such restrictions exist.
Speculation the Chiefs were chasing Wallabies star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is wide of the mark, according to informed sources, but it’s a different story when it comes to Pritchard – who only turned 19 last month and is already a superstar in the making.
Boasting skill and elusiveness some have likened to Kalyn Ponga when he was at the same school 11 years earlier, Pritchard debuted for the Reds last year in a friendly while still in grade 12 at Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) in Brisbane.
Pritchard was drafted straight into the Queensland senior squad this season and made his debut in Super Rugby Pacific in March.
Pritchard, who plays wing, fullback and centre, has since played in eight Super games and scored his first senior try for the Reds last week with a deceptive run in the dying minutes against rugby’s Chiefs, from New Zealand.
The youngster’s name has already been mentioned by some pundits as a potential Wallabies bolter this year, and with more time under his belt Pritchard will be a legitimate contender for selection in squad for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia next year.
Pritchard is contracted with the QRU until 2027, having last year extended his deal.
Informed industry sources said the PNG interest is not new territory for Pritchard, who has been courted by numerous NRL clubs in the last few years, particularly in Queensland. His spectacular highlight reels from schools rugby, and in the Australian under-18 teams – both XVs and sevens – are well-known.
He starred in a pair of thumping wins by the Australian Schools and Under 18 side over New Zealand last year: 81-48 in Canberra and the second Test 55-33
But while Pritchard, who played rugby league until the age of 15, has said he elected to stay in rugby because he loves being at the Reds, the Chiefs’ ability to offer tax-free earnings could be a decisive factor.
A tax-free $300,000 a year salary from PNG would give Pritchard roughly the same money in his pocket as a $500,000 contract in rugby – which is top tier in the 15-man game. Rugby Australia would be required to push the boat out to match it, and largely on Pritchard’s potential.
If the Chiefs pursue a 2028 deal with the Pritchards in coming months, it would also force RA to negotiate for an extension beyond the normal contracting timeframes in rugby. While league players signing deals to change clubs 18 months in advance is now common, it is rarely – if ever – seen in Australian rugby.
But Pritchard signing with the Chiefs for 2028 would also potentially affect his status at the selection table for the Wallabies in the future.
Kadin Pritchard is also a high-quality athlete who played for the Junior Wallabies in 2024 and made a Super Rugby debut for the Brumbies in 2025. The 21-year-old has become a mainstay for the Canberra side this season, starting almost every game at No.13.
He is highly regarded by his Brumbies coach, former Wallabies star Stephen Larkham, who has a knack for developing talent.
Treyvon has been brought through the Reds system by incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss. Though Kiss has taken the slow and steady approach to his introduction to Super Rugby – Pritchard has been on the bench in all but one game – the coach is a huge fan.
“Treyvon is very savvy. He is no one-trick pony,” Kiss said earlier this year. “He is a beautifully balanced young player. Very quick, smart and confident. He can kick off both feet, step off both feet, and his speed off the mark is brilliant. He has the one thing you can’t coach and that’s speed.”
The Pritchard brothers’ father, Dan, is a New Zealander, while mother Brenda is of Ghanian heritage.
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