Brisbane Broncos table Anthony Milford richest deal in club’s history

BRISBANE have tabled Anthony Milford a record deal worth more than the base wage of club legends Darren Lockyer, Allan Langer and Wendell Sailor.

THE Broncos have tabled a record $2.7 million deal for Anthony Milford to prevent their scrumbase being torn apart following Ben Hunt’s signing with the Dragons.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Broncos hierarchy have put together the richest deal in the club’s history in the hope the off-contract Milford will not join Hunt at the Red Hill exits.

Coach Wayne Bennett’s plan to forge a 10-year union for Hunt and Milford suffered a blow last month when the Broncos halfback inked a monster $6 million deal with the Dragons from 2018.

The Broncos cannot afford a total decimation of their halves, prompting the club’s recruitment-and-retention committee to offer Milford a three-year deal worth around $900,000 annually.

Anthony Milford could become the Broncos richest ever player.

It is the most lucrative package in the club’s 29-year history, eclipsing the base wage of Brisbane’s greatest servants including Darren Lockyer, Allan Langer, Shane Webcke, Wendell Sailor and Corey Parker.

The Broncos are renowned for being prudent spenders but the Dragons’ big-money raid on Hunt has underlined the commercial threat posed by Sydney-based rivals.

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Unlike Hunt, Milford has no desire to test the open market, but wants to maximise his next contract after sacrificing $1 million on his previous deal to return to family in Brisbane.

Despite the monster offer, Milford’s manager says the Broncos pivot won’t be rushing to sign any upgrade until the NRL’s salary-cap figure for 2018 is finalised.

“We are going to do our due diligence and ensure we are on the mark. We have to get this deal right,” said his agent Sam Ayoub.

Milford’s contract would eclipse the great Darren Lockyer’s.

“There is no ulterior motive, we’re not looking at other clubs ... we just need to do our homework.

“I won’t comment on exact figures but over the past few years, Anthony has sacrificed a considerable amount of money, so it’s important we get this deal right at this stage of his career.

“We are having a bit of break to give us some time to establish Anthony’s worth under the salary cap.”

At just 22, Milford has time on his side to become the NRL’s first $1.5 million-a-season player.

The attacking sensation, who will launch his 2017 campaign at the Auckland Nines, has fielded rival offers but Ayoub insists he is not at loggerheads with the Broncos.

“We will work closely with the Broncos to get this deal right,” he said.

Milford will lose halves partner ben Hunt next season. Picture: Darren England.

“There’s been interest from other clubs for Anthony but at this stage we are not entertaining any other offers and hopefully we won’t have to do that.

“This is a critical deal. Everybody wants to rush things except for Anthony and me. There’s no great urgency but the bottom line is it’s very difficult to assess his worth without knowing what the salary cap figure (for 2018) is going to be.”

Broncos assistant coach Jason Demetriou hopes Hunt’s signing with the Dragons does not derail Brisbane’s premiership tilt this season.

“It’s 12 months away, Hunty will be a big part of what we do this year,” he said.

“At the Dragons last year, one of the biggest things that caused a lot of disruption ... was talk about whether Benji Marshall was signing.

“It’s part of the business now. Players come and go. Ben has made a decisions that is best for his family and we’ll move on.”