Heamasi Makasini has signed a two-year extension with the Wests Tigers that will keep him at the club through the end of the 2029 NRL season. The 18-year-old outside back was already tied to the Tigers until 2027, but the new deal pushes his stay two years further and secures one of the club’s most closely watched young players for the long term.
Makasini’s rise has been quick. He made his NRL debut in Round 27 of 2025 against the Gold Coast Titans and marked the occasion with a try on his first appearance. He then backed that up with strong showings in the 2026 Witzer Pre-season Challenge, form that carried into the opening stretch of the new season before a bone bruising injury to his foot sidelined him for several weeks. He was set to return against the Canterbury Bulldogs.
For the Tigers, the extension is about more than depth. Makasini said he has played all his junior footy at the club, and that connection gives the deal extra weight for a side still trying to build something lasting under Benji Marshall. The coach has been clear about why the teenager matters. Marshall said Makasini is a special talent and a big part of the Wests Tigers’ future, and noted that he has been playing at centre to start the year. He also said the 18-year-old has come right through the club’s system, which is exactly the profile the Tigers have been trying to keep as they rebuild around their own pathways rather than chase quick fixes.
Makasini said he loves playing at the club and is enjoying being part of what the Tigers are building. He said it is where he has played all his junior footy and that he wants to help bring success to the club. He also said he is grateful to Marshall, the players and the Tigers family for what they have done for him so far and is happy to be staying for another two seasons. On his return from injury, he said he was glad to be back playing this weekend and could not wait to get out there with the boys in front of the home fans.
The timing matters because the Tigers have spent years trying to hold onto young talent before rival clubs can make a play. Extending Makasini through 2029 removes that uncertainty for now and gives the club another homegrown piece it can build around. Marshall said he was happy to have Heamasi and his family with the club until 2029, a line that reflects how much of the contract is about continuity as much as ability. In a competition where promising youngsters can quickly become targets, the Tigers have chosen to lock in one of their own.
That does not guarantee smooth progress. Makasini is still only 18, he is coming back from a foot injury that kept him out for several weeks, and the step from junior standout to regular NRL outside back is still a hard one. But the club has made its view plain: he is part of its future, and now that future is written into the deal sheet through the end of the decade.
