English Super League club the Huddersfield Giants have confirmed the signing of Jacob Gagai after his departure from the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.
Gagai spent most of his career in reserve grade of the Australian system, but finally broke through to the NRL in 2024, making his debut for an injury-ravaged Rabbitohs outfit in Las Vegas as they fell to the Manly Sea Eagles.
Able to play wing, centre and fullback, the 28-year-old's move to Huddersfield will see him add plenty of versatility to the English outfit, although the club have not revealed how many years he has been signed for.
Head coach Luke Robinson said Gagai is the type of player Huddersfield want to sign.
“He's a player that epitomises what we want a Giants player to be. His work ethic is phenomenal, he's a great bloke too so he'll add to the culture. We're trying to create a good, strong culture at the club going forward, and he'll definitely add to that," Robinson said in a club statement confirming Gagai's signing.
“From a playing point of view, he's quick, he's got great hands, and skill. He can play in different positions, he's versatile. I'm really looking forward to having him as part of the squad. I really like the way he's gone about his career, he's done it the hard way. It shows a lot about his personality, he's persevered and got his opportunity.”
“In the games he's played for Souths he has been phenomenal. The contacts we have in Australia that we've spoken to have been nothing but positive about him.”
Gagai's arrival at the John Smith's Stadium is part of what the club are labelling the "Robinson Revolution".
Taking over from Ian Watson as an interim coach in the middle of the 2024 campaign, Robinson was unable to steer Huddersfield into the finals, but the club have signed a host of talent for next year, with Tom Burgess and Zac Woolford their other NRL acquisitions, while Liam Sutcliffe joins from Hull FC and George King from Hull KR.
The additions join other ex-NRL players Tui Lolohead, Adam Clune and Jack Murcbhie as part of the squad who will be desperate to improve from their ninth-place finish this year.
Robinson has been signed as Huddersfield's head coach through to the end of 2027.
Gagai, who was born in Mackay, scored nine tries in 17 games during the 2024 NRL season and Huddersfield director of rugby Andy Kelly said he was excited with the newest signing.
“I'm excited by the signing. He played really well in the NRL scoring 9 tries last year. It's an indication of where we're at at the moment, and the positive changes we're making. We spoke about recruitment quite heavily and where we need to focus our attention. This shows that the intention is to start moving forward," Kelly said.
“We can expect excitement from Jacob. He's quick, elusive and adds another dimension that we have probably lacked. We have another finisher in the back line. There's so many positives with him we're really looking for the future. He's versatile too. That's vital, the fact that we have a player and players in the squad that can play different roles means we can start to look at opposition, and see how they play and how we can adapt to that.”
Gagai will link up with Huddersfield in the coming weeks for pre-season training.