St George Illawarra Dragons forward Jacob Halangahu has made a half dozen of the best young forwards in the NRL locked in for the club.
The Dragons earlier this week confirmed the re-signing of Loko Pasifiki Tonga, having done the same with the Couchman brothers - Toby and Ryan - over the weekend.
In addition, the club locked up Hamish Stewart and Dylan Egan earlier this year.
It will mean the six men tasked with leading the Dragons forward pack into the future - widely rated as among the best youngsters in the game - will all be locked down at the Dragons long-term.
The Dragons confirmed that Halangahu, who is currently off-contract at the end of 2027 and has had more first-grade responsibility in recent weeks, has agreed to remain with the club through to the end of 2029.
“Jacob is mature beyond his years and is determined to make his mark in the game,” Young said.
“He's a tough, hard-running forward who can break tackles, and his versatility allows him to play both in the back row and through the middle.
“Having another homegrown product re-sign with the club is a huge positive and a testament to the strength of our pathways. We're excited to see Jacob continue his development in our colours.”
The 19-year-old is younger than the rest of the forwards in the pack and a little way behind, but has been rated by many as potentially the player with the highest ceiling.
Able to play in the middle or on the edge, his re-signing will cap off a remarkable year for the Dragons.
In addition to the six players re-signing, the club who is set to take out this year's wooden spoon, has signed Scott Drinkwater, Phillip Sami, Luke Metcalf, Kodi Nikorima, Keaon Koloamatangi and Connor Watson for next year.
The Dragons have been widely panned over the years for their retention of junior talent, but with the six forwards locked up, and young half Kade Reed also signed on to the end of 2028, they have finally stemmed the bleeding.
“This club took a chance on me when I was 15, and I'm looking to repay their faith,” Halangahu, now 19, said.
“I want to be part of the group that's bringing success back to this club. Deano has been a great mentor to me, thanks to his honesty and belief in me.”
Dean Young's side will be set for a major turnaround next year, with a host of other young guns, led by Oliver Burton, likely to push their way into first-grade over the coming years.
The change in tune for the club comes with CEO Tim Watsford and recruitment manager Daniel Anderson both pointing at the fact the Red V want to reinvest into their pathways, and become the biggest development club in the game.
The Dragons have one of the biggest nurseries in the competition with the south coast to pick from, and in much the same way as the Penrith Panthers, they want to build a team of players from their region, as they did last time they saw success under Wayne Bennett in 2010.
Anderson, speaking on 2GB Radio over the weekend after the Couchman brothers locked their futures away to 2030, confirmed the re-signing of Pasifiki Tonga and Halangahu was well advanced.
