Brisbane have boosted their middle forward rotation with experienced forward Ryan James joining the Broncos after a stint with Canberra.

The 30-year-old has made 158 NRL appearances since debuting in 2010 for the Gold Coast where he played for a decade before moving to the Raiders for 2021.

A former captain at the Titans, the 193cm Tweed Heads product will bring valuable leadership, size and a tough edge to the developing Broncos pack.

He was also winner of the NRL’s Ken Stephen Memorial Award in 2018 for his extensive work in the community. 

Broncos football director Ben Ikin was thrilled to recruit James.

"We have made no secret of the fact that we have been looking for an experienced forward to to bolster our pack and help our younger forwards grow and improve - Ryan James fits that bill perfectly," he said in a club statement.

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"Not only is he still playing good football, Ryan is a great leader and models the behaviours we are trying to develop across our playing group."

James will join Adam Reynolds, Kurt Capewell, Jordan Pereira, Corey Jensen and Brenko Lee as fresh signings at the Broncos in 2022.

That’s in addition to a long list of Broncos to extend with the club in recent months including Kotoni Staggs, Kobe Hetherington, Albert Kelly, Tyson Gamble and exciting youngsters Tesi Niu, Brendan Piakura, Teui “TC” Robati, Selwyn Cobbo and Xavier Willison.

The Raiders granted James a release from the final year of his two-season deal so he could return to the Sunshine State.