The St George Illawarra Dragons have announced the retention of Australian Schoolboys forward Jacob Halangahu, keeping him at the club for the foreseeable future.
Regarded as the best young forward coming through the club's pathways system, Halangahu has earned a contract extension until the end of 2027, which will keep him out of the grasp of rival teams.
He will also be upgraded from a development deal to the club's Top 30 roster for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The new deal comes after he led the Dragons to the SG Ball Cup title with a man-of-the-match performance and was later named the side's Player of the Year in the U19s competition.
โI'm over the moon," Halangahu said.
"My goal is to be a one-club man, and this is the start of my journey now.
"These guys treat me like family and I'm very excited to continue to wear the Red V. Being here in the Museum gives me goosebumps and chills.
"Just seeing the legends that were before us and how honoured we are to get to pull on the jersey and represent those guys.โ
The extension comes after an incredible 12 months which saw him named in the Australian Schoolboys team as captain, appear for the U18s NSW City team and represent the NSW Blues in the 2024 U19s State of Origin match
He also made his debut in the NSW Cup competition last week, scoring on try and running 152 metres with seven tackle breaks.
โJacob is a really promising young player and we are excited to lock him down,โ head coach Shane Flanaganย added
โObviously, all the accolades that he has collected as a junior are great but what's been most impressive is his application to training and his professionalism.
"He works hard and he's had no issues mixing it with seasoned NRL players.
"He's strong and he's athletic and plays with lots of aggression and x-factor, so we're excited he'll be here.โ
