Wakefield Trinity hooker Tyson Smoothy is heading to Australia to join Perth Bears on a three-year deal, after the Super League club released him from his contract on compassionate grounds.

The 27-year-old Australian signed for Wakefield ahead of the 2025 campaign on a three-year deal, and head coach Daryl Powell confirmed earlier this year that Smoothy would leave at the end of the 2026 season. That timeline has now moved forward, with Trinity announcing his immediate departure on 27 July.

Smoothy's time in West Yorkshire delivered on the pitch. He scored four tries in 21 appearances across all competitions and helped Wakefield to second place in the Super League table — a position that marks a remarkable rise for a club that was fighting to re-establish itself at the top level. His stint was not without setback: he missed two games earlier in 2026 after a concussion, an injury that the club managed carefully.

A hooker in rugby league is the player who distributes the ball from the play-the-ball — the restart after a tackle — acting as the team's primary link between forwards and backs. Smoothy, a former NRL Grand Finalist before he arrived in England, brought top-level experience to a Wakefield side that also featured fellow recruit Jazz Tevaga, the New Zealand forward signed for the 2026 season.

Perth Bears are a newly formed NRL side preparing for their inaugural season, and Smoothy becomes the latest Super League player to commit to the project. Leeds Rhinos trio James McDonnell, Harry Newman and Mikolaj Oledzki are also heading to Western Australia, giving the expansion club a significant British and Irish flavour.

For Wakefield, losing a starting hooker mid-season is a blow, but the compassionate nature of the release — confirmed by both the club and reported by the BBC — means the parting is amicable. Director of rugby Ste Mills and Powell had already planned for life after Smoothy, and the club's strong league position suggests the squad has depth to absorb the loss.

The move also illustrates the growing traffic between the two codes of rugby league — the 13-a-side game played in both England's Super League and Australia's NRL. Perth's entry into the NRL expands the competition's footprint, and the Bears are signing players who know the British game inside out.

Smoothy leaves Wakefield with the club riding high and a new adventure waiting across the world.