The Brisbane Broncos have confirmed that Kobe Hetherington has re-signed with the club until at least the end of the 2025 NRL season.
Hetherington was already on contract with the Broncos until the end of the 2023 season, but has signed a new two-year deal to extend his time at Red Hill.
Formerly a dummy half, Hetherington has become part of the Broncos' middle third rotation in the last two seasons, starting a number of games at lock but otherwise coming off the bench.
A former Queensland under-20s representative, Hethertington has now played in 36 NRL games by the age of 23 and is highly regarded for his work rate and tackling efficiency.
Hetherington said the faith Kevin Walters has shown in him over the journey was something he valued.
“I'm really happy to sign a new deal – I love being coached by Kev because he saw something in me that no-one else did," he said in a club statement.
“It was a struggle for me in the early days to break into the NRL, but Kev was the coach who gave me an opportunity and I wanted to repay the faith.
“It's good to have that extra security. I was coming off-contract so to have another two years, it gives me that drive to keep bettering myself … the Broncos are a club I want to be with for a long time to come.”
Hetherington played 22 of the Broncos' 24 games in 2022, making 505 tackles and running for almost 80 metres per contest.
Broncos head of recruitment and academy Simon Scanlan said he was pleased Hetherington would remain at Red Hill.
"We are very pleased to have Kobe continue his career with us at the Broncos. Kobe started with the club as a teenager coming through school and has proven himself to be a very valuable member of our NRL squad," Scanlan said.