Their attempts to secure the high-profile trio of Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Damien Cook are ongoing, but the South Sydney Rabbitohs have taken another step towards locking down talented young half Lachlan Ilias on an extended deal.
Like his highly-rated teammates, Ilias is free to talk to other teams come November 1 – but it’s believed the club have already made an offer to extend the 22-year-old’s stay in Redfern.
After a slow start to his time in the NRL, Ilias has become a key pillar of the Rabbitohs attack, setting up 10 tries and scoring four of his own in his first full season of first-grade football.
According to The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read, the club is currently waiting for his manager Braith Anasta, who has also been organising Cameron Munster’s next deal, to come back with a response to their offer by the end of the week.
“They’ve made an offer to him for a contract extension. I expect Lachlan will stay,” Read told Triple M.
“They’ve been talking to him and Braith for a while about extending his deal. He’s got one year left.
“They’re desperate to keep him, but they’re juggling a little bit because Damien Cook, Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker are all off-contract at the end of next year too.
“They think they can keep them all.
“They’re expecting Braith to come back to them this week.”
Ilias also recently confirmed his desire to represent Greece at the end-of-year Rugby League World Cup in England.