Brisbane Broncos $6m salary cap crunch: Selwyn Cobbo, Kobe Hetherington among six players on chopping block
Brisbane’s swollen salary cap is about to burst with $6 million worth of talent at risk of being forced out of the club. See the players on the chopping block and the stars attracting interest from rival clubs.
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Four NRL clubs have launched poaching bids for Kobe Hetherington as Brisbane battle a $6 million salary cap crunch to keep the hard-hitting forward at the Broncos.
This masthead can reveal Hetherington’s management will kick-off preliminary talks with Broncos bosses to assess the lock’s future at Red Hill in the lead up to Brisbane’s clash against the Roosters on Friday night.
Hetherington goes into the Roosters blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium as a free agent. The off-contract lock is happy at Red Hill and thriving in the post-Kevin Walters era after clinching the starting No.13 jumper under new coach Michael Maguire.
But the flood of interest from NRL rivals after Hetherington’s impressive start to the premiership has given the Queensland Origin hopeful food for thought at a time when the Broncos are battling salary-cap pressures.
Champion skipper Adam Reynolds is off-contract at season’s end, as are backline dynamic duo Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo – and now the Broncos must stave-off poaching threats for Hetherington.
Hetherington’s manager Chris Haddad confirmed the 26-year-old is a man in demand as he prepares to open dialogue with Brisbane recruitment chief Simon Scanlan, who has returned home from a talent scouting mission in England.
“We’ll look to have some talks this week with the Broncos,” Haddad said.
“Kobe is happy and settled at the Broncos but he is also open to leaving depending on the circumstances.
“The Broncos are keen to keep him, but Kobe has a fair bit of interest and that’s something we need to consider.
“He loves the Broncos and that’s his preference, but there’s a number of factors to weigh up.”
Those factors include money and opportunity. Hetherington is on around $450,000 this season at the Broncos and could stand to earn north of $500,000 if he chose to test his value on the open market.
Game time is another consideration. The son of Queensland legend Jason Hetherington is averaging 38 minutes per game this season, but has the toughness, work rate and fitness to be a 60 to 80-minute performer as a key defensive hitman in a forward pack.
Hetherington was granted permission to negotiate with rival clubs last season, only for Maguire to rule out a release to a Sydney club after arriving at the Broncos as Walters’ successor.
“Kobe was close to leaving this year,” Haddad said. “He had interest from the Tigers and the Dragons, but the Broncos didn’t want to release him. We had a meeting with ‘Madge’ (Maguire) and he made it clear he wanted him to stay.
“We’re keen to have talks with the Broncos before we do anything more with other clubs.
“He is a professional footballer and he would have no problem going if he had to.
“Kobe is now in the starting team which is great, but we’re weighing up all options and we’ll sit down with the Broncos and see what their position is.”
The Broncos have 13 players off-contract this season. Over the next two years, 20 top-liners from their 30-man full-time NRL roster will have to negotiate extensions on contracts worth a total value of $6.6 million.
Broncos coach Maguire says he is keen to retain Hetherington, who is one of the best technical defenders in the NRL and also capable of stints at hooker or second row.
“I really enjoy coaching Kobe and I like his mentality,” he said.
“He is really complementing ‘Patty’ (Carrigan) and Payne (Haas).
“He plays his part, he understands the other boys and what they do for the team and he plays a complementary role.
“I am enjoying watching him perform every week.
“He is a good old-fashioned rugby league player. On both sides of the ball, he is pretty handy, whether it’s defence or attack.
“Defence is 50 per cent of the game and Kobe is very capable in that area. He has great technique.
“Everyone has their own opinions of players but I don’t want to lose him, he is very much my style of player.”
THE SELWYN DILEMMA
Four NRL clubs are circling Selwyn Cobbo with the Broncos facing the prospect of shedding players to fit the Queensland Origin star into their salary cap for 2026.
The Broncos and Cobbo’s management will look to ramp-up talks on a contract extension after Friday night’s clash against the Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium.
But a proposed new deal for Cobbo could come at a price, with Brisbane expected to make some tough calls on their roster to fund a $1.5 million retention package for the Maroons flyer and fellow backline ace Kotoni Staggs.
This masthead can reveal four rivals have formally expressed interest in Cobbo, who has also been touted as one of the first marquee targets of a new Papua New Guinea franchise entering the NRL in 2028.
Staggs is closing in on a $3 million extension, leaving Cobbo in a precarious position as Brisbane juggle salary-cap pressures with the value of an Origin star who is an Indigenous role model and cult hero with Broncos fans.
Cobbo’s management confirmed interest in the Cherbourg product, but says his priority is working through Brisbane’s salary-cap maze to keep the 22-year-old matchwinner at Red Hill.
“Selwyn wants to be at the Broncos and we will be exhausting that avenue first,” said his agent Tas Bartlett.
“In my eyes, he should be like Allan Langer — he should be a Bronco for life.
“We’ve had a number of inquiries around Selwyn’s worth, but we will try to get a deal done with the Broncos first.
“If that doesn’t eventuate, then we will look to the open market.”
Cobbo is confronting the biggest financial decision of his burgeoning career. He is currently on around $600,000 this season, but one NRL suitor has discussed paying between $900,000 to $1 million for Cobbo to play at fullback, his preferred position.
That means Cobbo faces giving up at least $300,000 annually to stay loyal to Brisbane, although money has never been the driving force for a player who seeks solace in weekend getaways to visit family in Cherbourg.
The wildcard is the new PNG franchise. The NRL’s 18th team will be able to offer tax-free dollars to prospective players, meaning a $1 million offer to a player of Cobbo’s ilk would be worth closer to $2m with taxation concessions backed by the Australian government.
The Broncos remain confident they can retain Cobbo, but salary-cap pressures will have implications for the likes of skipper Adam Reynolds, Billy Walters, Fletcher Baker and Jock Madden.
In pre-season, Cobbo and the Broncos put talks on hold to allow the backline utility to focus on football, but the Maroons maestro has started the 2025 premiership in fine form under new coach Michael Maguire.
Maguire accepts PNG will be looking to poach off-contract marquee stars but the Broncos have a crucial headstart to lock Cobbo in for the long term.
“Selwyn likes ‘Madge’ (Maguire) and is really enjoying his football at the moment,” Bartlett said.
“An expansion team like PNG will be keen to sign players on the open market, especially a guy of Selwyn’s quality and ability, but they aren’t coming in until 2028.
“If things work out, the Broncos will look to take him off the market by then.”
Former Broncos skipper Corey Parker believes Brisbane face salary-cap headaches upgrading Staggs, Cobbo and superstar prop Payne Haas, who is a free agent from November 1 this year.
“Selwyn gets $1 million at any other club, easily,” he said.
“What can the Broncos seriously afford to pay Cobbo under the salary cap?
“If he wants to play fullback long term, the reality is he has to leave and he can earn a lot more elsewhere.
“If he went to the open market there would be a stack of clubs wanting to sign him.”
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Originally published as Brisbane Broncos $6m salary cap crunch: Selwyn Cobbo, Kobe Hetherington among six players on chopping block
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