Cronulla Sharks pair Toby Rudolf and Will Kennedy have reportedly fended off rival interest to re-sign at the Shire.
In a major win for new coach Craig Fitzgibbon, The Daily Telegraph's Phil Rothfield reports that Rudolf has agreed to a three-year deal and Kennedy to a new two-year contract.
The signature of Rudolf is particularly significant, who was a major target to a number of rival clubs, most notably the cashed-up Canterbury Bulldogs.
Rudolf has made 29 NRL appearances all for the Sharks since making his first-grade debut in 2020.
Meanwhile, Walker has played 30 NRL games for Cronulla since playing his first game in 2019.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Rudolf was thrilled to put pen to paper, which will tie him to the Sharks until at least the end of 2024.
โIโm stoked to get it done,โ Rudolf said.
โTo get some security at the club that gave me a start is really satisfying.
โWhen I spoke to Craig Fitzgibbon I really liked what he had to say. He spoke about building better men, better footy players and improving the culture. I was massively agreeing with everything he said.
โAlso I was happy at the Sharks. Why move if youโre happy where you are.โ
Sharks CEO Dino Mezzatesta said the re-signing of both players was very important.
โThey were priority signings for us,โ Mezzatesta said.
โFitzy was keen that we locked them both down for obvious reasons.
โThere was interest from rival clubs because theyโve been demonstrating their ability week in, week out. Itโs a competitive landscape.
โIt means a lot that theyโve stayed at a club they both believe in.
โThese two are what our future is about, really dominant players and it gives our roster some stability moving forward.โ
