The Bulldogs' head of recruitment, Mark Hughes, confirmed the paperwork was completed last week after one of his old football mates from Bathurst sold him the Australian Schoolboy and St Stanislaus star.

"We first came across Beau quite late in the piece through his manager," Hughes said. "I've got a mate who I played football with who is now living in Bathurst, and he was the first person to give me an unbiased appraisal of Beau. I still haven't seen Beau play, but once I heard what my mate had to say, we moved quickly to sign him."

Robinson met with Hughes in Sydney to put the loose forward through an agility test.

Hughes was staggered at Robinson's footwork and was shocked to learn that he hadn't lifted a weight.

The 18-year-old, who is enjoying a break at home since his last HSC exam, said the New South Wales Waratahs rugby union franchise made an attractive offer, but he preferred the path the Bulldogs had offered.

"I had just as good an offer from the Waratahs, but the Bulldogs offered me more in terms of developing me as a player," Robinson said.

"I would have been on a junior Waratah contract and a couple of clubs offered to put me straight into first grade, but that didn't appeal to me. I don't think I'm ready for that."

Robinson played No 8 in rugby until this year when he gained selection as a flanker for the Australian Schoolboys that toured the Pacific Islands and New Zealand.

The Bulldogs see him as a ball- playing back rower, similar to an Andrew Ryan or a Sonny-Bill Williams.

"He might make a good lock in league," Hughes continued. "He'll play lock or second-row and will join our Jersey Flegg team.

"We're really excited about how raw he is and that was one of the things that attracted us to him. He's got a big frame and I can't believe he's never lifted a weight.

"The fact he got picked from a school in Bathurst to play with the Australian Schoolboys (rugby union) speaks volumes and we're surprised he went unnoticed for so long. He's a really aggressive defender and ball runner and my mate's a pretty good judge.

"We normally want the really good kids to sign for two or three years, but we've let him sign for one. We gave him a bit of leeway because he's not sure that he's making the right decision.

"We're prepared to back ourselves that we can accommodate him and that he'll really enjoy his league, but if he doesn't he can return to rugby."

Robinson played rugby league for St Johns College before boarding at Stannies and has had a handful of games for Bathurst St Pats in Group 10 over the past two years.

He won an under-15 Central West Rugby Union premiership with the Dubbo Kangaroos alongside another Canterbury Bulldog, Daniel Conn, who has extended his contract with the Dogs by another two years and has already had three full seasons with Canterbury as well as NSW juniors.