NRL 2023 transfer news: Tristan Sailor set to sign new Broncos contract, Wests Tigers look to re-sign Luke Brooks

The Brisbane Broncos are looking to lock up a speedster who has caught the eye of Phil Gould, while the Wests Tigers have stepped up their roster clean-out.

Phil Gould sang the praises of Tristan Sailor.

Tristan Sailor is set to be handed a new deal at Brisbane as the Broncos look to stave off a potential poaching bid from Phil Gould’s Bulldogs.

Broncos coach Kevin Walters confirmed the club is keen to retain the utility back with recruitment chief Simon Scanlan to open talks on a new deal for the son of Brisbane wing legend Wendell Sailor.

The 25-year-old endured two years of legal hell at former club the Dragons and after being cleared of sexual-assault charges, Sailor was thrown a lifeline by the Broncos in pre-season.

Sailor made his Broncos debut a fortnight ago when first-choice fullback Reece Walsh was called up for his Queensland Origin debut and he was outstanding in Brisbane’s 26-22 defeat of the Warriors.

Been watching him all year. He’s been very good. https://t.co/fcwpIt31yY

— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) May 27, 2023

That performance piqued the interest of Bulldogs football boss Gould, who took to social media to reveal he had been watching Sailor “all year”.

Gould has a history of poaching Broncos young guns.

In January, the Bulldogs supremo landed the prized signature of boom Brisbane teenager Karl Oloapu and during his stint as a Warriors consultant in 2021, Gould played a key role in delivering Broncos Academy sensation Reece Walsh to New Zealand.

But the Broncos insist Sailor is going nowhere.

Off-contract at season’s end, Sailor is currently on a development deal, but the Broncos have two vacancies in their 30-man roster and are moving to upgrade the fleet-footed utility to a full-time contract.

Tristan Sailor has impressed despite his limited opportunities in 2023. Picture: Jim O'Reilly.

“We have got really good depth and we have to maintain that depth into next year,” Walters said.

“Certainly Tristan will be a big part of that.

“That (contract negotiations for a Sailor upgrade) is in Simon Scanlan’s hands.

“Tristan plays multiple positions, he can handle the wing, the halves, even centre, so he’s a good utility player on top of his skills at fullback.”

While Walsh is entrenched as Brisbane’s No.1 fullback, Sailor has been in fine form for feeder-club Souths Logan in the Queensland Cup.

Sailor trained strongly at Red Hill on Tuesday and Broncos players are blown away by his attitude, with the son of Wendell rated Brisbane’s fittest player.

Tristan Sailor has impressed with his attitude at training. Picture: Brisbane Broncos

Sailor was outstanding in his maiden Broncos outing a fortnight ago. He set up a try, broke four tackles and amassed 111 metres in a nerveless fullback display, prompting Gould to write on social media: “Been watching him all year. He’s been very good.”

Walters agrees and says Sailor has the utility value to play regular NRL at the Broncos.

“We are very confident Tristan can step up if required,” he said.

“He has taken the rise in journey beautifully, he is very calm, he has great footwork and like ‘Walshy’ he is a real student of the game.

“We would have no hesitation playing him if needed.”

Walsh, the newly-minted Queensland Origin debutant, said Sailor is keeping him on his toes at the Broncos.

“Tristan is a freak,” Walsh said.

“He is a big reason why I have been doing what I’m doing.

“In pre-season, he was training crazy and he was pushing me to be better.

“He is skilful enough and he is good enough for the NRL.

“He is prepared to do the hard work and he’s a tough guy, I hope Tristan stays here because other NRL clubs might try and sign him.”

WESTS TIGERS BEGIN ROSTER CLEANOUT

- Brent Read and Michael Carayannis

The Wests Tigers have officially launched their bid to keep Luke Brooks at the club after tabling a two-year deal worth in excess of $1 million for the local junior.

Brooks, in the final year of a deal that pays him more than $1 million this season, has been in resurgent form in recent weeks for the Tigers, prompting head coach Tim Sheens and his successor Benji Marshall to come to the party with a new deal that would extend his tenure at the club.

The move to keep Brooks comes as the club steps up a clean-out of its playing ranks.

It is understood Daine Laurie, Shawn Blore, Jake Simpkin and David Nofoaluma are all free to leave at the end of the season, if not earlier.

Laurie has concrete interest from England while Blore has also been pitched to Super League sides.

Brooks was also a target for English giants Leeds but it is understood that he has no interest in moving overseas at this stage of his career.

The Tigers have given him the opportunity to stay in the NRL, although other clubs have also had their interest piqued given the way he has played in recent weeks — Brooks has been a key figure in a Tigers side that has won three of their last five games.

The 28-year-old now has a decision to make. He can stay at the Tigers and play a central role in the revolution taking place under Sheens and Marshall. Or he can head to market and see what options are out there for him in clubland.

Sheens has spoken glowingly of the off-contract Brooks in recent weeks and has made it known publicly and privately that he wants to keep Brooks at the club long-term.

Luke Brooks’ future is up in the air.

The Tigers coach wanted that to happen during the club’s recent bye week but the deal was delayed – it is understood the club was still attempting to navigate recent changes that resulted in Scott Fulton being appointed head of recruitment by the board.

The decision to make an offer to Brooks shapes as a victory for Sheens and Marshall, who are believed to have championed his retention. The Tigers had originally planned to make a decision on Brooks after six rounds but the timeline was extended as they waited for some clarity around their salary cap and their pursuit of other halves targets.

The club threw the bank at Mitchell Moses but he elected to stay at Parramatta, rejecting a mega-deal from his former club to stay loyal to the Eels. The Tigers also had a look at Shaun Johnson but he turned them down.

If Brooks does the same, it will be panic stations for the Tigers given it would mean they head into next season with no recognised halves – five-eighth Adam Doueihi is recovering from knee surgery.

Brooks’ form in the past month has piqued the interest of rival clubs.

Doueihi is likely to miss a large chunk — if not all of — 2024 as he makes his way back from another knee reconstruction. Brandon Wakeham is also off-contract.

The Tigers have missed out on a range of high profile halves in recent months with Johnson the most recent player to knock them back. He joins the likes of Cameron Munster, Moses and Mitchell Pearce to reject the Tigers’ advances.

Outside of keeping Brooks, there is now a dearth of available halves off-contract at the end of the season. They have been linked to Manly’s Josh Schuster- who remains contracted for next season. Schuster is among a group of players who were signed at Manly by Fulton.

Unless they are able to entice a contracted player to join the club, the Tigers might be left to choose from the likes of Matt Frawley, Kyle Flanagan, Adam Clune, Ben Hampton and Drew Hutchison are without deals for next year.

Originally published as NRL 2023 transfer news: Tristan Sailor set to sign new Broncos contract, Wests Tigers look to re-sign Luke Brooks