NRL 2020: Andrew McCullough could return to Broncos thanks to contract loophole
The Brisbane Broncos will look to blood youngster Cory Paix in 2020, but veteran Andrew McCullough could be back at Red Hill next year after being released to join the Newcastle Knights.
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Broncos coach Anthony Seibold has promised to blood rising super sub Cory Paix in the NRL amid revelations hooker Andrew McCullough could make a shock return to Red Hill next year.
McCullough was released from his 2020 Broncos contract on Thursday to take up a deal with Newcastle for the remainder of the NRL season.
But the terms of the release have opened the door for the 260-game Broncos veteran to return to Brisbane in 2021.
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Much like Jordan Kahu’s one-season shift to North Queensland last year, McCullough had an option in his contract to remain at the Broncos next year.
With Newcastle only offering a contract for the remainder of the year, McCullough was unwilling to forfeit his guaranteed 2021 salary with Brisbane.
McCullough, 30, is essentially on loan to the Knights for the next five months and can opt to return to the Broncos next year if he doesn’t source a new contract elsewhere.
“Macca has an option with us for next year in his favour at a certain number of dollars,” confirmed Darren Lockyer, a member of Brisbane’s recruitment and retention committee.
“The Knights have him for the rest of the year because they have lost Jayden Brailey to an ACL and Macca will get a lot more footy down there than what he would get at the Broncos.
“Then at the end of the year, it’s up to Macca to weigh up his options, whether another club offers him a deal or is he happy to stay in Newcastle.”
While McCullough could be back on Brisbane’s books next year, Seibold is keen to usher in the next generation of Broncos talent.
Seibold’s decision to put 23-year-old Jake Turpin in the No.9 jersey prompted McCullough to look elsewhere and the Broncos have another handy dummy-half prospect coming through the ranks.
Paix, 20, is a Broncos junior playmaker who has been held in high regard for a number of years, transitioning from the halves to hooker.
While he is unlikely to face Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night, Seibold said Paix and livewire Tesi Niu were not far off making their debut in the NRL.
“It allows us to develop Cory Paix further,” Seibold said.
“We’ve signed Cory until the end of 2022 and we see a really bright future for Paixy. He is able to get more reps at training.
“Cory Paix and Tesi Niu will play first grade at some stage in the near future.
“Whether that’s against Parramatta or further down the track, I don’t know.
BRONCOS TO CHASE CROSS-CODE STAR AFTER OFFLOADING VETERAN
—Travis Meyn
The Broncos will ramp up plans to sign former Queensland Origin forward Ben Te’o after offloading veteran hooker Andrew McCullough to Newcastle.
Te’o could join the Broncos within weeks after Brisbane freed up a spot on its roster yesterday by granting McCullough an immediate release from his 2020 contract.
Te’o is contracted to Super Rugby’s Japan Sunwolves, but they will not be part of the rebooted Australian competition next month.
That leaves Te’o, who is currently in Brisbane, without a club following the expiration of his Sunwolves contract later this month.
Te’o, 33, has been training with Broncos rehab players at Red Hill recently, intensifying speculation he is set to rejoin the club he played 75 NRL games for from 2009-12.
Seibold told The Courier-Mail last night he was interested in signing Te’o, but the 2014 Rabbitohs premiership winner would have to play for minimum wage.
“Of course (I’m interested), Ben Te’o has played at the very highest level,” Seibold said.
“The reality of it is he hasn’t played rugby league since 2014. I’m not sure whether that’s something Ben wants to do.
“He’s been training at his request with a couple of our younger guys across the road to keep himself active because he’s got a contract with the Sunwolves.
“If Ben wants to play for the Broncos and have a conversation with the club…he is obviously a very experienced player.
“We aren’t in any rush to fill any gaps. We haven’t made the decision to let Macca go to bring in another player.
“We’re not going to be spending a lot of money. If we have to add one or two to our squad it will be minimum wage contracts.”
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McCullough departs the Broncos after playing 260 NRL games for the club he signed with as a 13-year-old and debuted for in 2008.
The 30-year-old fell below rising rake Jake Turpin in the Broncos’ hooking ranks and was relegated to the bench for Brisbane’s opening two games of the NRL season.
Seibold was also non-committal to running with a bench hooker as the season wore on, raising the prospect of McCullough being dropped.
With Knights hooker Jayden Brailey sidelined long-term with a knee injury, McCullough will get the opportunity to start in the No. 9 for Newcastle.
“It’s a really good opportunity for Macca to go down to the Knights,” Seibold said.
“We carried Macca on the bench the first couple of games but going forward he was going to be a week-to-week proposition.
“It allows Macca to go and play some time in the NRL and for us to develop Cory Paix further.”
McCullough won’t have to wait long to face his former club, with the Knights to host the Broncos on the Central Coast in Round 6 on June 18.
Originally published as NRL 2020: Andrew McCullough could return to Broncos thanks to contract loophole