Broncos’ sights on Titan
THE Broncos have upped the ante for Titans prop Ryan James after bolstering their forward stocks with the signing of veteran bookend Mitchell Dodds.
The departure of Titansbound Jarrod Wallace has opened the door for Dodds, whose return to the Broncos will be formalised this Tuesday when he inks a one-year deal.
But the Broncos are determined to add more firepower to their engine room, with the club making a serious play for NSW Origin hopeful James. The Gold Coast-product is the most in-demand prop in the code with six NRL suitors targeting him and the Titans en- forcer can officially field rival offers from Tuesday week.
Off-contract next season, the 25-year-old will test his value on the open market, giving the Broncos the opportunity to table a former offer for Gold Coast’s No.1 prop.
James has suspended extension talks with the Titans – fuelling fears he could quit the club – but the Gold Coast are hopeful of staving off a Broncos poaching bid.
“We’d like to think he wants to stay here beyond 2017,” Titans operations chief Tony Mestrov said.
“I have heard there is some interest from a few clubs, but Ryan is a priority signing for us. He’s a future captain and Origin player so we’ve made it clear to Ryan we don’t want to lose him.”
While James is weighing up his future, Dodds has secured his with the 27-year-old desperate to fire at the Broncos next season after a nightmare one-year stint in England.
The luckless Dodds played just two games for Warrington, suffering a sickening double break to his left leg in a clash against Catalans Dragons in March.
The 107kg prop, who has also had two knee reconstructions, has since made a full recovery and is keen to add to the 76 NRL games he compiled for Brisbane between 2010-15.
Dodds was a member of Brisbane’s 2015 grand-final team and arrives at the perfect time to fill the void left by Titans recruit Wallace.
“Warrington wanted him to stay on but the Broncos were keen to have him back,” Dodds’ manager Jim Banaghan said.
“With Jarrod Wallace moving on, it marries up nicely, so ‘Doddsy’ has seized on the opportunity and he is happy with a one-year contract at this stage. Mitchell is well respected at the Broncos and he’s a Brisbane boy so hopefully he gets a lucky break with injuries next season.”
Broncos legend Darren Lockyer, a member of Brisbane’s recruitment-and-retention committee, said Dodds would be a handy asset.
“Mitchell has never let anyone down when he has been at the Broncos, he was just cruelled by injuries,” he said.
“He’s got no fear and he’s always willing to put his body on the line so he can do a really good job for us next season.”