South Sydney Rabbitohs star second-rower David Fifita is set to be offered a monster new contract by the club after a barnstorming 2026 season.
12 months ago, Fifita's career was somewhat at a crossroads as he looked to negotiate an exit from the Gold Coast Titans.
The Titans and Fifita's relationship has ultimately grown stale, with the Titans needing to hit reset, and Fifita looking for a change of scenery to get his own career back on the front foot.
The former Queensland Maroons representative ultimately landed at the South Sydney Rabbitohs on a deal that benefited the Maroubra-based club greatly, given the Titans were still paying a large chunk of the forward's salary.
Playing under Wayne Bennett at South Sydney, Fifita has recaptured his best form, though, with the 26-year-old impressing across his 17 games this year.
He couldn't find a return to the Queensland State of Origin set-up, but was certainly in the conversation and won't be far away next year if his form continues.
The barnstorming forward is contracted with the Rabbitohs through to the end of 2027, and while there has been no indication he is looking to do so, the representative-calibre forward who will represent the PM's XIII on Saturday afternoon in Port Moresby could hit free agency on November 1.
Instead, News Corp are reporting the Rabbitohs board are putting a three-year offer together for Fifita that could keep him at the club to the end of the decade.
The offer will be one of the first to be placed since the Rabbitohs lifted their contract negotiation pause, which was put in place earlier this year as they worked through their salary cap position, and stance on the future of Tallis Duncan and Latrell Mitchell.
It has now emerged that Duncan has re-signed for the next three years at South Sydney, while Mitchell will not be entertained on the contract front until at least March, with the Rabbitohs willing to risk him heading to free agency.
The Rabbitohs have a host of players off-contract at the end of 2027, meaning they couldn't afford to sit on their hands with everyone.
Duncan was the priority, but Fifita is next on a list of off-contract talent that also includes Euan Aitken, Thomas Fletcher, Bronson Garlick, Jonah Glover, Campbell Graham, Matthew Humphries, Elijah Keung, Peter Mamouzelos, Tyrone Munro, Talanoa Penitani, Latrell Siegwalt, Brandon Smith, Jayden Sullivan, Isaiah Tass and Jack Wighton.
It's Zero Tackle's understanding that Campbell Graham will be viewed as another major priority in the coming weeks on the contract front, while Sullivan is also set to re-sign with the club, leaving the rest of the group with futures well and truly up in the air.
