Journeyman Jacob Gagai of the South Sydney Rabbitohs has disclosed that he is in talks with the team to extend his contract through the 2025 NRL season.

Up until this season, the journeyman had trouble making it into first grade. Gagai, who can play center or wing, made his NRL debut in Round 1 as the Rabbitohs, who were playing in Las Vegas, were battling an injury-plagued backline.

He is 28 years old and has played in 13 games for the Maroubra club this season. He has scored nine tries, including a hat-trick against the Dolphins in Round 19.

Even though he is unlikely to remain in the best 17 when the Rabbitohs return to full strength the following season, he has shown his worth as a squad player this year under interim coach Ben Hornby and Jason Demetriou, which is sufficient for him to be in talks with coach Wayne Bennett about his future beginning in 2025.

Jacob Gagai, Dane Gagai’s brother, expressed to AAP his desire to stay with the Rabbitohs.

“I’m in negotiations and hopefully I’ll be here,” stated Gagai.

“Every day that I get to enter through these doors, I pinch myself for being able to do it at a club like Souths.”

“There were definitely moments when I considered giving up, even though I knew I was capable of performing at this level.

“It’s been tremendous for me, and I’ve worked really hard for it; making my debut was the primary objective of my entire career.

“That doesn’t matter to me, I want us all to succeed as a club and teammates and make ourselves proud for the rest of the year.”

An announcement about Latrell Mitchell

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have been made aware of a picture of Latrell Mitchell that has been making the rounds on social media after he made an in-person appearance in Dubbo over the weekend.

The NRL Integrity Unit has been notified about the photo by the Club.

At this point, the Rabbitohs will not be commenting further.