The Melbourne Storm have agreed to a contract extension with Queensland Origin second rower Felise Kaufusi, it was revealed on Friday afternoon.
The extension, however, will only see Kaufusi stay with the Storm for, at a minimum, another 12 months.
It means he will almost instantly be free to negotiate with other clubs, with those off contract at the end of 2022 able to negotiate from November 1.
The 147-game veteran who debuted for the Storm in 2015 and won two grand finals during his tenure at the club, is widely regarded as one of the best edge forwards in the game.
He debuted for Queensland in 2018 and has since gone on to play every game he could have for the state across four Origin series, also scoring a try at that level.
The 29-year-old has been a consistent performer for the Storm, making more than 20 appearances in first grade for each of the last five seasons and causing constant chaos in a dominant second row combination with New Zealander Kenny Bromwich.
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Melbourne's general manager of football Frank Ponissi said Kaufusi had developed into a genuine leader.
"He’s an integral part of our forward pack and has stepped up to our leadership group, helping our younger forwards on and off the field," he said.
"The Kaufusi family has had a proud history with Storm, starting with Antonio back in 2003 before Felise and then Patrick wore the purple jersey.
"We’re sure Felise has plenty of good football in front of him and love having his wife Bec and children as part of our wider Storm family."
