Jimmy the Jet close to deal
BRONCOS CEO Paul White says the club is confident they are about to re- sign a number of their star players, including strike centre James Roberts.
Former Cowboy Tautau Moga is set to leave Red Hill next season to join the Knights, with young forward Herman Ese’ese on the verge of following him out the door.
But White is optimistic that the Broncos will be able to retain a number of their other big- name players in the coming weeks, with Roberts, Alex Glenn, Jordan Kahu, Benji Marshall and skipper Darius Boyd still among those off contract.
White said yesterday that Boyd’s future should be secure within the next month, while a number of other contracts are close to being finalised.
“We’re close to a number of announcements,” White said.
“There’s no doubt there’s interest in all the players we have coming off contract.
“We’re working hard to retain our players. It’s a challenge but it’s a good challenge to have.”
One of the players the Broncos are working hard to keep is Roberts.
The Brisbane speedster is being considered for a two to three- year deal, after his management revealed earlier this year that they won’t be looking outside of the Broncos, who have stuck by him through some off- field troubles.
For the Broncos, they wanted to be sure he maintained his good off- field behaviour this season before resigning, but White said yesterday they are becoming increasingly satisfied with Roberts’ demeanour, particularly in his community work.
“I’m really proud of the efforts Jimmy’s made,” White said.
“He’s certainly racked up some miles travelling around the state ( doing community work) but I think that’s been good for him.
“He’s still got a long journey in front of him but I’m really pleased for him.”
Meanwhile, White expects a backlash from members after the club missed out on a Sunday game when the NRL released the final six rounds of the regular season draw yesterday.
The Broncos have been allocated one Saturday afternoon game on the Gold Coast and will play the other five matches either on Thursday or Friday nights.
“Am I disappointed we are under- represented in Sunday afternoon football? Yes I am,” White said.
“I do want to let our members know that we fight very hard for diversity in the draw.”
However, Brisbane are one of 10 teams to avoid a dreaded five- day turnaround between rounds 21- 26 with a likely finals campaign around the corner.