One of the Newcastle Knights surprise packets along with brother Daniel, Jacob Saifiti has been rewarded for his form with a new deal.
Saifiti, who has become an important player in the Knights system under Adam O’Brien, re-signs until the end of the 2022 season.
There was no mincing words from Saifiti, who made it clear that he wanted to stay at the club.
“I made it clear to my manager from the start that I didn’t want to leave and that Newcastle is home to me,” Saifiti said.
“It’s where I want to spend the rest of my career.”
Saifiti praised new coach Adam O’Brien for the faith he has shown in him this season.
“I want to make our coach Adam O’Brien proud,” Saifiti continued.
“He’s put a lot of faith in me and given me confidence to play consistent football this year.
“I have stability for me and my partner, I’m only an hour away from home and in the end, it was an easy decision.”
With over 60 NRL games to his name to date and a Fijian international, Saifiti is the sort of player that O’Brien wants to have around.
“What he’s done on the field has been outstanding and his best footy is still in front of him,” O’Brien said.
“He debuted young and has been through some tough years. A lot of people forget that he’s only in his early 20s.”
O’Brien’s aim is to keep a large group of the players together but he knew that keeping the Saifiti brothers was an important piece.
“In a perfect world, you’d like to keep this entire roster together but keeping Jacob and Daniel together long-term was of high importance to me,” O’Brien continued.
“Not only because of the bond they share as brothers but the bond they both have with the group.
“Jacob could’ve easily got more money elsewhere, but he’s remained loyal to his teammates and Club.
“With traits like that, he’s someone who will feel the rewards of his loyalty down the road.”
The Saifiti brothers made history by becoming the first set of twins in the game’s history to debut together.
Both Jacob and his brother Daniel can now continue their rugby league journey together at the Knights.