The Panthers have continued to build towards their future by re-signing Zakauri Clarke for an extra two years to keep him in the foot of the mountains.
The 21-year-old is the older brother of Cooper Clarke, the Melbourne Storm enforcer who burst onto the scene this year to fill the void left by Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Although Zakauri is on a journey to pave his own path, with the rising star applying his trade nicely in NSW Cup, recording two tries and kicking 12 goals in the six games they've played this year.
He will stay in the club's top 30 roster, with the Panthers general manager of football Shane Elford pleased with him agreeing to terms.
“Zakauri is a hardworking forward who has continued to develop his game and perform consistently this season,” Elford said.
“We're pleased to see his progress and look forward to his continued development over the coming years.”
The second rower is knocking the door down for an NRL debut, with the goal-kicking forward averaging 97 run metres this year in NSW Cup and a 90% tackle efficiency.
Given he featured in the Panthers' pre-season challenge tournament this year, he is well within the sights of coach Ivan Cleary and is set to feature in the top grade sooner rather than later.
