Brisbane Broncos hooker and half Cory Paix has confirmed his immediate future, linking up with the club until at least the end of 2025 on a two-year contract extension.
The youngster, who once played halves for Queensland's junior State of Origin team, has transitioned into a hooker at first-grade level in recent times.
He managed 12 first-grade games in 2022, with all of them coming from the bench as he worked in tandem with Billy Walters at the dummy half spot.
That took his career tally to 29, having debuted for the Red Hill-based outfit in 2020, but he and Walters will come under pressure for their spot this season with the likely debut of future star Blake Moser, who played for Queensland under-19 last year and is rated by most judges as the best young rake in the game.
Despite that, Paix has talked openly about his desire to be a consistent NRL player, and said in a statement of his re-signing that he had no doubts about re-signing with the Broncos - a club he has been with since the age of 15.
“I love the boys here, the coaching staff and the office staff, it's such a cool place to be,” Paix told Broncos.com.au.
“This club has had so many great players, and that's where I wanted to get to and that's where I wanted to position myself.
“I signed my first contract when I was 15, they've been so welcoming and looked after me from day dot.
“As a youngster, the Broncos stood out to me, hearing how good the system was here, and how much you can learn and develop as a footy player and as a person as well, it was a no-brainer for me.”
The Broncos won 75 per cent of the games Paix played last year and he is tipped to line up in the number 14 to start the 2023 campaign against the Penrith Panthers.