He's the second Lussick to don the Blue and Gold after older brother Darcy moved to the Parramatta Eels in 2013 and was there until he departed for the Manly Sea Eagles in 2016.
For the Eels, they'll be hoping Joey has a better time of it in the west given Darcy peaked in his first season before struggling with form in 2014 and 2015.
Joey has taken a bit of the long way round to return to the NRL. He was in Parramatta's system as a halfback during his teenage years, before returning to the Northern Beaches.
A Manly junior, he played only one first grade game for the Sea Eagles in 2017 before heading to England with Salford Red Devils.
Beginning as a bench player upon his arrival in 2018, 2020 saw Lussick nab the starting hooker role and managed 59 first grade games for the Devils.
He arrives at the Eels with his eyes set on the hooking role and injects some competition for the position that has essentially been Reed Mahoney's since his debut in 2018.
A slightly bigger player than Mahoney and with a background in the halves, he will seemingly be competing for a bench position with fellow hooker and new recruit Nathaniel Roache, although Lussick's top 30 contract indicates he has the inside running at this stage.
An NRL experienced backup hooker is something the Eels have been lacking for quite some time now with the likes of Will Smith and Ray Stone both deputising when Mahoney has been unavailable.
Lussick's purchase provides some relief for the coaching staff in that respect, but also an opportunity to carry a speedy replacement on the bench.
It's also worthy to note that Lussick has been part of Parramatta's spine work with Andrew Johns since he joined pre-season in late 2020.
Replies
You could be right about Stone and Smith Coryn.
Lussick's highlights are excellent, but they are highlights only.
I am actually looking forward to see how our new recruits shape up.
The thing that struck me with Lussick is how willing he is to have a go from close range. It'd be good to have a replacement hooker who will take a dart because it keeps the middle defence honest close to the line. As tenacious as Mahoney is, I sometimes feel his passing can be too predictable and it is too easy for defences to read.