The Canberra Raiders have confirmed the signing of former Bulldogs Player Brad Abbey for the next two seasons.

Abbey has joined the club for pre-season training and comes with a classy junior resume, including an appearance for the New Zealand Warriors at fullback in the 2014 NYC Grand Final, and representation of the Junior Kiwis.

He made his NRL debut for the Bulldogs in 2017 playing four matches and scoring one try.

Raiders NRL Recruitment and High-Performance director Peter Mullholland said the club was looking forward to having Abbey in the squad for the next two seasons and said he was an exciting young talent with big potential.

“Brad was standout at junior level and was one of the best young fullbacks to come out of the NYC competition,” Mulholland said. “At just 20 years of age he showed he can perform at NRL level this year with the Bulldogs and we know he’ll work hard during the pre-season and will add strong depth to our squad.

Abbey’s contract is for two years until the end of the 2019 season, with the Raiders holding an option to sign him for a further season in 2020.

The signing of Abbey coincides with the club releasing Clay Priest, who has taken up an opportunity with the Bulldogs.

Priest was the first player from the Mounties system to make his NRL debut with the Green Machine and played 31 NRL matches for the Raiders since his debut in 2016.

The Raiders would like to thank Clay for his time with the club and wish him all the best for the future.