And in a further boost to the squad, talented young Cessnock Goannas hooker Nick Lawrence has agreed to terms with Maitland as well.

O'Donnell was one of a handful of Wests players who followed coach Matt Lantry to the club last season and had an outstanding first season in the Presidents Cup.

After a mass of re-signing a couple of weeks back of most of their grand final winning squad, he was one of the few the club had left to nail down ahead of the new season.

Lantry was always confident of retaining O'Donnell saying it was just a matter of tying up some loose ends, but was understandably delighted when the deal was struck.

"The good thing is that have have the same halves pairing heading into next season - Brock Lamb and Chad - and their combination with Alex Langbridge at hooker will only improve too, especially with a full pre-season under their belts," Lantry said.

"I think the most pleasing thing about it is that a player won't sign an extended contract if he has a doubt about what direction the club is heading.

"This is an endorsement of the football club and the community."

The longer term contracts are a direction the Pickers want to take.

"We don't want to constantly be chasing players around to sign, wondering who you have from one year to the next," Lantry said.

"But COVID has made things difficult in that regard. There's uncertainty out there, but certainly we're hoping you'll see more of it."

After an impressive first season with the club, O'Donnell was unfortunate to miss the Presidents Cup grand final when ruled out with a leg injury.

Lawrence, who was on the bench in the Goannas' grand final win against Souths in the Newcastle competition, is only 21 and seen as a great addition to the club's depth.

"We think having Nick there with Alex Langbridge will be a great education for him," Lantry said.

"He's clearly a talented player and we want to get him playing time. We're seeing him as potentially a long term hooker for the club.

"Having said that, obviously if he has a breakout year next year and wants more time we won't stand in his way, but we're hopeful he'll be with us for the long term."