Brisbane Broncos could lose David Fifita to mega deal
Boom Kangaroos forward David Fifita is facing a choice between loyalty to the Broncos and the chance to become the game’s next million-dollar man.
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Boom Brisbane forward David Fifita is facing a choice between loyalty to the Broncos and the chance to become the game’s next million-dollar man as at least one NRL rival prepares to table a seven-figure salary for the teenager from 2021.
Fifita was already the most coveted player off contract at the end of 2020 but his stocks have soared again after his performance in the World 9s at the weekend.
He was a handful for opponents as Australia won the inaugural event at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney, showcasing his unique mix of speed and power as the Kangaroos cruised through the tournament.
The Broncos were facing a hefty fight to keep him given their tight salary cap, things so restricted they have been unable to further their interest in out-of-favour Melbourne halfback Brodie Croft.
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They remain bullish about retaining Fifita — Broncos officials privately insist he is going nowhere — but the 19-year-old is being offered to rival clubs and will have to sacrifice significant money to stay at Brisbane, one club on Monday afternoon confirming he was now a million-dollar proposition as soon as 2021.
Asked how long they would be willing to commit to Fifita, an official from the club responded: “As long as he wants.”
The club, which is unable to table an official offer to Fifita until November 1, is not alone.
A host of rivals are closely watching the situation at the Broncos, where Fifita is one of several emerging stars with only 12 months remaining on their contract.
Brisbane are yet to announce new deals for prop Thomas Flegler and centre Kotoni Staggs, both highly thought of at the Broncos and elsewhere.
Staggs, in particular, is in line for a massive pay rise after breaking into first grade last year and becoming a fixture in the centres this year. Again, the Broncos are confident they are edging towards a deal for the prospective NSW centre but if he is up for grabs on November 1, there will be a stampede.
The squeeze is on at the Broncos after the club extended a handful of players over the course of recent months, among them Matt Lodge, Tevita Pangai Junior and Patrick Carrigan. They are also well down the road on an extension for winger Corey Oates and are fighting to retain captaincy candidate Alex Glenn in the face of a bid from Penrith to entice him to Sydney.
The club had given Jack Bird permission to explore his options in the hope that it would free up some cap space but it is understood he will now remain in Brisbane.
Their greatest challenge could yet be Fifita given the clubs that are queuing up to make him an offer in little more than a week.
Under the game’s contracting guidelines, which are currently under review and likely to be cast asunder in favour of a transfer window system, rival clubs are eligible to table offers to Fifita from November 1.
That leaves the Broncos with little more than a week to get him under lock and key or face the prospect of offers arriving from the length and breadth of the NRL.
At least one club believes Fifita is now worth a seven-figure salary, which would bring him in line with the top earners in the game.
Maybe only 10 players in the NRL have broken the million-dollar ceiling and only a handful of those are forwards — Cameron Smith, Sam Burgess and Jason Taumalolo.
Fifita is currently in camp with the Junior Kangaroos but there is every chance he will come into camp with the full national side in the lead-up to next week’s Test against Tonga in Auckland.
His teammates are in awe of his talent. “It is silly isn’t it,” Kangaroos utility Ben Hunt said.
“There is a bit of a joke getting around the team that it was two-up, give it to Dave and he would do the rest during the nines.
“It sort of worked out for us like that in the final too. He is such a freaky talent. He still has room to grow his game. He is such a big powerful thing and he is only going to get better.”