Max Plath is off the market for expansion clubs after the Dolphins gun inked a new extension through until the end of 2028.
The 23-year-old, who is set for another positional change, signed a three-year extension in April, 2024.
The club has rewarded the 2024 Dolphins player of the year's outstanding form - which also included winning the players' player and best forward award - with an extra season.
"I'm so grateful to the club and. It means everything to me," he said.
With Papua New Guinea's franchise entering the competition in 2028 and a possible Western Bears outfit slated for 2027 it means that Plath, a natural target for his quality and versatility, will be out of their early clutches.
The son of Brisbane four-time premiership winner John Plath has proven to be a revelation and one of the most adaptable players in the NRL.
Last year he was equally as effective at lock and hooker. He set up a try while playing second-row in the 26-18 trial loss to Gold Coast on Saturday and can also handle himself with aplomb in the halves.
Plath's deal is effectively a new four-year upgraded contract.
"Max is so versatile. He is one of those guys you can throw in at almost any position and he will give you a performance," Dolphins CEO Terry Reader said.
"He had an amazing first full season in the NRL to win our 2024 player of the year award, and this contract underlines how important Max is to the Dolphins' future."
Plath first joined the Dolphins from QRL side Wynnum-Manly in 2023 and established himself as a hard-nosed competitor who regularly topped the club charts in fitness tests.
That mentality has transferred onto the field.
Plath is set to line up in the second-row against South Sydney on March 6 and is ready for the new challenge if coach Kristian Woolf proceeds with it.
"I am enjoying it there. That was my first game (in the role) on the weekend and I am still growing in that position," he said.
"It's a bit different. You are trying to read offences and communicating inside and outside. Instead of being in the washing machine you are one-out and trying to think a bit more. It is all a learning opportunity."
Plath may have to start in the role and move into the middle and play close to 80 minutes.
"Absolutely. That's why you train hard in pre-season to get your body attuned to that sort of stuff," he said.
"For me it is being that option to play 80 minutes. If I need to go in the middle I will. It is whatever Woolfy and the coaches want."
