Titans up offer to $1.25 million for Fifita
TITANS culture boss Mal Meninga has tabled a stunning $1.25 million contract in a lastditch bid to poach David Fifita from the Brisbane Broncos and make him the joint highestpaid player in NRL history.
News Corp can reveal the Fifita contract saga has taken a dramatic twist with Meninga having one last crack at the superstar back-rower after he initially quit the Broncos, then sensationally backflipped.
In a dramatic 24 hours, the off-contract Fifita contacted Broncos coach Anthony Seibold on Tuesday night to advise him he would be joining the Gold Coast next season on a monster $1.1 million contract.
When he woke the following morning, the 20-year-old had a change of heart, advising Seibold and Broncos hierarchy he would stay on a $700,000 deal after Brisbane refused to enter a bidding war.
But when Fifita called Titans coach Justin Holbrook yesterday morning to confirm he was staying at Brisbane, Meninga refused to accept defeat, raising the stakes with a head-spinning $1.25 million offer.
That is the current value of the NRL’S highest-paid player, Queensland Origin skipper
Daly Cherry-evans. With Fifita torn again, the battle is far from over, with his mother Gwen revealing her son’s emotional torment as he decides whether to formally sign with Brisbane this week – or take a million-dollar leap of faith with the Titans.
“It’s been hard for myself and Dave to sleep, it’s such a big decision for him,” Gwen Fifita said.
“On Tuesday Dave had told Anthony (Seibold) that he would be going to the Titans and then he called him the next day to say he would be staying.
“I’m pretty confident he will stay with Brisbane because that’s what he had decided, but nothing is certain until we sign that piece of paper (a contract).
“The specialist has cleared Dave to play next week so he wants to make his decision by then.
“The deal the Titans have offered Dave is life-changing. The Broncos are a great club. It’s a really tough call.”
Seibold is confident the Broncos can keep the Titans at bay, despite Fifita facing a massive $525,000 sacrifice by remaining at Red Hill.
“David informed me (on Wednesday morning) that he is staying,” Seibold said.
“That was my last munication with David.
“We have given him best offer we can.”
Amid the Titans’ record offer, Fifita is unsure what to do and the private machinations over the past 24 hours have the Broncos on edge about losing their best backrow prospect in 20 years.
A critical factor in Fifita’s decision-making in his desire to pay off a house for Gwen, who is playing an active role in negotiations. comthe
THEY will return home just in time to hear their namesakes crow at dawn.
Exhausted Sydney Roosters players are about to endure a 17-hour work day, which will end when they crawl into bed at 4am on Friday.
It will involve cars, buses, planes and a game of footy.
Thursday’s round-nine clash against North Queensland in Townsville will become the longest game day in the Roosters’ 112-year history.
The back-to-back premiers will fly up and back in a day because of the COVID bubble. The players will rise, prepare and then leave their homes at 10am – and not return until 3.30am to 4am.
They will drive their cars to Bankstown Airport before making the three-hour, 2000km journey to Townsville on an NRL charter flight.
Once there, a bus will escort to them to Queensland Country Bank Stadium, where they will be given a large corporate area to eat and enjoy an afternoon sleep on blow-up mattresses.
They have been told to bring their own pillows to at least experience one of the comforts of home.
Kick-off is at 7.50pm – the latest-starting time for a game this season involving a NSW side travelling to North Queensland.
After the match, the players will have a brief recovery, shower and complete media commitments before returning directly to the airport for an 11.30pm flight.
The plane will land back at Bankstown at 2.30am – provided there are no delays – and the players will collect their bags, then jump in their cars and make the 45-minute drive back to Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
That will have them home at 3.30am and asleep, hopefully, by 4am.
Some players will be asked to attend a brief recovery session at the club’s Moore Park headquarters when they wake on Friday, but most given the day off.
“It might be a long day, but the bonus is the players get to sleep in their own bed,” said Roosters football operations manager and former NRL referee, Chris James. “In terms of recovery, you have probably accelerated it by a day.
“You’re only gone for the day. You wake up in your own bed, you go to bed in your own bed. We will get to the stadium early in Townsville and have organised companies to come in and place inflatable mattresses in a corporate area.
“So as soon as we walk in the boys are then able to have a sleep. They will take their own pillows and eye shades.
“The stadium will then cater a meal for us. We will have that together and then head down to the dressing sheds at about 6 o’clock.
“We will give them Friday off. Some will come in for a medical once they wake up, but the rest will come back in on Saturday.
“We really like it and would like to do it moving forward, but don’t know what the costs are and how that transfers when everything goes back to normal.”
Speaking on the Big Sports Breakfast Weekend, Roosters coach Trent Robinson said: “Straight after the game we will fly straight home. The idea is to reduce contact with as many people as possible.
“If you go up the night before, there are dinners, hotel rooms, functions, there is lots to organise. It’s often two to three nights away.
“Chartered flights aren’t cheap and it’s a change from the normal travel, but we love it. It’s a really good arrangement.
“The only thing we have to make sure of is that we do offer some time to our fans in those places as well.”
The Roosters, whose next game is the following Thursday night against Canberra at the SCG, have lost Daniel Tupou (syndesmosis). Englishman Ryan Hall will get his chance on the wing. will be