The Canberra Raiders have confirmed Jordan Rapana has re-signed with the club on a new two-year deal.
It may well be the final contract for the now 32-year-old, who will be 34 when the deal expires at the end of 2023.
Rapana has been in fine form for the Raiders in recent weeks, having returned to the club in mid-2020 following a brief stint in Japanese Rugby. That came after he was part of Canberra's grand final squad in 2019, and a salary cap crunch forcing Rapana to leave.
He has now made 158 appearances in the NRL, with all but five coming for the Raiders since he made his club debut in 2014. Rapana was one of Canberra's most consistent performers between 2015 and 2019, playing more than 20 games in every year bar 2015. He played 19 games after returning last year and has already made 21 appearances this year, crossing for 12 tries and assisting another five.
He has recently been shifted to fullback for Ricky Stuart's side, and has averaged 167 metres per game this season, to go with 130 tackle busts.
The Raiders are now in a last-ditch scrap to make the finals, with a win over the Sydney Roosters the bare minimum to make the final top eight this weekend.
It's likely Rapana could be shifted to the wing with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad returning from the bench in the past fortnight.
Rapana said he was thrilled to be remaining at the Raiders.
āIām really happy to have been able to re-sign with the club for two more years as I love the Raiders and Canberra is my home,ā Rapana said.
āIām really excited about what the team can achieve over the next few seasons and Iām looking forward to being a part of that and helping the younger guys who have stepped up this season take their games to the next level.ā
The Raiders play their final game of the regular season on Thursday evening against the Sydney Roosters.