NRL 2021: Tom Dearden off-contract as rival clubs circle Broncos young gun

Broncos legend Wally Lewis has urged the club not to let Tom Dearden slip as the off-contract young gun fields offers from several rival clubs.

Can the Broncos keep Thomas Dearden? Picture: John Gass

The Broncos face a fight to retain halfback sensation Tom Dearden after he entered the NRL’s open market.

The Sunday Mail can reveal the off-contract Dearden is fielding offers from rival clubs before deciding whether he commits to Brisbane.

Dearden, 19, is off-contract at season’s end, with the Broncos keen to keep him at the club beyond 2021.

However the rising No.7 is testing his value in the NRL’s rabid recruitment market, with a host of clubs expressing interest.

Dearden was a shining light for the Broncos in a terrible 2020, making 12 NRL appearances as Brisbane collected the wooden spoon.

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Tom Dearden runs through drills with Kevin Walters. Picture: Getty Images

He will start the upcoming season as new coach Kevin Walters’ first-choice halfback, beating Brodie Croft, alongside five-eighth Anthony Milford.

The Broncos are hoping to lock-up Dearden to a new deal before the season kicks off in March and league legend Wally Lewis urged Brisbane to not let their rising playmaker slip.

“He is an exceptional young talent,” Lewis said.

“As a young football talent he doesn’t lack anything. He has got guts, determination and intention. I got a thrill watching him taking on some of the biggest guys in the competition.

“He has got the sort of backbone that you can model an entire club around. It would be a couple of years in the making, but he is a wonderful young talent.

“I don’t know what they’ve got in mind with their long-term plans, but I’d be stunned if Tom Dearden’s name wasn’t well and truly up the list as one of the players they want.

“He is a player I would have loved to have had in my side. He has got some guts.

“When I covered a story with him for Channel 9 I spoke to him and he was very quiet and all ears. His intentions are to be successful and not leave anything on the field.

“For a young man to have already set such a high level of intentions promises good things for the future.”

Dearden made his NRL debut as an 18-year-old in 2019 but required a shoulder reconstruction after five games.

He didn’t feature in the NRL until Round 7 last year when he was brought on to the bench by former coach Anthony Seibold before starting 10 games at halfback.

While Dearden has only tasted victory in three of the 17 NRL games he has played, he has shown signs he could be the long-term No.7 the Broncos have been searching for.

Dearden has indicated his preference is to remain at the Broncos and former Brisbane five-eighth Lewis said he had the ingredients to make the jersey his own.

“The difference between the good and great players is the dictatorship they command and display,” he said.

“They can have guys that are twice as big and experienced as they are, but when they demand the players they are in control of jump they want to know ‘how high? Was that good enough, Tom? Do you want us to do more?’

Can the Broncos keep Thomas Dearden? Picture: John Gass

“The only learning for him in the future is going to be gaining experience. You can have a plan for what you want to display weekly, but when it comes time for the big games he will have that bit of confidence about him that he’s gained from performing in tough conditions.

“Last year wasn’t a comfortable year at all. Without being disrespectful to the players, there weren’t that many that would have been happy with their own performances.

“Players are their own toughest critics sometimes. They like to set themselves a goal and target to live up to and achieve.

“When Tom does it, you can see on his face every time he leaves the field whether he is content with his performance or feeling a little bit low.

“When you’ve got a team that struggles a bit more than planned, like last year, there can only be good things ahead.”