JUST three games away from his 200th Manly appearance, prop Brent Kite has signed a two-year deal with the Penrith Panthers.

The Clive Churchill medalist in the Sea Eagles’ dominant 40-­0 grand final thrashing of Melbourne in 2008, Kite will see out this season with Manly before moving to the foot of the mountains for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Kite, 32, admitted he would have loved to have seen out his career on the northern beaches, but was looking forward to being part of Penrith's rebuilding under coach Ivan Cleary and Phil Gould.

But salary cap issues appear to have forced his hand.



“Unfortunately, successful teams can never hang on to everyone, but at Manly we’ve managed to do this better than anyone else in recent times," he said.



“We don’t have a ‘Big Three’ we have a ‘Big Team’ and I’m proud to be part of all the success we’ve had.



“We have so many guys who have shown true loyalty to their mates, and I’ll miss them all.



“Thanks to the fans who have always been kind to me and my family, and to everyone at the club, even old Dessie (Hasler) for getting me here.”



Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey said the platform Kite had laid for the clubs since arriving in 2005 could not be understated.



"His work rate and commitment are a lesson for any young forward coming through,” Toovey said.



Kite made his NRL debut in 2002 for the Dragons. He has gone on to represent Australia 14 times and played in 10 State of Origin games for the Blues.