Eels Star's Price Unveiled Amid Rival Interest; Broncos Secure Blues Star's Brother

Reynolds confirmed in captain’s role | 00:30

Eels star Dylan Brown’s stunning asking price has been revealed with the playmaker seeking $1.2 million a season from five rival clubs interested in taking him away from Parramatta.

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Code Sports reported Brown is chasing a mega $1.2 million a season to end his six-year-deal with the Eels after the 2025 season.

The Dolphins, Dragons and Knights are reportedly interested in Brown, while another two unnamed clubs are also circling the New Zealand international.

The 24-year-old has an option in his eight-year Parramatta contract that expires in 2031 to depart the club at the end of the 2025 season.

The Eels are confident they can retain Brown on an increased deal from his current contract of around of $900,000 a season.

But whether they can match the $1.2 million mark, given they have Mitchell Moses on similar money already, remains to be seen.

Such a big contract would make Brown one of the NRL’s highest paid players, joining the likes of Nathan Cleary and Kalyn Ponga in the top echelon of earners in the sport.

The Dolphins have room in their salary cap after missing out on signing Ben Hunt, who returned home to the Broncos.

The Dolphins want to partner Brown with halfback Isaiya Katoa for the long-term, but whether they would be willing to spend more than $1 million-a-year is unknown.

Brown has scored 32 tries in 123 NRL games since his debut in 2019 and has eight Tests for New Zealand to his name to date.

Parramatta star Dylan Brown. Pic: InstagramSource: Supplied

However, apart from helping lead the Eels to the 2022 Grand Final, Brown has struggled for consistency in the NRL and it remains to be seen if he can carry a team as the chief playmaker, which is what that kind of money expects.

BRONCOS’ BEST SIGNING

The Brisbane Broncos have signed the teenage brother of Newcastle Knights and Blues Origin centre Bradman Best on a long-term deal and he qualifies for the Maroons.

WWOS’ The Mole reported the Broncos have signed the younger Best on a four-year deal, beating out several rivals for his signature.

Best is considered one of the most promising young players in Queensland rugby league circles.

The robust outside back plays a similar style to his 23-year-old brother, who has scored 37 tries in 87 games for the Knights since his debut in 2019.

The older Best has also scored three tires in two Origins for the Blues and was a member of the Kangaroos’ victorious 2024 Pacific Championships squad, despite not playing a Test.

The younger Best qualifies for the Maroons as his family moved to Queensland a couple of years ago.

Baxter is set to play for the Souths Logan Magpies under 17s this season, against players a year older than him.

The 16-year-old was standout in last year’s Queensland’s under 15s schoolboys team and dominated in the Cyril Connell Cup.

“Baxter plays the game in a very similar mould to Bradman – he will go a long way in this game,” a Souths Logan source told Wide World of Sports.

“We are glad he is with our club. He has speed, size and the right attitude – the Broncos have got themselves a fine prospect.”

Newcastle Knights star Best infamously said he hates Queenslanders multiple times in the same interview two seasons ago.

“I hate them,” he said in July 2023.

“You go to school and you want to have a punch on with the boys who go for Queensland.

“I hated Queensland and I still do.”

Eels Star's Price Unveiled Amid Rival Interest; Broncos Secure Blues Star's Brother

ROOSTERS SET TO HAND VETERAN PLAYMAKER LIFELINE

The Sydney Roosters are set to lock up unsigned playmaker Zach Dockar-Clay to a contract extension for 2025.

News Corp reported Dockar-Clay is set to be handed a lifeline by the Sydney Roosters, which would see him ink a one-year contract extension for the 2025.

The 29-year-old played six games for the Roosters last season after playing 14 in his debut NRL season for the Bulldogs in 2022.

He also came close to a debut for New Zealand in the 2024 Pacific Championships, after being included in the squad amid an injury crisis in the halves.

Dockar-Clay revealed his intentions to stay with the Roosters amid talks of moving to the Super League.

“I’d love to stay here,” Dockar-Clay told Zero Tackle at the back-end of last season when he was still with the Roosters.

“It’s a great club. I’ve been there for the last two years now.”

Beginning his career at the Eels, Dockar-Clay switched to the Panthers for two seasons in 2016 and 2017 and would later captain their NSW Cup team whilst playing alongside the likes of Nathan Cleary, James Fisher-Harris, and Moses Leota.

