South Sydney have rewarded Tevita Tatola for his fine form by handing the Tonga international a contract extension until the end of 2028.
Tatola's new deal adds to players including Latrell Mitchell, Campbell Graham and new recruit Jack Wighton agreeing to long-term deals with Souths in recent months.
The 26-year-old, known as Junior, has become a cornerstone of the Rabbitohs' pack under head coach Jason Demetriou and has been floated as a potential option for the NSW State of Origin side in recent years.
"Junior has worked so hard over the past six seasons to establish himself as one of the premier prop forwards in the NRL,” Souths football manager Mark Ellison said.
“We've seen him grow from a raw rookie back in 2018 to a respected player who is in calculations for State of Origin and international selection each season.
“We are all very happy to have re-signed Junior for four further seasons and we look forward to watching him lead our forward pack in the years to come.”
The Warriors have given utility back Adam Pompey a new two-year deal.
Pompey is the only Warriors player to have featured in every game this season as the Kiwi club have rocketed into premiership contention.
Unable to break into that in-form Warriors side, outside back Viliami Vailea has moved to North Queensland on a two-year deal.
The 20-year-old Tongan rugby union prodigy played 17 games for the Warriors across three seasons after debuting as an 18-year-old.
“With Peta Hiku moving on in 2024, we have a position in the outside backs to fill," Cowboys football boss Micheal Luck said.
"We are really happy with how our young outside backs in Rob Derby and Zac Laybutt are developing, but we thought we needed another player with first-grade experience to come in to balance the squad."
