Jaydn Su’A has parlayed career-best form into a two-year contract extension with St George Illawarra, ending speculation of a reunion with Wayne Bennett.
The second-rower had been off contract at the end of the season and told AAP in late March he was hopeful of staying at the joint venture, despite being linked with Bennett.
After being handed his NRL debut by the master coach in 2016, Su’A followed Bennett from Brisbane to South Sydney and played in the Rabbitohs’ 2021 grand final side under the seven-time premiership winner.
He relocated to the joint venture a year later and is now shining for the improved Dragons under new coach Shane Flanagan.
After the troubled club fired his former protégé Jason Demetriou in April, Dolphins boss Bennett is almost poised to return to South Sydney from 2025, albeit a deal is unlikely to be finalized until next week.
With Su’A’s type of second-rower in reserve and Keaon Koloamatangi off of form on one side and uncertainty at the selection table on the other, the Rabbitohs really could have used one.
However, as Flanagan works to reassemble the Dragons’ roster, Su’A is now expected to remain there until at least the end of 2026.
“Jaydn’s performances this year have shown how important he is to this club and how determined he is to perform for the Dragons,” Flanagan stated.
“He is just coming in to his best football and we see him as a vital part of our forward pack over the coming years.”
Tyrell Sloan, Jack de Belin, Tom Eisenhuth, and Ben Murdoch-Masila, Su’A’s Dragons teammates, do not have contracts that expire until 2024.
Su’A has participated in 123 NRL games so far and has made four appearances for Queensland in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, he played for the Samoan team that placed second in the 2022 World Cup.
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