Super Freak
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Jan 25, 2014
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FAMILY first could prove both a blessing and a curse for Brisbane in their looming retention battle royale, as Ben Hunt and Alex Glenn offer conflicting takes on the most important contracts of their careers.
Hunt is set to test his value on the open market in 2017, with a handful of Sydney clubs - including St George Illawarra - willing to throw seriously big money at the 26-year-old playmaker.
He and Glenn are among over a dozen big name Broncos coming off-contract, whose combined asking price is tipped to push towards $6 million a year.
Both welcomed their first sons into the world in 2016 and are making their young families top priorities with their next deal.
For Hunt, that means “you have to look around ... to make the best decision for myself and my family”, even with Brisbane tabling a three-year extension to keep him in maroon and gold until the end of 2020.
For Glenn, who backs Hunt’s stance to the hilt, that means earning his stripes as a 10-year player at the only club he’s ever known.
“I’d love to stay at the club,” Glenn said at the launch of the Auckland Nines on Wednesday.
“My family’s settled in very well and I’ve got family all along the coast, as well as my partner.
“So being close to them and having a young family ourselves would mean a lot.
“But this game’s so demanding that you can never promise your family whether you’re going to stay in one city or move to another.
“I’m just taking care of what I can control … which is showing the club exactly what I can give and showing them I want to stay.”
Hunt was also quick to establish that “I love the club and they’ve been really good to me” when quizzed by the press, after being repeatedly linked to Parramatta in recent months.
The No.7 has entrenched himself as one of the game’s premier playmakers over the past three seasons, after Brisbane persevered with him through a number of formative years.
But understandably, Hunt has now declared that “having a kid will have a big impact on my decisions moving forward.
“I have a young family to look after now and that is my most important role,” he said.
Glenn wants to see Hunt stay at the club long-term as well, admitting that sacrificing a payday in the name of keeping Brisbane’s premiership window open would have to be considered.
“I hope myself and Benny can stay at this club that we’ve loved and that has given us so many opportunities,” Glenn told foxsports.com.au.
“But we’ve got so many players off-contract this year that it is going to be hard to keep all of us.
“We haven’t talked any sacrifices or anything like that but it is something we’re going to have to consider down the track.
“All we can really do is focus on playing tough football, training tough and showing the club why they should keep us.”
Glenn himself has previously rejected lucrative offers from the Gold Coast, where he was based until early last year, and the Knights to stay at Red Hill.
The Kiwi international also laughed off the suggestion that former Broncos assistant and New Zealand national coach Stephen Kearney had looked to lure him across the ditch to the Warriors.
Kearney has previously declined to shoot down suggestions he was interested in the 28-year-old back-rower but any poaching raid from the ex-Brisbane staffer is news to Glenn.
“I was quite surprised when somebody said that, because I’d never heard of the rumour before,” Glenn said.
“There’s been no talks with Mooks (Kearney) about going over there.
“Obviously I’ve got a great relationship with him but I’m just focusing on getting my body 100 per cent for the season ahead and playing a strong role for the club. The rest will take care of itself.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...n/news-story/7c3405bf6c0a33c8c8676fc6cfd6728c
Hunt is set to test his value on the open market in 2017, with a handful of Sydney clubs - including St George Illawarra - willing to throw seriously big money at the 26-year-old playmaker.
He and Glenn are among over a dozen big name Broncos coming off-contract, whose combined asking price is tipped to push towards $6 million a year.
Both welcomed their first sons into the world in 2016 and are making their young families top priorities with their next deal.
For Hunt, that means “you have to look around ... to make the best decision for myself and my family”, even with Brisbane tabling a three-year extension to keep him in maroon and gold until the end of 2020.
For Glenn, who backs Hunt’s stance to the hilt, that means earning his stripes as a 10-year player at the only club he’s ever known.
“I’d love to stay at the club,” Glenn said at the launch of the Auckland Nines on Wednesday.
“My family’s settled in very well and I’ve got family all along the coast, as well as my partner.
“So being close to them and having a young family ourselves would mean a lot.
“But this game’s so demanding that you can never promise your family whether you’re going to stay in one city or move to another.
“I’m just taking care of what I can control … which is showing the club exactly what I can give and showing them I want to stay.”
Hunt was also quick to establish that “I love the club and they’ve been really good to me” when quizzed by the press, after being repeatedly linked to Parramatta in recent months.
The No.7 has entrenched himself as one of the game’s premier playmakers over the past three seasons, after Brisbane persevered with him through a number of formative years.
But understandably, Hunt has now declared that “having a kid will have a big impact on my decisions moving forward.
“I have a young family to look after now and that is my most important role,” he said.
Glenn wants to see Hunt stay at the club long-term as well, admitting that sacrificing a payday in the name of keeping Brisbane’s premiership window open would have to be considered.
“I hope myself and Benny can stay at this club that we’ve loved and that has given us so many opportunities,” Glenn told foxsports.com.au.
“But we’ve got so many players off-contract this year that it is going to be hard to keep all of us.
“We haven’t talked any sacrifices or anything like that but it is something we’re going to have to consider down the track.
“All we can really do is focus on playing tough football, training tough and showing the club why they should keep us.”
Glenn himself has previously rejected lucrative offers from the Gold Coast, where he was based until early last year, and the Knights to stay at Red Hill.
The Kiwi international also laughed off the suggestion that former Broncos assistant and New Zealand national coach Stephen Kearney had looked to lure him across the ditch to the Warriors.
Kearney has previously declined to shoot down suggestions he was interested in the 28-year-old back-rower but any poaching raid from the ex-Brisbane staffer is news to Glenn.
“I was quite surprised when somebody said that, because I’d never heard of the rumour before,” Glenn said.
“There’s been no talks with Mooks (Kearney) about going over there.
“Obviously I’ve got a great relationship with him but I’m just focusing on getting my body 100 per cent for the season ahead and playing a strong role for the club. The rest will take care of itself.”
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...n/news-story/7c3405bf6c0a33c8c8676fc6cfd6728c
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