The Canterbury Bulldogs have finally announced the re-signing of young gun Samuel Hughes on a two-year contract extension until the end of the 2026 season.
Hughes played a handful of first-grade games last year but is expected to take himself to the next level this year with the Bulldogs down on depth in their forwards.
The club have lost Andrew Davey, Raymond Faitala-Mariner, Tevita Pangai Junior, Franklin Pele, Luke Thompson and Corey Waddell from their forward pack since the end of 2023.
However, they have recruited many players to increase their stocks in the forward pack. Josh Curran, Poasa Faamausili and Kurt Mann - who is a utility but has spent most of the last two years as either lock or hooker for the Knights - are just a few names to join the club.
Liam Knight also joined in the middle of last season from the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
"Sammy's a good kid, I've always liked Sammy from the first time he walked in the door, but he's just had injuries," Phil Gould said previously on the Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
"The pre-season before this, Sammy was at a rock concert and fell over a railing and did something to his back.
"He came to us late in the season in 2022 and I thought who is this? He moved really well, big tall kid and aggressive ... I thought geez, he's a hope.
"He was spinning his wheels all year and we left him - but he's trained brilliantly during the off-season and hopefully he stands up.
"He trialled well the other night, but it was virtually only a reserve grade trial."
A young prop who can also slot into the lock forward role, Hughes made his first-grade debut for the Bulldogs during 2023, going on to play five games.
That debut came off the bench in Round 6 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, with four games off the bench - in Round 9 against the St George Illawarra Dragons, in Round 10 against the Canberra Raiders and in Round 21 against the Penrith Panthers.
He also had a single start in Round 12 against the Gold Coast Titans at lock, although only managed 17 minutes.