The star of the Brisbane Broncos is opposed to the players leaving the team.
In light of Brisbane’s wage limit squeeze, Jesse Arthars is the most recent Broncos player to urge the team to do everything in its power to keep Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo. The Broncos have signed huge contracts with players like Patrick Carrigan, Ezra Mam, and Payne Haas in an attempt to secure their skills.
Most recently, Reece Walsh extended his stay on a $5 million contract, signing the largest deal in the club’s history. The Broncos hierarchy’s actions have increased pressure to keep a number of other players whose contracts are about to expire, though.
It’s also no secret that Cobbo and Staggs are considering their alternatives because the Broncos are unlikely to keep both of them unless one or both of them accept a big pay cut. Maguire recently asserted that the centre desired a new contract with the Broncos and commended Staggs’ leadership throughout training.
Cobbo is now in difficulties because it appears that the team will not be able to provide him a better contract following the 2025 campaign. Cobbo may undergo a positional change in 2025, Maguire acknowledged, which might impact the Broncos star’s desire to remain in Brisbane.
Although Maguire has acknowledged that the team’s first goal is to sign both players to long-term contracts, this may not be simple given Cobbo’s expected high demands from other teams. The playing group, however, wants both stars to remain in Brisbane, according to winger Arthars.
“Seeing them go bothers me. They add a lot of culture to our club and are clearly great friends of mine. We’ll be trying to hang onto two players at the club, Cobbs and Tones,” Arthars stated.
“This group has always benefited from them. In addition to being a huge player in this club, Tone is also a highly important leader behind the scenes. He is a member of our leadership group and one of the main drivers behind attempting to improve this culture. He was captain a couple of times last year and the year before.
The Broncos are under pressure from Walsh’s contract going into the upcoming season, but Ben Hunt’s arrival has also drawn criticism. Hunt reportedly signed a two-year contract paying $600,000 per season. Even while it isn’t a huge setback, the Broncos’ salary cap is being reduced by every dollar. With Hunt’s signing, the team is also making it apparent that they intend to aim for an NRL premiership within the next two seasons. Cobbo and Staggs may decide to stay and pursue a title or look for a better financial offer elsewhere based on this.
Michael Maguire commends Kotoni Staggs’ ability to lead
Maguire recently commended Staggs’ leadership despite the fact that he had just begun preseason with his new club as coach. In an effort to improve on the team’s performance from the previous season, which saw them miss out on the top eight, Maguire has been pushing the players in training.
Maguire said that Staggs is among the guys who have most impressed him since joining. “Kotoni has told me how much he values the Broncos and is certain that he wants to be a member. “We want those players to stay here, stay with us, and continue to develop as Broncos,” he stated.
Jesse Arthars commends Michael Maguire’s standards
Arthars discussed the preseason and Maguire’s contributions to the team, saying the group is starting to realise the expectations placed on them as 2025 approaches. He added that this began during training. “The boys have just been a bit more accountable for their errors, so if someone drops the ball we’re all down doing 10 push ups,” Arthars explained.
“Everyone is putting forth a lot of effort. Over the past few weeks, the boys have been adjusting to the fact that this year’s training schedule is plainly different. It’s evidently nice to have a new coach since he has different ideas and beliefs about how he wants us to play.
It’s pleasant to see what Madge (Maguire) has to offer, I suppose. Clearly, we have much to learn. Even though it’s early, Madge has performed admirably thus far.