NRL: Kiwi winger makes code switch

Curtis Rona playing for the Bulldogs. Photo / Getty

Canterbury NRL winger Curtis Rona will switch to the 15-man code after signing with Super Rugby club the Western Force.

Rona will return to Perth, where he grew up, after signing with the club on a two-year deal.

The 24-year-old has scored 39 tries in 49 matches, but played rugby union as a teenager and was a junior member of the Force's academy until he switched to league in 2009.

"The signing of Curtis is good for us on a number of levels," interim Force coach Dave Wessels said.

"Obviously being a local boy him coming home means a lot as we look to keep growing rugby in the state and the second thing is that he's a weapon.

"He has been incredibly successful in the NRL as one of the leading try scorers in the competition and is a really exciting player.

"At 24, he is still very young so we feel he fits nicely in our plans for our backline."

Rona's departure from the Bulldogs comes just two days after fellow winger Sam Perrett announced his retirement as of the end of the season.

Rona was selected in the Kiwis' 24-man squad for the 2015 tour of Great Britain. However, he did not get on the park in the first two matches against England, before returning home to see the birth of his daughter.

- AAP