The Rabbitohs have temporarily warded off rivals interested in poaching emerging talents Bayley Sironen and Stephen Marsters, extending their contracts until the end of next season.
Wayne Bennett's side will enter the finals series as dangerous floaters after destroying the Roosters 60-8 on Friday night in arguably the performance of the season.
While Cody Walker was the standout in that game, both Sironen, 23, and Marsters, 20, have had breakout seasons, cementing their place in first grade for the first time.
Sironen, the son of Balmain legend Paul and brother of Manly star Curtis has been highly touted since representing the Australian Schoolboys but his early development was curtailed by a string of injuries, resulting in his exit from the Wests Tigers at the end of the 2018 season.
In his second year at the Rabbitohs, and following the exits of senior forwards Sam and George Burgess as well as John Sutton, Sironen has made his mark in an exciting young pack.
Last month his brother Curtis spoke admiringly of what Bayley had overcome to cement his place in first grade and said he was prepared to talk to Des Hasler about making a bid to bring him to the Sea Eagles.
For now at least, a brotherly reunion is on hold with Sironen's new deal putting him out of reach of the Sea Eagles until 2022. However, the one-year extension won't deter the competition for long, with Sironen coming back onto the open market in just over a month.
"I'm stoked to have the opportunity to play at this club next year," Sironen said.
"Since joining the Rabbitohs last year, everyone from my teammates, the coaches, the staff and the members have made me feel at home and their support has been unbelievable.
"I know I have become a better player at this club and more importantly I've become a better person.
"Knowing that made my decision to stay an easier one and I'm looking forward to finishing this year on a high and then going again in 2021."
Marsters, a blockbusting centre, has been a revelation since making his debut in Round 15, showing superstar potential with a try in his first game against the Sea Eagles.
"I'm over the moon to be at this club and I'm really happy to be here for at least another 12 months," Marsters said.
"The opportunities I've received this year has made me want to stay and to keep improving.
"The members at our club are first class and I want to go out and make the most of my opportunities to play for them."
Rabbitohs head of football, Mark Ellison, said both players had bright futures.
"This is a testament to the effort they have put in both physically and in terms of their growth in maturity throughout this season," he said.
"Bayley comes from a great pedigree, has taken the step up to become a regular NRL player and we're sure Bayley can continue to improve his game as he becomes more experienced at the top grade.
"Steve would be the first one to admit that he got away to a slow start when he joined us in November last year, as well as coming back from the COVID-19 break earlier this year, however he took a hard look at himself, pulled his socks up and worked very hard for the opportunities he has received this year and in turn has been rewarded with another contract with our club.
"We're very happy to see them both re-sign for a further 12 months and we're all looking forward to continuing our work with them in 2021."
The re-signings of Sironen and Marsters follows on the heels of Alex Johnston turning down a lucrative deal to join the Storm, choosing instead to stay loyal to the Redfern-based club he's played for his whole career, re-signing on a cut-price deal.
The Rabbitohs have temporarily warded off rivals interested in poaching emerging talents Bayley Sironen and Stephen Marsters, extending their contracts until the end of next season.
Wayne Bennett's side will enter the finals series as dangerous floaters after destroying the Roosters 60-8 on Friday night in arguably the performance of the season.
While Cody Walker was the standout in that game, both Sironen, 23, and Marsters, 20, have had breakout seasons, cementing their place in first grade for the first time.
Sironen, the son of Balmain legend Paul and brother of Manly star Curtis has been highly touted since representing the Australian Schoolboys but his early development was curtailed by a string of injuries, resulting in his exit from the Wests Tigers at the end of the 2018 season.
In his second year at the Rabbitohs, and following the exits of senior forwards Sam and George Burgess as well as John Sutton, Sironen has made his mark in an exciting young pack.
Last month his brother Curtis spoke admiringly of what Bayley had overcome to cement his place in first grade and said he was prepared to talk to Des Hasler about making a bid to bring him to the Sea Eagles.
For now at least, a brotherly reunion is on hold with Sironen's new deal putting him out of reach of the Sea Eagles until 2022. However, the one-year extension won't deter the competition for long, with Sironen coming back onto the open market in just over a month.
"I'm stoked to have the opportunity to play at this club next year," Sironen said.
"Since joining the Rabbitohs last year, everyone from my teammates, the coaches, the staff and the members have made me feel at home and their support has been unbelievable.
"I know I have become a better player at this club and more importantly I've become a better person.
"Knowing that made my decision to stay an easier one and I'm looking forward to finishing this year on a high and then going again in 2021."
Marsters, a blockbusting centre, has been a revelation since making his debut in Round 15, showing superstar potential with a try in his first game against the Sea Eagles.
"I'm over the moon to be at this club and I'm really happy to be here for at least another 12 months," Marsters said.
"The opportunities I've received this year has made me want to stay and to keep improving.
"The members at our club are first class and I want to go out and make the most of my opportunities to play for them."
Rabbitohs head of football, Mark Ellison, said both players had bright futures.
"This is a testament to the effort they have put in both physically and in terms of their growth in maturity throughout this season," he said.
"Bayley comes from a great pedigree, has taken the step up to become a regular NRL player and we're sure Bayley can continue to improve his game as he becomes more experienced at the top grade.
"Steve would be the first one to admit that he got away to a slow start when he joined us in November last year, as well as coming back from the COVID-19 break earlier this year, however he took a hard look at himself, pulled his socks up and worked very hard for the opportunities he has received this year and in turn has been rewarded with another contract with our club.
"We're very happy to see them both re-sign for a further 12 months and we're all looking forward to continuing our work with them in 2021."
The re-signings of Sironen and Marsters follows on the heels of Alex Johnston turning down a lucrative deal to join the Storm, choosing instead to stay loyal to the Redfern-based club he's played for his whole career, re-signing on a cut-price deal.
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