The competition for Brisbane Broncos star Kotoni Staggs is expected to include the Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles.
The centre may not be able to negotiate until November 1 of this year because he is not off-contract until the end of 2025, but that hasn’t stopped rumours that he will be actively pursued when that date arrives.
Although it is unlikely, Brisbane would certainly like to lock Staggs up before November 1.
The team led by Kevin Walters is struggling with salary cap issues after recently re-signing Payne Haas, Ezra Mam, Jordan Riki, and Brendan Piakura, as well as having long-term contracts with players like Deine Mariner and Patrick Carrigan.
In the upcoming weeks and months, Brisbane will also need to decide how to handle the contract of star fullback Reece Walsh of the Queensland State of Origin, who, like Staggs, is out of contract at the end of 2025.
Given that Walsh is said to have already agreed to terms on a contract that is estimated to be worth more than $1 million per season, it is unlikely that he will make it to the November 1 deadline.
Although the Broncos would likely have to pay more than they can afford to keep Staggs, it is unclear how much they would have to pay. News Corp has reported that the Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles are interested in signing him.
At the end of this season, the Roosters will lose Joseph Manu and Joseph Suaalii from their backcourt, and Daniel Tupou’s possible retirement is still on the table.
Billy Smith, an outside back, will immediately fit into the best 17, but with so few players available for 2024, it might be necessary to wait a year for a standout replacement like Staggs.
Josh Schuster’s future with Manly is uncertain, and they will likely have to make changes to their outside back lineup in the near future.
The Dolphins are the other team rumoured to be in the running for the star centre, but reports from that team are conflicting as some speculate they may withdraw because they already signed Herbie Farnworth from the Broncos at the end of 2023 and have a glut of backline players vying for playing time.
It’s unclear which contract Staggs would prefer over his next one.
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