Jacob Gagai has gone from considering throwing away his NRL dream to being on the cusp of receiving a contract extension with South Sydney in the space of six months.
Late bloomer Gagai - younger brother of Newcastle centre Dane - has been one of the rare shining lights in a disastrous 2024 campaign for the Rabbitohs.
The journeyman earned his NRL debut in the Las Vegas season opener at the age of 28 and has gone on to score nine tries in 12 NRL games.
The winger's haul means he will become the first Souths player in five years to beat the prolific Alex Johnston to the Rabbitohs' top tryscorer award.
And after waiting a decade to get a crack at NRL level, Gagai knows the last few weeks of the club's season are critical if he wants to ensure he is part of Wayne Bennett's plans heading into 2025.
"I'm in negotiations and hopefully I'll be here," Gagai said ahead of Thursday's meeting with ladder-leading Melbourne.
"To do it at a club like Souths, I pinch myself every day that I get to walk in through these doors.
"I knew I had the ability to perform at this level and there were obviously times I thought of throwing it away.
"It's been massive for myself and it's something I've worked hard for, the personal achievement it was the main goal for my whole career to get a debut.
"That doesn't matter to me, I want us all to succeed as a club and teammates and make ourselves proud for the rest of the year."
Gagai's ability will be put to the test on Thursday when Melbourne roll into town with Craig Bellamy's men smarting after being pipped by St George Illawarra last week.
Souths are expected to trot out a similar side to the one that went down to Cronulla, with five-eighth Cody Walker under a cloud with a calf injury.
