Jason Demetriou pledges loyalty to South Sydney by agreeing to terms on a $2.5 million contract extension

Jason Demetriou is poised to ink a three-year extension to remain at Redfern until the end of 2026, rejecting an NRL poaching bid from a rival club.

Jason Demetriou has rejected rival interest to sign a new deal with the Rabbitohs. Picture: Getty Images

Jason Demetriou has rejected an NRL poaching bid and pledged his loyalty to the Rabbitohs by agreeing to terms on a $2.5 million upgrade in his quest to steer South Sydney to a premiership.

This masthead can reveal Demetriou is poised to ink a three-year extension to remain at Redfern until the end of 2026 in a coup for the club ahead of Sunday’s clash against the Cowboys at Homebush.

The jury was out on rookie NRL mentor Demetriou last year after he was handed rugby league’s equivalent of batting after Bradman - following in the footsteps of super coach Wayne Bennett.

But Bennett’s successor has emphatically proved he is the real deal, steering the Rabbitohs to last year’s grand-final qualifier and putting South Sydney in genuine contention this season for their first title since 2014.

Souths had already activated an option on Demetriou for 2024 but have gone back to the negotiating table to broker a beefed-up deal for one of the code’s most promising emerging coaches.

Jason Demetriou has committed to South Sydney on a new deal. Picture: Getty Images

Demetriou is happy with Souths’ fresh offer, worth in excess of $750,000 a season, and he will move to formally sign in the next fortnight.

It is understood at least one rival NRL club has sounded out Demetriou, but South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly confirmed ‘JD’ is going nowhere after presiding over a seamless transition in the post-Bennett era.

“We’ve been talking to Jason about an extension and hopefully we can get it locked away in the next few weeks,” Solly said.

“He has been extremely impressive throughout his time at the club, first as an assistant, then as head coach.

“Jason has an outstanding football brain, he is a great leader and committed family man.

“He served a long apprenticeship that took him from Keighley in England to Brisbane via Cairns (coaching the Northern Pride in the Queensland Cup).

“Hopefully he and his family have settled now at the Rabbitohs and Jason can call our club home for many years to come.”

Demetriou, who has won four premierships in the second-tier, initially joined Bennett as an assistant at the Broncos in 2017 before accompanying the super coach to South Sydney two years later.

Demetriou had big shoes to fill when he replaced Wayne Bennett. Picture: Getty Images

After serving a three-year apprenticeship under Bennett at Redfern, Demetriou stepped into the hotseat last season and overcame a patchy start to steer the Rabbitohs to the playoffs.

Demetriou goes into Sunday’s clash against the Cowboys having won 25 of 42 games for an impressive 59.5 per cent success rate and victory over North Queensland will cement Souths’ place in the top four.

“JD has proven he is the right man for the job at the Rabbitohs,” said his agent, PSM director Chris Orr.

“The club is run super professionally from head-office down to the ball boys.

“The way JD has developed his coaching career at all levels has prepared him for taking on such a big club like South Sydney.

“He has the buy in from the players and his work ethic is second to none.”

Souths skipper Cameron Murray said the 47-year-old Demetriou has earnt the respect of Rabbitohs players.

“He was always going to be a good head coach,” he said.

“I knew that from the moment I saw him walk in the doors and heard him speak.”

Bennett, now in charge of the Dolphins, said the Broncos’ loss of Demetriou has been South Sydney’s gain.

Demetriou’s deal is worth $2.5 million. Picture: Getty Images

“We still talk,” Bennett said of his former right-hand man Demetriou.

“Jason had a good rapport with everybody (at the Broncos and Souths) and I didn’t see why that wouldn’t continue with him as a head coach.

“We had a plan. It was my idea (for Demetriou to succeed Bennett at the Broncos).

“That was my plan for the Broncos, but they didn’t want to buy into that.

“Jason could have been coach of the Broncos, but that wasn’t what they wanted to do, so they went their way and Souths were keen to do something like that.

“Jason has done a great apprenticeship and has all the qualities to be a long-term NRL coach.

“There’s several things. He is passionate. He knows the game. Tactically, he is very good. He is great with players, he has good empathy for them and most importantly, he has proven he can win trophies.”

Originally published as Jason Demetriou pledges loyalty to South Sydney by agreeing to terms on a $2.5 million contract extension