The Gold Coast Titans started out the 2023 season with a win and have even more reason to celebrate after announcing the extension of star forward David Fifita on Monday night.

Both the Raiders and Broncos had shown interest in the 23-year-old, who was previously off-contract at the end of the season, but instead Fifita has signed on at the Gold Coast for another three years.

According to News Corp, the extension is worth $2.4 million and followed offers of up to $900,000-a-seaon from Canberra while Brisbane reportedly cleared $1.5 million in cap space.

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“To have David commit to the Titans shows he believes in what we are building and it gives us great confidence as a club,” Titans coach Justin Holbrook said.

“As coach, I’ve seen David’s commitment first hand and that started weeks ago preparing for this season, working hard to be fit to perform at his best.

“We saw that in our first round win over the Tigers, with the work David has put in on full show.

“We have a core group of young guys committed to making our community proud here on the Coast and David is a big part of that.

“I’m excited David’s decided he wants to be a Titan long-term and I’m excited to work with him as we all look to bring success to our region over the next few years.”

It is a significant boost for the Titans’ long-term prospects, with teammates Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Beau Fermor and AJ Brimson all also locked up until the 2026 season.

Fifita wrote on Instagram that he was “thankful” to the Titans for “backing” him and giving him the opportunity to stay put at the club.

“Shoutout to my family and friends for always being there for me during the highs and lows,” he added.

Holbrook had said earlier this week that the Broncos were “definitely keen” in Fifita, adding he knew Broncos coach Kevin Walters had been “ringing” and “talking” to the 23-year-old.

Although the Titans coach said he was hearing “mixed reports” on whether Brisbane could afford him.

Veteran rugby league reporter Brent Read said on Saturday on Triple M that he expected this week to be a critical one in Fifita’s contract talks and in particular Brisbane’s interest.

“The information I’m getting is Dave wants to go back [to Brisbane],” Read said.

“The issue is Brisbane will have the money, it’s whether they have the money to mount a competitive offer to get Dave back. They’ve got keep money for Haas and Carrigan to extend their deals.

“I think this week is going to be really significant on the David Fifita front, in terms of what Brisbane put on the table, how serious they are and how serious Dave is. If Dave is serious about coming back to Brisbane, he’s going to have to take less money to do it.

“That’ll give Brisbane an indication of how serious Dave is. Wherever he goes it’s a significant pay cut [compared to what he is on now] but the pay cut is more significant at Brisbane.

“I think Brisbane want to see a genuine indication from David that he wants to come back and if that’s the case they’ll get serious about it.”