The Canberra Raiders are set to hand forward Joseph Tapine a monster contract in a bid to lock up the Kiwi international before November 1 rolls around.
Tapine is a short-priced favourite to be one of the Dally M Prop of the Year recipients later this season, sounding alarms to rival clubs with just under three months until they can offer the front-rower a contract for 2024.
Fox Sportsย is reporting that the Raiders will offer the former Knight a whopping $3 million, four-year deal, which would tie the New Zealander to the nations capital through to the end of the 2027 season.
The $750,000 per-year deal would make Tapine one of the richest forwards in the NRL, a deserved pay packet after how much
Journalist Dave Riccio broke the story on Wednesday, a move by Canberra to ensure no opposition club even gets a chance to swoop on the game's in-form front-rower.
โThe Raiders are about to ramp this right up,โ Riccio said on Triple M.
โI understand Joey Tapineโs management will fly to Canberra next week for high-level talks in relation to a contract extension for Tapine to stay at the Raiders. Iโm expecting around a four-year deal here guys and it would be significant because we know how influential he has been this year for them.โ
Tapine first joined the Raiders ahead of the 2016 season, notching 140 NRL games for the Green Machine as well as featuring in the 2019 Grand Final loss to the Roosters.
One of the biggest names set to hit the open market on November 1, it has to be a case of sooner rather than later that Tapine is extended, before rival clubs are able to throw blank cheques at the behemoth.
The middle forward isn't expected to finalise his decision until Canberra's season is over, with the Raiders currently sitting in ninth spot on the ladder.
