Wests Tigers fullback and five-eighth Daine Laurie has confirmed his future, signing a one-year contract with the Penrith Panthers for the 2024 season.
The 24-year-old will return to the club where he began his professional rugby league career. Joining the Penrith Panthers in 2017, he went through the club's junior system and was named Penrith's Jersey Flegg Cup Player of the Year in 2018.
He would go on to play three games for the Panthers' first-grade team in 2020, making his debut in Round 13 against the Canberra Raiders before joining the Wests Tigers the following season.
At the Tigers, he would go on to play 43 NRL games across three seasons but has recently fallen out of favour at the club due to the arrival of promising youngster Jahream Bula. This saw him dropped into reserve grade after Round 4, and wouldn't gain a recall back into the NRL side until Round 18 against the North Queensland Cowboys.
Pleased with Daine Laurie returning to the club, Panthers Rugby League CEO Matt Cameron spoke about his return in a media statement put forward by the club.
โI look forward to welcoming Daine back to Panthers for the 2024 season,โ Cameron said.
โIt's always rewarding to see a former Panther return home to the club, and we believe Daine can flourish in the Panthers environment.โ
Sounds bizarre. The Panthers have more depth than any other club. I find it hard to see what he will bring them that they don’t already have. Backup for Luai and Edwards ? Surely they already have that ?