STAR man Brandon Costin today ended speculation and officially pledged his future to Huddersfield Giants!
The inspirational Australian has signed a 12-month contract extension which will keep him at the McAlpine until the end of the 2005 season.
Securing the services of Costin for a further year was a main priority for new head coach Jon Sharp as he plans for Super League IX.
But, just as importantly, it puts an end to all the speculation linking Costin to a move to Leeds Rhinos to team up with former Giants coach Tony Smith.
And Sharp is understandably delighted that all the rumours can now be quashed.
"I've always been a great believer in rewarding players for their efforts during a season, and Brandon has been one of the outstanding players in Super League this year," said Sharp.
"This contract extension is a reward for those efforts and I'm absolutely delighted that he was so keen to accept our offer.
"I hope this deal demonstrates that I have confidence in him and he has confidence in me. It should also end all this speculation over his future.
"We worked together at the Giants in 2001 and we worked well. Hopefully that relationship will continue for at least the next two seasons."
The 29-year-old utility player led Super League's tryscoring charts for much of last season.
But his tally ended on 19 after he was forced to undergo a shoulder operation and missed the final five games of the season.
Costin's surgeon believes the operation has been a complete success, and Sharp is already looking forward to seeing him return to pre-season training.
"Brandon knows he will have another big role to play for the Giants," added Sharp.
"His shoulder is already feeling strong and it's obvious he can't wait to get cracking.
"But that's the feeling I'm getting from all the boys I've spoken to, including our newest recruit Chris Nero.
"This morning he was all for jumping on the next plane out of Australia to meet us!"
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