The South Sydney Rabbitohs have always prided themselves on their ability to develop junior talent.
Cameron Murray, Adam Reynolds and John Sutton were all juniors at the club and have gone on to make their mark in first grade.
Hence, it is no surprise that the Rabbitohs have announced they have secured the future of seven young talents who will be fighting for a shot in the NRL in 2026.
Recent NRL debutants, Ashton Ward and Bayleigh Bentley-Hape, who have six and nine games of NRL experience respectively, have signed NSWRL contract extensions keeping them at the club until the end of the 2026 season.
Rabbitohs NSW Cup Players’ Player for 2025, Tim Johannsen, will also remain at the club until the end of the 2026 season on an NSWRL contract
Dayne Jennings has also been rewarded for his hard work. Despite being signed on a NSWRL contract in 2026 and an NRL Supplementary contract in 2027, the promising 17-year-old will be upgraded to an NRL Top 30 contract in 2028.
Wrapping up the contract extensions, Charlie Poynton, a promising fullback, has also signed an NSWRL extension for the 2026 season.
As for new signings, the Rabbitohs have secured the services of Dean Tauaa, a New Zealand-born, powerful outside back who was named in the team of the year for the Langer Trophy NRL Schoolboys competition in 2025.
Tauaa will join on an NSWRL contract in 2026 before progressing to an NRL supplementary contract in 2027 and an NRL Top 30 contract for the 2028 and 2029 seasons.
Also, the club have signed fellow New Zealander, Saumaki Saumaki, a highly-touted rugby union prospect who represented the New Zealand under 18s Schoolboys in 2025. To help smooth his transition to rugby league, he has been signed on a two-year NSWRL contract.
Rabbitohs Head of Recruitment and Retention, Mark Ellison, was not only delighted with these signings but also with the promising nature of each player.
“We are really excited to have signed or re-signed these seven players as they are all live prospects to play at the NRL level as early as 2026, if not in the future.” Ellison told the club’s website.
Discussion about this post