Brisbane Broncos table Anthony Milford richest deal in club’s history

[Foordy]

Brisbane Broncos table Anthony Milford richest deal in club’s history

Peter Badel, The Courier-Mail

THE Broncos have tabled a record $2.7 million deal for Anthony Milford to prevent their scrumbase being torn apart following Ben Hunt’s signing with the Dragons.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Broncos hierarchy have put together the richest deal in the club’s history in the hope the off-contract Milford will not join Hunt at the Red Hill exits.

Coach Wayne Bennett’s plan to forge a 10-year union for Hunt and Milford suffered a blow last month when the Broncos halfback inked a monster $6 million deal with the Dragons from 2018.

The Broncos cannot afford a total decimation of their halves, prompting the club’s recruitment-and-retention committee to offer Milford a three-year deal worth around $900,000 annually.

It is the most lucrative package in the club’s 29-year history, eclipsing the base wage of Brisbane’s greatest servants including Darren Lockyer, Allan Langer, Shane Webcke, Wendell Sailor and Corey Parker.

The Broncos are renowned for being prudent spenders but the Dragons’ big-money raid on Hunt has underlined the commercial threat posed by Sydney-based rivals.

Unlike Hunt, Milford has no desire to test the open market, but wants to maximise his next contract after sacrificing $1 million on his previous deal to return to family in Brisbane.

Despite the monster offer, Milford’s manager says the Broncos pivot won’t be rushing to sign any upgrade until the NRL’s salary-cap figure for 2018 is finalised.
“We are going to do our due diligence and ensure we are on the mark. We have to get this deal right,” said his agent Sam Ayoub.

“There is no ulterior motive, we’re not looking at other clubs ... we just need to do our homework.

“I won’t comment on exact figures but over the past few years, Anthony has sacrificed a considerable amount of money, so it’s important we get this deal right at this stage of his career.

“We are having a bit of break to give us some time to establish Anthony’s worth under the salary cap.”

At just 22, Milford has time on his side to become the NRL’s first $1.5 million-a-season player.

The attacking sensation, who will launch his 2017 campaign at the Auckland Nines, has fielded rival offers but Ayoub insists he is not at loggerheads with the Broncos.

“We will work closely with the Broncos to get this deal right,” he said.

“There’s been interest from other clubs for Anthony but at this stage we are
not entertaining any other offers and hopefully we won’t have to do that.

“This is a critical deal. Everybody wants to rush things except for Anthony and me. There’s no great urgency but the bottom line is it’s very difficult to assess his worth without knowing what the salary cap figure (for 2018) is going to be.”

Broncos assistant coach Jason Demetriou hopes Hunt’s signing with the Dragons does not derail Brisbane’s premiership tilt this season.

“It’s 12 months away, Hunty will be a big part of what we do this year,” he said.

“At the Dragons last year, one of the biggest things that caused a lot of disruption ... was talk about whether Benji Marshall was signing.

“It’s part of the business now. Players come and go. Ben has made a decisions that is best for his family and we’ll move on.”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...y/news-story/64750759a5dfe88a1e7391e4923f4c72

 

[Unbreakable]

Perfect.

 

[Foordy]

I certainly want the club to do everything in their power to keep Milf,

but I also think for the kind of money he will be demanding, he needs to become a more rounded player. He needs to be our go-to guy, the guy that leads our team around the park, a clutch player.

he's not there yet, I believe he will get there sooner rather than later, but as of next year, he will be under enormous pressure to deliver.

 

[Super Freak]

The reality is if we want to keep players like Milford then we have to throw them the big money otherwise every other club will and we will lose them.

I'm glad we are.

 

[broncsgoat]

He's worth more than that

 

[Foordy]

The reality is if we want to keep players like Milford then we have to throw them the big money otherwise every other club will and we will lose them.

I'm glad we are.

absolutely true ...

but we should still have high expectations of the players we do choose to through the big money to IMO

 

[Rhys van Beurden]

I'm fine with that level of money, considering the salary cap increase, and the fear of losing him!

 

[I bleed Maroon]

900k a year is easy for a player like Milford. He alone makes games more enjoyable to watch than they otherwise would be when he is at full flight. Players like that don't come around often.

Give him what he wants and make him a Bronco for life.

 

[Super Freak]

Let's hope he plays like a 900k a season player this year.

My SVRL team would certainly thank him :)

 

[Foordy]

Let's hope he plays like a 900k a season player this year.

My SVRL team would certainly thank him :)

IMO, with the confirmation that Hunt is leaving, we need to start transitioning control of the team to Milf this year

 

[BroncsFan]

IMO, with the confirmation that Hunt is leaving, we need to start transitioning control of the team to Milf this year

Yeah this is one of the things I'm most interested in seeing this year.

Hunt isn't going to be here next year and isn't a great controlling half at this stage so they may as well start handing the reins over to milf.

Also could be hilarious to watch the forum meltdown if hunt has less responsibility and proceeds to have an enormous year as a running roaming half

 

[ZTop]

If Milf and Niko in 2018 are the half combo will it be the shortest halves pairing in the NRL?

 

[Wild Horse]

Jeez... how much does Thurston get paid? If it's less than Milf we would want to see Milf at his best like right now, this year..

I get it.. he's worth the gamble/investment and the other clubs would probs offer way more than we have but dam... I just hope this huge money does not put too much pressure on him. Oh well, big money and pressure is always with the good players.

I hope we keep him and I hope he is worth it.

 

[Sproj]

Give him what he wants

Reminds me of Moss.

 

[Big Pete]

At any and all costs.

Milford is bound to be the player of his generation and I'm glad the Broncos have tabled such a strong offer.

I'm happy to have him at the club and struggle to think how bad things would be without Anthony.

 

[pagey]

Yeah this is one of the things I'm most interested in seeing this year.

Hunt isn't going to be here next year and isn't a great controlling half at this stage so they may as well start handing the reins over to milf.

Also could be hilarious to watch the forum meltdown if hunt has less responsibility and proceeds to have an enormous year as a running roaming half

I agree. With the freedom he would have, he could be very dangerous for us.

 

[Accept]

He says he is not looking elsewhere but if somebody offers him over a million a year, it would be hard for him to resist. I expect other clubs to submit offers for his services as well as the ARU who could drop that sort of money in a drop of a hat. It sounds pessimistic but every man can be bought no matter what the headlines say.

 

[Super Freak]

He says he is not looking elsewhere but if somebody offers him over a million a year, it would be hard for him to resist. I expect other clubs to submit offers for his services as well as the ARU who could drop that sort of money in a drop of a hat. It sounds pessimistic but every man can be bought no matter what the headlines say.

He already turned down a much bigger offer to stay in Canberra when he signed with us.

I imagine if we're giving him 900k a season, he would stay.