Gold Coast Titans forward Shaylee Bent has expressed her delight over her partner David Fifita's decision to turn down a lucrative $3.3 million offer from the Roosters and recommit to the Titans.
Fifita, who had initially informed the Titans of his departure at the season's end, made a surprising U-turn to sign a two-year extension with the Gold Coast club.
Earlier this month, Fifita's potential move to the Roosters on a substantial four-year deal was widely reported which would have spelled complexity and uncertainty for the durability of his relationship with Bent.
The couple, who began their long-distance relationship in 2022, faced the prospect of being separated once again. Bent, who joined the Titans from the Dragons ahead of the 2023 NRLW season, was relieved to learn of Fifita's decision to stay.
"I honestly was so pleased," Bent shared at the NRL's Indigenous Round launch on Wednesday.
"I've moved from Penrith to the Gold Coast โ I'd been back and forth from the Dragons. To finally have a year when I'm on the Gold Coast full time and I don't have to do long distance coming back and forth is so pleasing for me.
"I'm so thankful that we're both at the Titans this year and hopefully, for me next year as well because my life is up there now," she continued.
Bent is off contract at the end of the upcoming NRLW season, which begins on July 25, but intends to continue her career on the Gold Coast.
"I'm really happy where I am at the Titans and I love my team," she continued. "The success we had last year โ making it to the grand final after coming dead last the year before. So, we're building something big and I want to be there.
"[David and I] love the community, we love the fans, we love the club and we love our teams. We've built a life up there so we're really happy."
