Nominated for the 2024 Golden Boot Award, South Sydney Rabbitohs outside back Taane Milne has exited the NRL to take up an opportunity with a new team.
Missing out on the NRL Finals series once again, the Rabbitohs will enter a new era under Wayne Bennett next season as they look to play in the post-season and have brought in several new players, such as Josh Schuster and Lewis Dodd.
Despite not being one of the eight players farewelled by the club at the time, Taane Milne's future at the Rabbitohs has come to an end having agreed to a two-year contract with the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League competition.
Previously offered to several teams in the Super League, Milne caught the attention of Huddersfield after impressive performances in the 2024 Pacific Championships for Fiji, where he was shortlisted for the 2024 Golden Boot award.
It also makes him the third former Rabbitohs player to link up with the squad following Thomas Burgess and Jacob Gagai. They have also signed former Canberra Raiders hooker Zac Woolford for next season.
"I'm really excited to make the move over there, my partner will come eventually," Milne said in a statement.
"It's been a long process but I'm glad it's done now and I can't wait to get in to training and meet the boys. I was speaking to Tom Burgess, and he was talking good things about the club.
"He asked if I'd be interested in a move if an opportunity came about and coming off contract, I said I would think about it. Robbo gave me a call two weeks in and told me he was interested.
"I'm having a baby in January and he rang me to tell me about how it is a family orientated club and reassured me. I really respected that."
Able to play on the wing, in the centres and in the forward pack, the Fijian international appeared in 21 matches for the Rabbitohs this season, adding to his total of 91 career first-grade games, which included stints with the New Zealand Warriors and St George Illawarra Dragons.
This season, he scored four tries, made 38 tackle busts and four line-breaks, provided five try assists and averaged 152 running metres per game.
"Being able to secure the signing of an International NRL centre who was Fiji's Man of the Match and a Golden Boot nominee is a great capture for the Giants and it shows our commitment to providing Luke Robinson with a quality squad to compete in the Betfred Super League," Huddersfield chairman Ken Davy said.
"I'm extremely confident that Taane will be an excellent addition to our squad and we are excited to have him join our club, he performed extremely well in the recent internationals and we're hoping he can continue that form in the Claret and Gold.
"We need all of our supporters to get behind Luke and the squad in 2025 as we hope for a successful season and in particular I appeal to those un-renewed season card holders to join us on the exciting journey that the “Robbolution” will bring."