Canberra Raiders prop Joseph Tapine has confirmed his future, signing a four-year extension with the club.
The deal ties him to the green machine until the end of 2027, with one year remaining on his current deal.
Tapine's 2022 season has been special to say the least, with the New Zealand Rugby League World Cup-bound star putting in consistent performances which have turned him arguably into the best prop in the competition.
Alongside Queensland Maroons veteran Josh Papalii, he dragged the Raiders up the table and into an unlikely finals appearance after at one point appearing well out of the mix.
By the end of the 2022 NRL season, Tapine led the NRL in post-contact metres, sat third in total metres, and had a staggering 47 offloads to sit second.
He also unsurprisingly took out the Meninga Medal as the Raiders' best and fairest, while also finishing in the top five of Zero Tackle's NRL MVP.
It had previously been rumoured plenty of other clubs were interested, however, the prop decided to sign before the November 1 deadline.
Club CEO Don Furner said the signing was a huge boost for the club.
“There’s no doubt Joe has had his best season in the NRL in 2022 and we’re very excited to have him re-commit to the club for the long-term,” Furner said.
“His development on and off the field has been something that we’re very proud of and we know he will continue to be one of the most valuable parts of our side in the future.
“We wish Joe all the best on his upcoming World Cup campaign with New Zealand and we can’t wait to see him back on the field for the Raiders for the next five seasons.”
In total, Tapine has played 145 matches for the Raiders since joining in 2016. By the end of 2027, fitness pending, Tapine could have played 265 matches (without finals) for the Raiders and have spent 12 seasons in lime green.
