Elliott Whitehead extends his time in the NRL with Canberra

Canberra captain Elliott Whitehead has signed a new deal that will see him stay with the Raiders until at least the end of 2024.

The 31-year-old forward has made 138 appearances for Canberra since his move Down Under ahead of the 2016 season. He helped the Raiders reach the NRL Grand Final in 2019.

Whitehead said: “I’ve loved every minute of playing for the Raiders and living in Canberra, so it was an easy decision for me and my partner to stay with the club.

“I’ve also had the opportunity to be named as captain this year which is a huge honour.

“It’s great to have the deal done, but my focus is on helping to get the team into the finals for the third year in a row.

“We’ve got a great group of players here and we know we can continue our recent form and be there at the end of the year.”

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Raiders chief executive Don Furner said: “Elliott has been year in year out one of our most consistent performers and has developed into a really strong leader in the club.

“It’s great news for the club and our members that Elliott is staying with us for the next three seasons.”

Whitehead came through the ranks at Bradford and made 109 appearances for his hometown club before spending three seasons in France with Catalans between 2013-15.

He has won 24 caps in total for Great Britain and England on the international stage, scoring eight tries.

Whitehead was named in the Super League Dream Team in 2014 and was also named in the Team of the Tournament at the 2017 World Cup.

The back-rower will be 35 when his contract with Canberra expires, so it is likely that he will finish his career with the Raiders.