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Manly have moved to make Haumole Olakau\u2019atu a Sea Eagle for life and one of the highest-paid forwards in the NRL with an upgraded eight-year deal valued at more than $7 million.<\/p>\n
Olakau\u2019atu\u2019s eye-watering new contract is expected to be announced on Thursday afternoon, as the Warriors confirmed their poaching of premiership-winning Broncos veteran Kurt Capewell in an immediate transfer.<\/p>\n
At 25, Olaukau\u2019atu is viewed as a long-term linchpin of Manly\u2019s roster and is now tied up until the end of 2031.<\/p>\n
Sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of talks, have indicated Olakau\u2019atu is slated to earn around $900,000 a year across the next eight seasons.<\/p>\n
His deal is described as a \u201cstraight six-year upgrade\u201d with no player or club options contained in the fine print.<\/p>\n
Olakau\u2019atu was already contracted until the end of 2025 but has been in talks around a long-term upgrade for much of this season with the Dragons and Wests Tigers sniffing around the hard-hitting back-rower earlier in the year.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Capewell will link with the Warriors on a three-year deal that offers security beyond what Brisbane could put to him given their juggling of several emerging stars.<\/p>\n
Capewell\u2019s two years at the Broncos, arriving with premierships from Penrith and Cronulla, are viewed as invaluable at Red Hill given the club\u2019s young roster.<\/p>\n
But with fellow back-rowers Jordan Riki and Brendan Piakura both extended recently, Capewell has taken up the extra two years on offer to join the Warriors until the of 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cKurt is a winner with tremendous passion and a terrific work ethic,\u201d Warriors coach Andrew Webster said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thoroughly enjoyed working with him when we were both at Penrith and I know from that experience that he\u2019ll add so much to our squad and to the club in an overall sense. He totally fits the profile of the type of player we want at the Warriors.\u201d<\/p>\n