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Thats correct can confirm 5 years 5.5mil.
We'll take him from 2026. You can have lawrie and Sloan in return. Gives fullback & wing coverage with another fwd to replace moale.
Hahah everyone saying he is overated and not worth the money all of a sudden. Good luck with David fifita, talk about a lazy forward he is one of the worst
What we are paying Kaeon doesn't bother me at all, the club made the offer and he accepted that's the main thing. GO THE DRAGONS and welcome big Kaeon cop that Souffs and Pawwa supporters
But South’s are paying Fifita $500k a season . Half what KK is gettingHahah everyone saying he is overated and not worth the money all of a sudden. Good luck with David fifita, talk about a lazy forward he is one of the worst
Signing him has cost souths any chance of retaining Keaon so it has been a very costly decision that souths management are already regretting. 500k is overs for a bench forward with attitude problems
Souths were desperate to re-sign Koloamatangi. Here’s why they couldn’t
By Robert Dillon
December 27, 2025 — 3.31pm
South Sydney fans are entitled to be devastated by the news Keaon Koloamatangi is on his way to NRL rivals St George Illawarra, but something had to give.
Their star forward has agreed to terms with the Dragons, who appear to have won the bidding war for the Kangaroos representative with a five-year deal estimated to be worth about $5 million from 2027.
Barring a late about-face during the 10-day cooling-off period, Koloamatangi will head to the Dragons, leaving Rabbitohs supporters with heavy hearts.
Koloamatangi was not only arguably the best at Souths last season, he’s also a local junior who played his first rugby league with Mascot Jets alongside Rabbitohs skipper Cameron Murray.
At 27, he is in the prime of his career, and coach Wayne Bennett’s decision to switch him from second row to prop last season only increased his value.
There are plenty of forwards who can handle 80 minutes on an edge, but those who can also play a full game in the middle – as Koloamatangi did on multiple occasions last season – are few and far between. His statistics (153 attacking metres and 33 tackles per game) are a reminder of what a dominant force he was in 2025.
That versatility and work-rate earned him three appearances in the green and gold during the Ashes series in England. Perhaps NSW coach Laurie Daley could have found room for him somewhere in his squad during the Blues’ unsuccessful Origin campaign?
All of which suggests that Koloamatangi is a player worth retaining. But Souths’ array of highly paid superstars meant that, at some point, the salary cap was going to bite.
South Sydney have many big earners including Murray, Latrell Mitchell, Jack Wighton, Brandon Smith, Campbell Graham, Cody Walker, Jai Arrow and Koloamatangi. David Fifita has also arrived on a two-year deal worth about $500,000 per season.
Fifita’s deal has been subsidised by a partial payout from his previous club, just as the Rabbitohs had to offer Englishman Lewis Dodd a financial sweetener to convince him to terminate his three-year contract and return to Super League. Payouts to former players count under a club’s salary cap.
Long story short, almost two thirds of Souths’ salary cap invested is in one third of their squad, leaving about $4 million to accommodate the remaining 20 members of their top 30.
Eventually, some of the top-end talent was going to be squeezed out, and Koloamatangi’s career-best form last season ensured he was always going to attract outside interest.
If he hadn’t agreed to join the Dragons, who flew him to Wollongong in a helicopter to conduct negotiations, Parramatta were waiting with a similarly lucrative offer. The Perth Bears are also desperate for a marquee signing as they prepare to enter the NRL in 2027.
Signing Koloamatangi is a coup for Dragons coach Shane Flanagan.
As for the Rabbitohs, Bennett knows better than anyone that, while it’s handy to have game-breakers with a bit of X-factor, consistency is the key to long-term success. And in Koloamatangi, Souths are set to lose arguably their most consistent, reliable player.
Replacing him won’t be as simple pulling another Rabbitoh out of the hat, even for a coach with Bennett’s unrivalled experience.
This is where you are wrong Souths have 22 players coming off contract after 2027 we have money to spend in 28, 29 and 30 we made a four year offer what we felt he was worth Souths felt what we offered was fair and I know what we offered and I was happy with it. Paying overs can land you in trouble too as you would know. Keaon wanted to chase the money for his family I am not bitter at him.
Souths are paying Latrell 1.1m
now that's a poor singing.
