Canterbury Bulldogs director of football Phil Gould has confirmed the club are close to extending the contract of debutant Jacob Kiraz.
Kiraz made his debut for the Bulldogs on Friday night in an eventual comeback loss to the Brisbane Broncos as the club battled a long list of injuries and covid-enforced outs.
Despite suffering cramp after just over 50 minutes which forced the young outside back from the field, he was able to make it back onto the ground to complete an impressive debut.
He finished with 133 metres from 13 carries, which included seven tackle breaks and four offloads, as well as 13 tackles in a solid defensive performance on the edge.
The performance saw Kiraz put his hand up for a more permanent role in the centres of Trent Barrett's side after a quiet off-season switch from the Newcastle Knights which was never officially confirmed by either club.
Gould took to Twitter on Sunday evening to confirm discussions have been ongoing with Kiraz, his management and the club in an attempt to lock down a new deal.
Jacob terrific. Great kid. Bright future. Spoke to his mgr 2 weeks ago re extension of contract. I expect to finalise a deal soon. Jacob cramped badly after 45 mins. Remember, young players have played little football past 2 years. Please allow us to handle player development. https://t.co/z571Ac8nPw
— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) April 24, 2022
Kiraz, who is only 20 years old, has already played two games for Lebanon on the international stage and was also part of the nation's Nines side for the short-form World Cup in 2019 before being disqualified for being under the age of 18.
The youngster, who can also play on the wing, was an original Bulldogs junior before shifting to the Dragons where he played in the 2019 SG Ball squad, scoring three tries during the season.
He was then shifted north to the Cowboys in 2020 on a three-year deal which never made it into a second year, with Kiraz moving to the Knights in 2021, before his return to Belmore in 2022.
The Bulldogs will take on the Sydney Roosters in Round 8, with Kiraz to find out whether he has been selected for a second NRL clash at 4pm (AEST) on Tuesday afternoon.
