The St George Illawarra Dragons have handed Jaiyden Hunt a contract extension and promotion for 2023, announcing he will join the club's top 30 playing squad.
The deal for Hunt will also see an extension that will keep the young forward at the club until the end of 2024.
Born in Brisbane, Hunt has made four NRL appearances, all coming during the second half of the 2021 season. In limited minutes, he made 20 metres and ten tackles per game.
Hunt said he was grateful to remain at the joint venture.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to remain a Dragon. I am keen to continue giving my all on and off the field as I strive to be a consistent fixture in the first grade team," Hunt said in a club statement.
"I'd also like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my journey so far, including the Dragons who provided me the opportunity to move down last year and make my NRL debut.
"I'm looking forward to repaying everyone's faith in me over the coming seasons and beyond."
Limited to playing mainly in the NSW Cup this year, Hunt had his first match day in the NRL on Sunday at Belmore when he was the Dragons' 18th man for a clash against the Canterbury Bulldogs, although he didn't make it onto the field.
The 23-year-old has made ten NSW Cup appearances so far this year though, scoring a try and running for 93 metres per game, while tackling at 92 per cent efficiency. He has also been noted for his abilities with the ball, making 22 tackle busts and 9 offloads in those games.
Dragons general manager of football Ben Haran said Hunt's development has led to the extension.
"Jaiyden has come a long way in a short time. His attitude at training and desire to be a consistent NRL player has afforded him this opportunity to re-sign," Haran said.
"Jaiyden has worked extremely hard and is a great example of a development player coming through the system. He has earned this right to the next phase of his rugby league career."
His contract extension at the Dragons shrinks the off-contract list further, with Billy Burns, Poasa Faamausili, Jackson Ford, Jack Gosiewski, Josh McGuire, Tautau Moga, Michael Molo, Shalom O'Ofou (development), Jonathon Reuben the only players remaining without their futures confirmed.
The Dragons, have, at this stage, made no gains for 2023, having only lost Daniel Alvaro and Tariq Sims. The likes of Jack Bird, Jayden Sullivan, Blake Lawrie and Feagai brothers have been re-signed.
