The Panthers have staved off interest from rivals to re-sign in Liam Martin on a one-year extension with the star forward confirming the deal is “pretty much” locked in.
The likes of the Eels and Dragons were said to be circling the 25-year-old, who was due to come off contract in 2023, with plans to table offers for 2024 and beyond once November 1 ticked over.
But Penrith moved quickly to ensure the New South Wales and Australia representative was off-limits.
Martin confirmed the news in an interview with Fox League’s Jake Duke after a Kangaroos training session.
“I think it’s pretty much there so I’m really excited to get that done and secure another spot at Penrith. It’s really good to have that future down pat,” he said.
“I’ve loved my time at Penrith and don’t really want to leave so it’s great to be able to re-sign with them.”
It comes after Martin rejected Penrith’s initial offer in August with his manager telling News Corp at the time that they will “wait until the Collective Bargaining Agreement and salary cap is sorted.”
Neither are settled yet but a deal was able to be struck regardless.
Interestingly, Martin has only agreed to a one-year extension though — a move young gun second-rower Jeremiah Nanai took when re-signing with the Cowboys in April.
Rugby League legend Johnathan Thurston revealed at the time that he had advised Nanai, through the manager they share, to only sign one-year deals, “then wait for the big one.”
Asked if his deal was also for one year, Martin said: “Yeah at this stage that’s what it’s looking like — just get that done then hopefully have a look down the future.”
But irrespective of the length of the contract, Martin knew he wanted to stay at the foot of the mountains to remain a part of what the club is building.
“They’ve done so much for me. I came down when I was 18, they just sort of built me into the person that I am today so I’m really grateful for what they’ve done for me and I just want to repay them,” he said.
“The culture that they’ve built there, you just have to look at this year — they won SG Ball, under 21s and NSW Cup — there’s so much talent and so much success there so it’s going to be an exciting few years.”
