In-demand prop Keaon Koloamatangi is expected to finalise a decision on his future in the coming days after South Sydney tabled a four-year extension they believe is competitive with the big money on offer from NRL rivals.
The 27-year-old Kangaroos star has a massive call in the midst of a three-way race for his signature.
He’s considering monster deals from Parramatta, St George Illawarra and also Souths after the club met with Koloamatangi and his management last week to table their best and final offer.
The Rabbitohs are desperate to keep the homegrown Mascot Jets junior and are quietly confident they can compete with the massive dollars on offer from the Eels and Dragons, with both clubs believed to have offered him around $1 million a season.
It’s just a matter of where he sees himself in the prime of his career.
In terms of contract length, Souths’ offer of a four-year extension from 2027 matches the Eels’ big bid, which is believed to be the front-runner, but falls short of the audacious five-year deal put forward by the Dragons.
Souths have been willing to be patient as their star prop tests his value on the market but believe they have money-can’t buy value on offer.
The added enticement of stable coaching under Wayne Bennett, who is expected to extend his time at the club through to the end of 2028, and the chance to be a one-club player with his junior club are other considerations on the table.
However, the lure of a change of scenery, new coach, bigger challenge or the potential for a bigger payday elsewhere could draw him away from South Sydney for the first time since he made his first grade debut with the club back in 2020.
His decision is expected to be the last major NRL market play of 2025 and comes at the best possible time in the peak of his career.
After making a switch from the edge to the middle this season under the advisement of Bennett, Koloamatangi’s form hit new heights with the Rabbitohs and he emerged as one of the form forwards in the competition in a difficult year of injuries and disruptions for the club.
So good was his form he did enough to earn a long-awaited Australian debut, which has come two years after he played one game of State of Origin in 2023 in Brad Fittler’s final series as coach of NSW.
In 2025 Koloamatangi played 20 games and scored four tries with Souths, which caught the eye of Kangaroos selectors and he joined the side on the history making Ashes Tour of England at the end of the season.
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Souths for sure ...Id be shocked if we can actually land someone.
Now he is saying he is in no hurry to make a decision might wait till later in the year . Pull the offer stuff him
Maybe he's worried about how he will be treated if he decides to leave, I think he will stay.
They have up their offer, South are also after an Rnglish international. Not sure as a replacement or to add to him they will be competitive 2026. Either way, I can't see him leaving if the new offer close to a million, his junior club, grew up in the area, close friends are all there. And with Bennett in his ear, I think he will stay. This has nothing to do with our recruitment, other teams will miss out too.
I think he'll stay at Souths but Wayne has never paid big money for Props. He's very open about that. He's coached some great ones and most left for big money elsewhere. Depends how close the dollars are here. I'm sure he wants to stay at Souths but if Parra have blown the offer out of the ball park he won't be able to say no. It's not as if Souths are building to a Premiership soon so there is no value staying for huge unders.
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