TITANS UP THE ANTE ON FIFITA
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THE David Fifita tug of war has exploded with the Titans ramping up their poaching raid by tabling a new, three-year $3.5 million deal in an aggressive bid to steal the superstar back-rower from the Broncos.
News Corp can reveal the Titans have increased their offer from a one-year contract to a beefed-up three years in an attempt to secure Fifita until the end of 2023.
But the Broncos have hit back. Having learned of the Titans’ club-record three-year offer, Brisbane’s recruitmentand-retention committee are up for the fight and have told the Fifita camp they will match the term, if not the money, of Gold Coast’s upgraded bid.
And in another significant development, it is understood Fifita is now open to signing a longer-term deal beyond a 12month arrangement.
The off-contract Fifita initially planned to sign only a one-year deal for 2021 because of a management issue with agent Steve Deacon, with whom he plans to sever ties in December.
But the Queensland Origin forward is also mindful of the dangers of inking a one-year deal and the contractual vulnerability if he was to suffer a serious injury that threatened his long-term future.
A three-year deal gives Fifita more security – and the Titans have come to the party.
It is understood Gold Coast’s upgraded offer is worth $1.25 million next season, which is then scaled back to $1.1 million for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
It is a unique financial arrangement. Most NRL contracts are back-ended deals, but the Titans’ offer to Fifita is front-ended in a bid to lure him to the Gold Coast for 2021 with a view to providing more balance in their salary cap for the following seasons.
Brisbane hierarchy will not budge on their offer of $700,000 for next season, but they would be prepared to raise Fifita’s salary to $800,000 in 2022 and $900,000 the following year.
Over the three-year period, Fifita would sacrifice around $1 million by staying loyal to the Broncos.
It is a huge financial consideration and that explains why the 20-year-old has retreated in the past fortnight to discuss his options with his mother Gwen and a financial adviser.
The Broncos have heard nothing official from Fifita but club insiders say the Maroons ace was in high spirits and more relaxed at training on Tuesday – giving Brisbane fresh confidence he will not walk out on the club.