The South Sydney Rabbitohs have reportedly snapped up hooker Soni Luke after the Tongan international wasn’t offered a new deal by the Penrith Panthers. Luke played 26 games at NRL level for the Panthers, and has represented Tonga in nine Test matches.
He was once viewed as a star in the making at Penrith, but hasn’t managed to live up to the hype and was starved of first-grade opportunities due to the presence of Mitch Kenny. According to Zero Tackle, Wayne Bennett and the Rabbitohs have swooped on Luke and signed him on a reserve-grade deal.
Soni Luke (L) is reportedly joining South Sydney, while Harry Grant (R) is set to extend with the Melbourne Storm. Image: Getty
It means his career will continue in Australia amid interest from Super League clubs in England and France. The Rabbitohs will need to upgrade the 29-year-old to their top-30 roster if they want him to play first-grade, and he’ll compete with the likes of Peter Mamouzelos and Brandon Smith for playing time at NRL level.
Souths have also signed Bronson Garlick from the Melbourne Storm, making their depth at dummy-half very deep. However Smith’s playing future is under a cloud, which could open the door for the likes of Garlick and Luke.
Soni Luke wasn’t offered a new contract at Penrith. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Harry Grant set to extend with Melbourne Storm
Meanwhile, the Storm are reportedly set to announce a seven-figure contract extension for captain Harry Grant in a much-needed boost. Craig Bellamy’s side have lost Ryan Papenhuyzen, Jonah Pezet and Nelson Asofa-Solomona, but Grant will be staying put.
The hooker was a free agent as of November 1 and allowed to negotiate with rival clubs, but stated he’d be re-signing with the Storm. The Melbourne club are expected to announce Grant’s extension in coming days.
Harry Grant has reportedly agreed to a new deal with Melbourne worth $1 million per season. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
And Cameron Munster is also staying put despite interest from the Perth Bears. The Storm stated they’d be open to allowing Munster to leave early if he asked for a release, but he later squashed the speculation and said he’d remain in Melbourne until the end of his current deal through 2027.
And Bears coach Mal Meninga confirmed on Saturday that Munster won’t be moving. “Cameron has indicated he is staying in Melbourne, that’s what the word is to us,” Meninga told the Daily Telegraph. “I don’t know much more, but I believe he is staying in Melbourne.”
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Melbourne Storm want early answer from Craig Bellamy
The Storm are also seeking an early answer from coach Bellamy on whether he wants to keep coaching in 2027. The club is normally happy to wait for Bellamy to make up his mind on his own time, and didn’t get a response until June this year as to whether he’d continue in 2026.
But this time around, the Storm are keen for clarity before the 2026 season starts. “We’re talking to Craig about that at the moment,” CEO Justin Rodski said on Friday. “He’s obviously been on holidays up in Coolangatta, enjoying some time off as he should. When he returns in the next week or so, we’ll sit down with him and hopefully look at what extending him for at least another year looks like.
“That would take him into his 25th year as Melbourne Storm coach in 2027 if we could secure that. That’s a nice milestone … and as one of the greatest coaches of all time we’d love to talk to him about extending beyond next year.”