The Penrith Panthers have officially extended the contract of young gun Izack Tago, who has signed a two-year extension.
The centre, who has also spent time in the second row during his junior football days, has burst onto the scene in the centres this year, becoming a permanent fixture in Penrith's starting 13.
Coach Ivan Cleary has been able to use Tago in the centres consistently, which was always going to be a question mark for the reigning premiers following the off-season departures of both Matt Burton and Paul Momirovski.
The two-year extension, however, will see Tago remain at the foot of the mountains until at least the end of the 2025 season.
He was originally off-contract at the end of next season alongside a host of other Penrith players, with the club still trying to balance their salary cap despite the aforementioned departures, as well as Kurt Capewell for this year, and the impending exit of Viliame Kikau at the end of 2022.
Tago said re-signing with the Panthers meant so much to him though, taking himself off the free agency market months before he was allowed to officially negotiate with other teams.
“Re-signing with the club that I debuted for means so much to me. To stay with the boys that I’ve played with over the last few years makes it even better,” Tago said.
“I’m proud to represent this area. I’ve been here my whole life and this place is home to me. I’m excited for the opportunity to represent the community.”
Penrith have also recently re-signed Taylan May, Sunia Turuva, Lindsay Smith, Ativalu Lisati and Liam Henry in recent times as they continue to build their squad of local juniors.
