The Brisbane Broncos bid to retain Selwyn Cobbo - at a hefty discount

The Brisbane Broncos have sought the help of local Indigenous elders and mentors to convince Selwyn Cobbo to make the most of his talent and opportunity in the NRL.

Brisbane bosses are preparing to hold crisis talks with wayward flyer Selwyn Cobbo and Indigenous elders amid fears the Broncos sensation could walk away from the NRL.

This masthead can reveal the ex-Queensland Origin star is facing a substantial pay cut to remain at Brisbane with the Broncos only able to afford to pay Cobbo around $300,000 next season due to salary-cap pressures.

An Origin matchwinner just 12 months ago, Cobbo was sensationally relegated to reserve grade a fortnight ago following concerns over his professionalism.

There are fears at Red Hill that Cobbo - still off-contract and clubless for 2026 - could be lost to the game entirely after numerous challenges in recent years.

That has prompted Broncos bosses to launch ‘Operation Save Selwyn’ in a bid to keep Cobbo on the rails and protect the prodigious Indigenous bush talent.

Broncos coach Michael Maguire travelled to Cobbo’s hometown of Cherbourg, 300km northwest of Brisbane, in the off-season to get a feel for his player’s culture and meet his family.

The Brisbane Broncos want to re-sign Selwyn Cobbo at a big discount to his last deal.

Now the Broncos are planning to return to the Indigenous community and seek the help of local elders and mentors to convince Cobbo to make the most of his talent and opportunity in the NRL.

The 23-year-old remains a popular figure at the Broncos and the club is determined to do all it can to help the six-game Queensland Origin representative thrive on and off the field.

Cobbo missed Brisbane’s most recent 44-14 rout of the Titans after being dropped to feeder club Wynnum Manly by Maguire, but the Broncos coach says he is not trying to drive the tryscoring sensation out of Red Hill.

“No, definitely not,” Maguire said.

“Selwyn is a big part of what we do.

“I had some time with ‘Selly’ in Cherbourg at the start of the year and it was great to meet his family and build that connection.

“I’m not giving up on him.

“All players at some stage of their careers need to focus on the things that they need to get right.

“If Selly gets it right, we all know what capabilities he has, but there’s some things he needs to work on.

“I really enjoy working with Selwyn.

“He is being challenged in a different way at the moment, but we’re helping Selly work his way through this.”

If the Broncos are successful in convincing Cobbo to remain at the club, he will be making a monumental salary sacrifice to do so.

Cobbo is on an estimated $650,000 this season, but the cash-strapped Broncos have little room to move in their salary cap, with suggestions they can only offer Cobbo about half that remain at Red Hill.

Brisbane’s salary-cap pressures intensified on Thursday after the club secured Adam Reynolds, Kotoni Staggs and Blake Mozer to new deals in a $3.5 million retention coup.

The Broncos have been told that Cobbo has received interest from rival clubs in the vicinity of $700,000-a-season to leave Brisbane.

That is money the Broncos simply cannot match, however the club has a trump card in its location.

Cobbo could be reluctant to move interstate given his ties to Cherbourg, leaving the Broncos and Dolphins as his most likely options.

The Dolphins poached Broncos duo Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth for 2024 and beyond but haven’t raided Brisbane for a big-name player since.

The Broncos have yet to table a formal offer for Cobbo, who has previously struggled with the professional demands of the NRL, given time off in the past two seasons after admitting he was mentally burnt out.

Questions have been raised regarding Cobbo‘s professionalism. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Maguire said Cobbo’s presence is putting pressure on the current backline that will run out against the Sharks on Sunday.

“He’ll be putting pressure back on everyone that’s in front of him,” Maguire said.

“Look, it’s a big commitment playing NRL week in, week out.

“Looking after your body and your preparation are the key parts of what makes up the current player in the NRL.

“Selly is a smart guy and at some stage of the season, your body is probably going to tell you - this is hard.

“That’s what every player in the NRL goes through.

“When the time’s right, we know what Selwyn can do for us and I’ll do whatever I can to help him reach his best.”

In March, Cobbo told this masthead of his battle with off-field issues last season following his shock withdrawal for Origin II.

“I just wasn’t mentally right at the time,” he said.

“I needed a break away from footy, and also needed stuff to work on in my game as well.

“I didn’t feel like I was in the best frame of mind to play Game Two, but I was ready for Game Three.

“There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the season.

“The injuries, off-field stuff, I guess I just want to leave all that behind me and focus this year on playing good footy.”

Originally published as The Brisbane Broncos bid to retain Selwyn Cobbo - at a hefty discount