After playing his 300th first-grade match in the NRL last round, Newcastle Knights centre Dane Gagai has reportedly made a call on his future as he has a mutual option in his contract for next season.
Over the past 12 months, the Newcastle Knights have decided to rebuild their roster, offloading several players such as Daniel Saifiti and Jayden Brailey, while making several new signings, headlined by the arrival of New Zealand international Dylan Brown next season.
While it was reported last year that Gagai could have also departed at the end of this season, The Newcastle Herald reports that the representative centre has already decided to play on for the 2026 NRL season.
According to the publication, it is understood that Gagai's agent is on the cusp of finalising a new contract with the Knights - he had a mutual option in his contract for 2026.
"Until I feel like I lose the passion or I can't keep up, but I still feel there's another few years," he said via The Newcastle Herald last week in the lead-up to his 300-game milestone match that took place against the Parramatta Eels.
"But my biggest focus is this year...yeah, it's my 300th, but this is an important game because we need to get our season back on track.
"I was fortunate enough to be under the likes of Darren Lockyer and those types of players when I first came through the Broncos. I got to experience Origin in 2015 and hang around the likes of Cameron Smith.
"So I've been very fortunate in my career, and anything that I can pass on to the young boys, I do. But my biggest advice is just be yourself and play footy."
The 2017 Wally Lewis Medallist, Gagai, has had two stints with the Knights (between 2012-17 and 2022-present) as well as playing for the Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Away from the NRL field, the 34-year-old has featured 23 times for the QLD Maroons, seven times for Australia and played for both the Indigenous and Maori All Stars.
"I hadn't met Dane before, and he got up and walked towards me, and I could just see in his eyes what it meant to him. The passion and determination in him," two-time Newcastle premiership-winner Mark Hughes told The Newcastle Herald.
"I have followed him closely ever since. We've had a bit of a special bond. I played a lot of centre, so I was always interested in how he was going. In that time, he has become a family man, and a big part of our community.
"I then had the honour of presenting him his 200th jersey, and I was presenting that to a Knights legend. He's the ninth player to play 200 games for us, and now 300 in the NRL, it's amazing."
