The Manly Sea Eagles have officially re-signed Karl Lawton to a new deal.
Lawton was already signed to the Sea Eagles to the end of 2022, but on the back of an impressive 12 months for the club, he has been locked down until the end of 2024 on his new deal.
The second-rower proved himself to be a valuable player for Des Hasler during the 2021 season, regularly filling in at hooker when needed and playing there at times off the bench.
He didn't make his club debut until Round 11 for the Sea Eagles following his switch from the New Zealand Warriors, where he had played 33 games between 2018 and 2020. He had begun his career at the Gold Coast Titans prior to that, playing 12 games in 2016 and 2017.
Once he got a spot for Manly though, he didn't give it up, playing 16 games right up to the club's preliminary final loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Des Hasler spoke glowingly of the 25-year-old in a club statement.
"Karl is an extremely dedicated player who works very hard on his game. He played really well in the back-row and his ability to cover both positions is certainly invaluable," Hasler said.
“I’m looking forward to developing Karl’s game even further over the next few seasons.”
Lawton said he was thrilled to re-sign with Manly.
"I have really loved my time here at the Sea Eagles. There is a great camaraderie amongst the playing group and across the club,'' Lawton said.
"There is a great feeling of confidence about what we can achieve here at Manly in the coming years and I can't wait to get back into it."