Three clubs express interest in signing Selwyn Cobbo as Broncos delay contract extension

Amid speculation that the Broncos are delaying any fresh contract extension for Selwyn Cobbo until they see an improved performance in 2025, those close to the utility back claim three clubs are prepared to swoop.

Three NRL rivals have launched poaching bids for Selwyn Cobbo as Broncos coach Michael Maguire vowed to fight to keep the Queensland Origin star at Red Hill.

This masthead can reveal two Sydney-based clubs and a third NRL suitor have expressed interest in Cobbo, setting up a looming bidding war for the Maroons matchwinner.

Cobbo’s agent Tas Bartlett fielded the approaches but has rejected starting formal negotiations to allow the Brisbane young gun to focus on his 2025 pre-season.

The revelation comes at a time when the Broncos are ramping up their bid for Ben Hunt, tabling a two-year deal worth around $1.1 million in a bid to bring the former Dragons skipper home to Red Hill.

Hunt is expected to finalise his future this week and his decision could have salary-cap ramifications for the Broncos and their ability to retain strike duo Cobbo and Kotoni Staggs.

Cobbo and Staggs are both off-contract next season and the Broncos have yet to table a fresh extension for the former, fuelling speculation Brisbane want the Cherbourg product to lift his game in 2025.

Selwyn Cobbo sweats it out during pre season training with the Broncos at Red Hill. Picture: Adam Head

Martin Taupau and Selwyn Cobbo working hard at pre-season. Picture: Adam Head

Brisbane’s wait-and-see methodology has opened the door for poaching threats, with a trio of NRL clubs having lodged expressions of interest in Cobbo since he became a free agent on November 1.

Cobbo’s preference is to stay at the Broncos, putting Brisbane in the box seat to keep him, but he may face the prospect of knocking back more lucrative NRL offers to stay at Red Hill.

Cobbo’s management has put contract talks on hold to minimise distractions for the 22-year-old after a mixed 2024 campaign headlined by a brilliant Origin I performance before some late-season turbulence.

After his Origin I heroics, the Maroons were rocked by Cobbo withdrawing from Game Two and he was later given time off by Brisbane to address some off-field issues.

But Cobbo’s inconsistency last season hasn’t stopped NRL rivals targeting one of the most naturally gifted utility backs in the code.

Once labelled Brisbane’s version of Souths superstar Latrell Mitchell, Cobbo is capable of playing fullback, wing and centre and at his best, the 105kg hulk is one of the code’s bona fide matchwinners.

The three NRL suitors have inquired about Cobbo’s price tag, his willingness to leave Brisbane, and which position he prefers to play.

The Broncos have not rushed to extend Selwyn Cobbo’s deal. Picture: NRL Photos

On the open market, Cobbo could earn upwards of $750,000 a season as a centre, and potentially up to $1 million if he was signed as a first-choice fullback.

It is understood Cobbo, in an ideal world, wants to play fullback at the Broncos.

But he accepts that will not happen at a Brisbane club where Reece Walsh has a mortgage on the No. 1 jumper and has just inked a four-year, $4.4 million extension.

Currently on around $650,000, Cobbo may take less to stay at the Broncos for 2026 and beyond if it means staying close to his family, whom he regularly visits in Cherbourg.

However, a move to Sydney for the Indigenous ace is less daunting now than it was when Cobbo left his hometown six years ago, at 16, to begin his journey to NRL stardom.

The potential salary-cap curve ball for the Broncos is their pursuit of Hunt.

It will cost the Broncos around $1.5 million to keep both Cobbo and Staggs, and if Brisbane are successful in securing Hunt, that will further erode their available funds for 2026.

But new Broncos coach Maguire is adamant signing Hunt would not force Staggs or Cobbo out of Red Hill.

Asked if the Broncos could afford Hunt, Cobbo and Staggs under the salary cap, Maguire said: “I believe we can, yes.

“A player of Ben Hunt’s calibre is hard to get and having his name in your top squad, it has a nice ring to it doesn’t it?

“We have presented to Ben and shown him the club and he would be immense for our environment.

Selwyn Cobbo withdrew from Game Two of the Origin series and was later given time off by Brisbane to address some off-field issues. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“His leadership and his quality as a player are great assets.

“I’m sure he is talking to his family and working out what it is he wants, but he also has a great opportunity to come back to a Broncos club that he loves and do something special and help the club create history again.

“That’s what we are all chasing.”

Cobbo has scored 43 tries from 68 games for the Broncos since his NRL debut in 2021 and Maguire has been impressed with his start to the 2025 pre-season, dismissing concerns about his fitness.

Maguire is confident Cobbo will hit back with a bumper 2025 to win a Broncos extension.

“If Selwyn focuses on the training part, most of the contract stuff will sort itself out - it always does,” he said.

“I have been impressed with Selwyn in my few weeks here already.

“His application is there and I have really enjoyed his company already, we’ve had some good chats and he’s a good kid.

“He is a very talented young man and has some special qualities about him.

“He just has to play consistently and if he gets super fit he will do that.”

Originally published as Three clubs express interest in signing Selwyn Cobbo as Broncos delay contract extension