Newcastle Knights young gun Leo Thompson is set to extend his time at the club beyond the end of the 2023 NRL season.
Signing a two-year deal to join the men from the Hunter ahead of the 2022 season having previously been in the Canberra Raiders pathways system, his pre-season form was impressive enough for an immediate upgrade into the top 30 squad.
A former rugby union player, the New Zealand-born prop has continued to surprise, playing a mix of both lock and prop.
Utilised off the bench from Round 1 after it was originally thought he'd need to bide his time in NSW Cup, he has played all but one game for the Knights so far this year, making 14 appearances.
That includes four games in the starting team, although his endurance is still in the building phases, having played over 40 minutes in only one game.
Despite that, his willingness to run the ball, six offloads and a high tackle efficiency has the Knights ready to extend his time at the contract before he would technically become a free agent to negotiate with other clubs from November 1, according to a Newcastle Herald report.
The report doesn't suggest how long his contract may be extended for, but does confirm the club have been extremely impressed with the 22-year-old's progress.
Standing at 186 centimetres and weighing in at 107 kilograms, the young gun has also made eight tackle breaks in his 14 games to date.
It's understood the Raiders were never all that happy about losing the youngster, who had shown plenty of promise in their own pathways before switching to the 13-man code.
