Roosters, Bulldogs and Titans lead chase to prise David Fifita from Broncos

Brisbane superstar David Fifita has whittled his future down to a handful of clubs.

While Brisbane are confident of keeping David Fifita on their books, he does have a queue of clubs bidding for his services. Picture: Getty Images

Brisbane superstar David Fifita has whittled his future down to a handful of clubs. Fifita, off contract at the end of 2020, received expressions of interest from as many as 12 rivals but is believed to have finalised a shortlist of up to four.

Brisbane remain the favourites to retain him on a long-term deal but the clubs chasing his signature have been told that he will advance discussions with them once the NRL has finalised any sanction over an incident in Bali last month.

Canterbury and Sydney Roosters are among the clubs understood to have survived the cull. So too Gold Coast Titans.

New Zealand Warriors, who have tabled a seven-figure deal for the 19-year-old, are lengthening in the market and it would be no surprise if they decided to chase other targets, among them English forward Luke Thompson.

Fifita was the hottest property to hit the open market on November 1, a clamour of clubs lining up to pursue his signature.

Stream over 50 sports Live & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS on your TV, computer, mobile or tablet. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly >

The Broncos remain confident they will get a deal done and have set aside money to make what they believe will be a lucrative contract extension.

However, the Bulldogs and Roosters are among the bevy of clubs with cash to burn and a desire to send it in Fifita’s direction.

South Sydney were also linked with Fifita but have since redirected their efforts into signing Titans forward Jai Arrow.

Souths head of football Shane Richardson held talks with Arrow’s management on Wednesday night but will only make a formal offer once the NRL has handed down a decision on the salary cap implications around the retirement of Sam Burgess.

The Rabbitohs are expected to receive a favourable hearing from the NRL, leaving them in position to launch a lucrative bid for Arrow’s services.

The Australian understands that reports of a deal worth upwards of $800,000 a season are wide of the mark, although the Rabbitohs offer is expected to be competitive and Arrow may find the lure of playing under Wayne Bennett too tempting to ignore.

That would be a blow to not only the Titans, but also Wests Tigers. The Tigers are believed to be interested in Arrow and have the money to accommodate him immediately, but appear to be dropping off the pace.

Fifita too is sweating on a verdict from the NRL after he was involved in an incident in Bali last month that resulted in him spending time in jail.

The Broncos eventually negotiated his freedom and flew him home, but he is likely to receive a sanction from the NRL in the form of a suspension and a fine.

Any punishment is unlikely to impact his value on the open market, although the Broncos remain the strong favourites to retain him beyond 2020.

Their cause wasn’t hurt by their handling of the incident in Bali, club officials racing over to Indonesia, negotiating his freedom and quickly standing by his side.

Meanwhile, St George Illawarra have re-signed fullback Zac Lomax on a historic six-year deal, despite the youngster playing just one game in the crucial NRL position. The Dragons on Thursday confirmed a contract extension for Lomax, 20, who was set to enter the final year of his deal, until the end of the 2025 season.

Only halfback Ben Hunt, who has completed the second of a five-year deal with an option for a sixth, has been given a longer contract by the merger club. The highly-touted Lomax recently admitted to meeting with a number of rival clubs, having been linked with Newcastle, Canberra and the Wests Tigers.

AddITIONAL REPORTING: AAP