He then moved to the Super League with Hull KR in 2017 where he made four appearances, before returning for four years plying his trade in the NSW Cup.

Dockar-Clay was ready to retire when the Bulldogs gave him an opportunity in 2022 and he made his NRL debut that season.

But after leaving the Bulldogs, Dockar-Clay again thought about retirement, before he earned a top 30 spot with the Roosters after starring for the North Sydney Bears in 2023.

Dockar-Clay has a close relationship with Roosters coach Trent Robinson.

“He’s a champion guy. A lot of the time when I was coming through the NRL clubs, I never really had a high-profile coach,” Dockar-Clay said.

“So to have someone who’s won comps and been around for such a long time, the relationship’s pretty good.

“I’ve got a young family which is good, so he’s very good with that in terms of making sure that everyone’s well at home and I’ve got a good connection with the family side of things.”

PANTHERS EYEING KNIGHTS WINGER

The Panthers are reportedly interested in bringing winger Tom Jenkins back into the fold after he was granted an early release from the Knights.

Jenkins, who debuted for the Panthers in 2022 and played six games for Penrith, left for the Knights on a two-year deal at the end of the 2023 season.

It was thought that Jenkins would replace departed Knights winger Dom Young, however the 23-year-old was unable to hold down a spot and only played in five games in 2024.

With the likes of Fletcher Sharpe emerging for Newcastle, Jenkins became expendable and was granted a release from his deal a year early.

The Wide World of Sports have reported that Jenkins could head back to the foot of the mountains in a bid to revive his NRL career via Ron Massey Cup side St. Marys.

The Panthers have a vacancy on the left wing with Sunia Turuva leaving to join the Tigers, although the smart money is on young gun Casey McLean to replace Turuva.

MADGE URGES BRONCOS TO KEEP $800K STAR DUO

Broncos coach Michael Maguire has urged the club to re-sign star backs Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo after both impressed in his first pre-season at Red Hill.

The pair were the Broncos’ centres last season with Cobbo tipped to return to the wing in 2025 in a straight swap with Deine Mariner.

Off-contract at the end of the 2025 season, the pair have been able to negotiate with rivals from last November, but are both keen to stay at the Broncos.

Staggs is on a deal worth $800,000 a season and Cobbo is on $750,000, but the pair could command close to $1 million a season on the open market and will likely want a pay rise on their next Broncos deal.

However, the Broncos have paid a lot of money to re-sign Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam and Payne Haas and have also brought prodigal son Ben Hunt home, so their salary cap is tight.

However, Maguire has told the club to make Staggs and Cobbo priority signings.

“I’ve said I want to keep both, so that’s up to the organisation to get that sorted … I tend to stay away from that; I like to just make sure I’m coaching,” Maguire said on SEN radio.

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“I tell everyone who I want, and it would be great for both of those boys to be here. They’ve jumped into training [during the summer].

“I’ve sort of known Kotoni for quite some time and to watch him develop into who he is now — he’s a leader — is really good to see. You learn your lessons as a young bloke and now he’s one of the leaders.

“And Sel is doing work in the background working hard, as well.”

Cobbo, 22, has scored 43 tries in 68 games for the Broncos, but only managed six last season after playing 19 games at centre and he has also played six Origins for Queensland and one Test for the Kangaroos.

At 26 Staggs has scored 52 tries in 121 games for the Broncos since his debut in 2018 and has played one Origin for the Blues and six Tests for Australia and Tonga.

One position the Broncos can afford to lose a player or two is hooker, with incumbent Billy Walters, Tyson Smoothy, Blake Mozer and Cory Paix all fighting for two dummyhalf positions.

Hunt is also expected to start at No.9 when Ezra Mam returns from his suspension midway through the season.

However, Maguire said all four No.9s have been training well and he is yet to make a call on who will start in Round 1.

“I probably won’t give away too much there because I’ve just said to the boys, ‘Go and compete’,” Maguire said.

“I’m very fortunate that I’ve got some really good dummy-halves, and [with] the craft they’re learning and what I’m trying to get them to understand and running the game plan … they’ve all shown they’re very capable. So it’s going to be good competition over the next month to drive to where we want to get to. But I could go in any which way with these guys.”