Anthony Milford to sign $4 million contract extension with Broncos

WAYNE Bennett vowed he would not lose the fight for Anthony Milford and the Broncos super coach has delivered.

Anthony Milford in action for the Broncos.

ANTHONY Milford will sign a $4 million deal with Brisbane on Sunday after Wayne Bennett last night confirmed the Broncos had staved off a poaching raid from the Storm.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Milford has sacrificed $800,000 to remain at the Broncos as he prepares to ink a deal keeping him at Red Hill until the end of 2021.

Bennett vowed he would not lose the fight for Milford and the master coach has got his man, securing the playmaker he is grooming to be a 10-year player at the Broncos.

Anthony Milford in action for the Broncos.

The Storm attempted to blow Brisbane out of the water with a club-record $1.2 million-a-season offer, but Milford advised Melbourne on Thursday he was staying loyal.

Bennett and Milford will be enemies tonight when England and Samoa clash in Campbelltown, but they will reunite on Sunday when the five-eighth agrees to terms.

The Broncos plan to publicly announce Milford’s retention by Monday on a four-year deal that will make him the first $1 million player in Brisbane’s 29-year history.

“The deal hasn’t been finalised but it’s on the right track,” Bennett said last night.

“We just have to fall into line on a few minor things but as I said all along, I was confident of keeping Anthony.”

The news comes as a huge relief for the Broncos, who were in danger of having their scrumbase torn apart following the Dragons’ successful raid on Milford’s halves partner Ben Hunt.

The Storm’s offer was more lucrative than that of the Broncos, who originally discussed a three-year deal for Milford worth $900,000 a season.

Anthony Milford will become the first $1 million player in Brisbane’s 29-year history. Picture: Peter Wallis

But the Broncos upped the ante on Thursday night, hitting back with a $4 million package bolstered by NRL-approved third party agreements.

The Broncos could not ­afford to lose Milford after Hunt’s decision to join St George Illawarra next season on a $5.4 million deal and he is now safe and secure at Red Hill.

The Storm, meanwhile, must continue the hunt for a marquee playmaker to succeed Maroons halfback Cooper Cronk, who will quit the club at season’s end.

Former Broncos skipper Darren Lockyer, now a member of Brisbane’s recruitment-and-retention committee, admitted the club was blindsided by Melbourne’s ambitious bid.

“We certainly had a fight on our hands,” Lockyer said.