Jaxson Rahme has joined Wests Tigers on a training contract for the 2025 pre-season and the Balmain junior is looking to impress upon his return to the club.
A 2021 Australian Schoolboys representative out of Holy Cross College, Ryde, Rahme has an impressive rugby league pedigree.
After stints at the Rabbitohs and Knights, the young lock forward now wants to fulfil his dream of cracking the top grade with his boyhood club.
“Since I was a kid, it’s always been a dream of mine to debut for this club,” said the former Dundas Shamrocks player.
“I started my journey here in the Balmain junior teams and so it wasn’t a hard decision to come back home.
“I got a few offers from other clubs but I always said, ‘I’ll be back here one day’, and the opportunity is here again.”
At just 20 years of age, Rahme has played two seasons of NSW Cup; no small feat for a middle forward at the beginning of their career.
During his time away, he has learnt from some of the most well-established lock forwards in the game.
“When I was at the Rabbitohs, I had Cam Murray and then Adam Elliott at the Knights," said Rahme.
“They’ve both got different styles so I’ve taken things from both of them.
“I’d say my biggest strength, personally, is my aggression; I love hitting under the ball with big shots and focus on my defence.
When he was 18, Rahme was selected to represent Lebanon at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, helping the Cedars reach the quarter-finals.
Jaxson speaks with pride about playing for his nation of heritage.
“It was one of the best experiences of my life," he said.
“Everything that happened over in England, the memories are still there in my head. It was awesome with the boys over there and some of those boys will soon be here, like Adam Doueihi and Alex Twal.
“We’ve got some good young Lebanese players here too like Tony Sukkar and Marc Tannous, so it’s exciting.
“The Lebanese culture and representing it means the world to me, it’s like a big family.”
As for his goals in 2025?
“In pre-season, I definitely just want to impress the coaches and make my mark," Rahme said.
“I’d love to get re-signed and stay on for the whole year and then from there my main goal is to make my NRL debut.”
