Charlie Staines is a made man.
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The try-scoring young gun will be a Panther for at least three more years after the club scrambled to sign him to a lengthy new deal in the face of mounting interest from rival playing groups.
Staines celebrated his birthday earlier this week, but had plenty more reason to party after receiving a three year extension with the minor premiers.
The Panthers, who have been a dominant force in the NRL this season, have largely been bolstered through their spine by a raft of Central West talent, with Matt Burton, Billy Burns, Brent Naden and Isaah Yeo among the names who have helped turn the club's fortunes around in 2020.
The club is also expected to increase their attempts to re-sign Dubbo product Matt Burton later in the year.
"Panthers has done so much for me and my family so it feels good to repay that faith they've shown in me," Staines said.
"I took my time to consider all options but at the end of the day my heart is here in Penrith and I'm very happy to re-sign.
"There's such a special bond that all the players and staff have here. It feels like a big family.
"Wherever I can fit into this team moving forward, I'll play, because I just want to be a part of it."
Staines hails from Forbes, and was the talk of the town after a four-try haul in his debut turned heads, including those of the Canterbury Bulldogs and West Tigers, who both expressed interest in the young gun when he went on the market earlier in the year.
Staines will now remain with the club through to at least 2023, but isn't expected to be the only Central West product the Panthers lock down, with reports from NRL.COM indicating that Penrith are also keen to ensure Matt Burton's immediate playing future is with the minor premiers too.
Burton, who's currently without a stable playing position in the roster, filled in for Nathan Cleary on debut and acquitted himself well in a two-game stint, but has struggled to find time on-field due to the success of Ivan Cleary and Jarome Luai in the halves paring throughout the Panther's dominant run to the finals this year.
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Nevertheless, expressions of interest from Canterbury are what Penrith hopes to defend against next, with the young, versatile five-eighth officially able to explore his options starting in November.
Although Burton is contracted with the Panthers until the end of 2021, the club is eager to find space for him in their active roster and is targeting a contract extension for the Dubbo product next.
"Matt's signed for next year and there's a plan there, but there's no rush either," Penrith CEO Brian Fletcher told NRL.COM.
"He'll stay with the boys as well. That's the idea we're working with here, we've got these young blokes and we're building around them.
"They're all so young, most of them are under 24 so if we can keep them you can be competitive for the next decade with a bit of luck.
"Guys like Charlie, he's from the bush, he's a good country kid.
"He was always going to play with us. That's where his heart is and he's got a lot of mates here.
"Billy Burns from Parkes, Matty Burton from Dubbo, they're all good mates and all the other young blokes in the side, I think they can see the future here in this side."
Phil Gould has previously urged the club to find a solution to their stacked playing roster that would keep Burton at the foot of the mountains in the years to come, but he is reportedly high on the list Trent Barrett wants.