Veteran to rejoin former club at the end of the season

Dane Gagai will rejoin the Newcastle Knights at the end of 2021, the West Australian has reported.

The Queensland centre star rejected an offer from Brisbane and a short-term deal with Souths in order to return to the Knights for three years, where he played for six seasons until 2017.

“He’s just told the team on the team bus now on our way home from training that he’s going to Newcastle,” Souths coach Wayne Bennett said.

“South Sydney couldn’t offer him a long-term contract so we knew he was on the move.

“He went to Newcastle in 2012, we actually took him down there when the Broncos didn’t want him. So he’s spent a lot of his career at Newcastle and he’s got family there … he’s pretty happy about going back.”