South Sydney coach Michael Maguire has re-signed with the club until the end of 2017.

Maguire was off contract at the end of 2014 and had been linked to a number of other clubs, including Brisbane, but Souths have moved to extend his current contract for a further three seasons.

A no-nonsense disciplinarian, the 39-year-old has turned the Rabbitohs into an NRL powerhouse taking them to the preliminary final for the past two seasons.

Maguire said he was delighted to secure his long-term future.

“I’m really pleased to have re-signed here, at such a great club, and to have the opportunity to continue to work on everything we’ve been doing for an extended period,” Maguire said in a statement on Tuesday.

“My staff and I are very dedicated to making sure we get the best performances out of the team every week, and the boys have shown that same dedication and commitment so far throughout the pre-season.

“I also see Souths Juniors as a major part of our organisations moving forward and the implementation of the various programs to help develop our juniors into the next generation of Rabbitohs.

“We’ve got a way to go to get to where we want to be and we’re working extremely hard to reach those goals.”

Souths boss Shane Richardson heralded the re-signing as a coup for the club.

“Michael is one of the best young coaches in the NRL and we couldn’t be happier that he has committed to the club for the next four seasons,” Richardson said.

“The changes Michael has implemented here in his first two years as head coach have done wonders for our football programs, and we are looking forward to working with him on the continuing improvements we are looking to make, both on and off the field.

“He has the respect of our players, staff, board of directors, corporate partners and members and we’re pleased that he will be part of the Rabbitohs family for at least the next four years.”