Broncos duo Gehamat Shibasaki and Jesse Arthars become top NRL targets for Perth Bears
As the NRL’s newest franchise continues to shape their new identity, a pair of Brisbane Broncos have drawn the interest of Mal Meninga and his side.
The Bears are targeting star Broncos duo Gehamat Shibasaki and Jesse Arthars as Brisbane boss Dave Donaghy concedes the premiers could be picked apart by expansion newcomers Perth and PNG.
Code Sports understands the besieged Bears, who have come under fire for struggling to land a marquee recruit, have Shibasaki and Arthars on their radar to spearhead their NRL entry in 2027.
Shibasaki and Arthars are off-contract at the Broncos at the end of next season, making them free agents from November 1, opening the door for the Bears to strike.
The salary-cap pressures imposed by the fruits of premiership success leaves the Broncos vulnerable to poaching raids.
The 27-year-old Arthars was unlucky to be overlooked for Brisbane’s grand final-winning team this year, while Shibasaki is due for a mega upgrade after a remarkable lifeline from the Broncos.
Broncos coach Michael Maguire is a fan of both players and wants to keep them, but Donaghy admits Brisbane will face the retention challenges that have beset other premiership teams, most recently the Panthers.
The Broncos chief executive says there is a more localised danger than rugby’s R360 rebel competition, pointing to the imminent admission of Perth and Papua New Guinea in 2027-28.
“If we’re fair dinkum, Perth and PNG will be a greater threat (to the Broncos) than this R360 stuff,” Donaghy said.
“The challenge is the salary cap.
“At the end of the day, you have a pie that has to be cut up across a really talented group of young men and women and over time we will have to say hard goodbyes to people.
“That is always really difficult, but we will step through that when the challenge arises.
“If we keep investing in areas that can make us a destination club where players want to come, then hopefully players don’t want to leave.”
Arthars is on around $350,000 at the Broncos, but may be on the lookout for a new challenge with Perth after being snubbed by Maguire for this year’s premiership charge.
The versatile winger, fullback or centre has been excellent for the Broncos, scoring 31 tries from 74 games, and was added to Queensland’s extended squad for this year’s Origin series.
Shibasaki, meanwhile, could earn a massive pay rise if he defected to the Bears.
He joined Brisbane this year on an $80,000 development deal, bolstered by $3000 match payments for every game he played. Shibasaki finished the season with 25 games, equating to a $75,000 bonus at Brisbane, while he also pocketed $30,000 for his shock Queensland Origin debut, plus an additional $13,000 for his dream call-up for Australia’s Ashes series.
That means Shibasaki made around $198,000 this year, but his sensational 2025 campaign could see him earn upwards of $450,000 as a foundation centre in Perth.
It’s understood Arthars and Shibasaki are among a host of names on the Bears’ hit list for their debut season in 2027.
The Panthers lost a posse of players during their four-peat premiership dynasty and Donaghy is determined to keep Brisbane’s star-studded squad intact.
“The challenge is for us to keep focused on what we are doing internally,” he said.
“We can’t worry about the white noise and who is signing where.
“For new teams, and we saw that locally not so long ago (with the inclusion of the Dolphins in 2023), everything they do is something new, so there is a new story and we can’t get distracted by it.
“We want to provide the best culture, the best facilities and the best support staff and the best opportunity to win trophies.
“I will back our program every day of the week.”
The Bears are under pressure to land a big scalp after Jayden Campbell rejected a $6 million deal, but Perth coach Mal Meninga isn’t hitting the panic button.
“The distance (to Perth from the eastern seaboard) is not an issue for players,” he said.
“We understand a marquee player is great for publicity, but winning the competition comes from a whole group of people.
“We’re going to build it that way.”
LOCKYER SAYS BRONCOS REBRAND SHOULD SWAY HAAS
Broncos legend and board member Darren Lockyer has appealed for superstar prop Payne Haas to be part of the club’s ambitious future after overwhelming support for Brisbane’s new look.
As revealed by Code Sports, the Broncos are charging into a new era in 2026 after releasing a fresh logo and away playing strip on Wednesday in Brisbane’s most significant image makeover in 25 years.
And Donaghy hopes Haas hangs around to uphold Brisbane’s new battle cry - “We Charge On” - as the highest-paid forward in the Broncos’ history weighs up his future at Red Hill.
The $1.1 million prop is currently a free agent and has been heavily linked to rugby’s R360 rebel competition, which has offered Haas an estimated $3 million, tax free, to embark on a daring code switch.
R360 is poised to issue long-form contracts to prospective recruits amid speculation Haas, who is off-contract with Brisbane at the end of next season, has signed a letter of intent with the unsanctioned league.
On the day that Brisbane unveiled a sophisticated new logo in the afterglow of their premiership win, 355-game club great Lockyer urged Haas to lead a golden dynasty and be a Bronco for life.
“At the end of the day, we love Payne and what he’s done for the club over the years,” said Lockyer, Brisbane’s most-capped player.
“He’s been a big part of the club, and we hope he stays.”
Haas, who turns 26 next week, returned to Brisbane late last week after a family trip to Fiji following a high-octane 2025 campaign headlined by the Broncos first premiership win in 19 years.
The Broncos have tabled an extension to Haas worth north of $3.5 million and chief executive Dave Donaghy hopes the NSW Origin enforcer parades Brisbane’s new logo and away strip for the long haul.
“We love Payne,” Donaghy said.
“He’s an amazing person, an amazing player and he’s made a great contribution to the club.
“Payne knows how we feel _ we’d love for him to stay.
“He’ll take his time to work his way through it (a decision on his future).
“There’s no set timeline for us to pursue that. He’s had a big year, and I’m sure he wants to take a bit of time and reflect on what was an amazing 2025 with his family.
“So we’ll let him do that, and then when he gets back, we’ll have those conversations.”
Despite dropping the Broncos name from their logo, Donaghy said the iconic rebrand would propel Queensland’s flagship sporting team to new heights in the run to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
The new look includes a midnight blue away strip as a tribute to Broncos legendary scout Cyril Connell, who passed away in 2009.
“It’s a really historic day for the Brisbane Broncos,” Donaghy said.
“For us, looking ahead, we see a really exciting future for Brisbane. We see a lot of excitement around what’s coming down with the Olympics, a lot of growth and leaning into that is really important for us.
“This is a bold look, it’s a bold statement.
“It’s a great representation of who we are, where we come from and where we want to go to.
“Personally I love the new look.”
Lockyer, who helped Brisbane to four premierships between 1997-2006, believes the Broncos can christen the new logo with another title win in 2026.
“It’s strong,” he said of the new logo.
“That’s the first sense that I get when I look at it.
“The thought that’s gone into it as well, the history, connecting with the original directors and getting their story, and then looking at the modern world that we play our sport in, I think it’s a great outcome.
“Everyone loves a winner.”
NRL hands out monster bans for Katoa hits
