Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds insists the club has enough playmaking talent to resist making a move for Sydney Roosters prodigy Sam Walker.
Generational talent Walker, 21, was in the Broncos system before linking with the Roosters.
He was at his brilliant best in the 60-18 win over St George Illawarra last week and won the Anzac Medal as man of the match.
After the game he said he was keen to stay at the Roosters beyond the expiry of his current deal at the end of 2025.
Walker and Reynolds will do battle at Suncorp Stadium when their sides clash on Friday night.
The retirement of Roosters champion five-eighth Luke Keary at the end of this season will make Walker a priority re-signing for the Tricolours, and a target for every other club in the NRL on November 1.
Reynolds, 33, recently re-signed until the end of 2025 but can't go on forever.
The Broncos have half Jock Madden on the books until the end of 2026. Teenager Coby Black, signed until the end of this year, is a playmaker the Broncos intend to wrap up long-term after coming through their prestigious academy.
The Broncos could be tempted to make a play for Walker, regarded as the heir apparent to Daly Cherry-Evans in the Queensland side, but Reynolds said they don't need to.
"We have got enough quality here," Reynolds said.
"Jock Madden has done a fantastic job of stepping up in my absence and we have got young Coby Black there as well.
"We have got (No.6) Ezra Mam, and (fullback) Reece Walsh who can play in the halves. It is pretty clear that Sam is happy down there at the Roosters.
"We should stick to what we have. We have some great young talent coming through here at the Broncos.
"(Walker) was a kid in that system. They are always coming through."
Reynolds has a high opinion of Walker and said his best was still to come.
"He has certainly got the world at his feet," Reynolds said.
"He is a talented kid and showed that on (Anzac Day). It is not his best game. He has played better than that and has been in some big moments for that club and delivered.
"In a blowout game, to say it was his best is hard.
"In tight contests when they have been down by four or six and he has done something to get them back in the game, that is what I see as more important."
Canberra Times
