St George Illawarra hooker Nathan Fien wants to mentor the club's new breed of No.9s after re-signing with the NRL premiers through to the end of the 2013 season.

Despite having a year to run on his contract, Fien had been the target of advances from South Sydney and Newcastle, with outgoing coach Wayne Bennett keen to seen the crafty hooker follow him to the Knights next season.

But with his young family settled in Wollongong following stints at North Queensland and Auckland with the Warriors, Fien said he wasn't too keen on relocating as he looked to ensconce himself deeper within the Dragons family.

"I really see my role as probably a bit more of a mentor role," said Fien, who will be 34 by the time his contract expires.

"We've got a couple of really good young hookers so hopefully I can help them out over the next couple of years and try and groom them into really good first grade players."

Dragons fans have already had a glimpse of generation next, with Cameron King having impressed before suffering a torn pectoral muscle in this year's World Club Challenge win, while Mitch Rein has also made the most of limited opportunities in 2011.

It was believed the Rabbitohs had offered Fien the opportunity to assume the No.7 jumper which will be vacated by Parramatta-bound playmaker Chris Sandow after this season, while Bennett was also keen on the veteran hooker helping usher in the new era at the Knights.

Fien and Bennett have established a bond stretching back to their success together with New Zealand at the 2008 World Cup, but ultimately Fien decided he wanted to be part of the new era at the Dragons under Steve Price.

"You've got to weigh up all your options ... but I've got a young family to look after and they've been moved around a few times now," Fien said.

"We're happy and we never really wanted to go anywhere. I'm glad we could come to an arrangement for the next few years."

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