Brisbane forward Kobe Hetherington has all but locked up the No.13 jersey for round one and is now in negotiations with the club for an extension.
The 25-year-old's management met with the Broncos last week. Currently off-contract at the end of the season, Hetherington's manager Chris Haddad is seeking two to three more years at a palatable price.
"I had a meeting with (Broncos recruitment chief) Simon Scanlan on Thursday and they are going to come back to me and tell me what (the offer) looks like," Haddad told AAP.
"It was a good meeting and they are very keen, but it has to be the right offer. Kobe wants to stay but he doesn't have a problem with moving as well."
Hetherington made it clear the outcome he wanted.
"I signed here as a kid straight out of school. I'd like to be here long term. It's where I want to be," he said.
If the deal gets done it will be a remarkable turnaround for Hetherington who was on the way out of Red Hill before new coach Michael Maguire signed on as head coach.
Hetherington was given permission by former coach Kevin Walters to negotiate with other clubs and he had interest from several including Wests Tigers.
Maguire took over and put a stop to any idea of him leaving and gave Hetherington the belief that he could nail down the starting position he craved.
That entailed moving Test forward Pat Carrigan from lock to prop and starting Hetherington at No.13.
Hetherington has made a wonderful fist of the task and was strong in the 30-14 trial win over Canterbury on Saturday night, where he topped the tackle count with 37 and ran with venom for 89m.
Carrigan was strong in running for 123m and the duo look like forging a bash and barge combination that could become a lethal one-two punch.
"I'd like to think so," Hetherington said.
"(Carrigan) is buying into it.
"There's not much difference between lock and front row. We work good together I like to build off him and I'd like to think he can build off me too."
Hetherington is a straight shooter from Central Queensland and was quick to sum up why he was thriving under 'Madge' Maguire.
"Everyone knows what Madge is like. He's tough. He's hard. That's how I like to play my footy," he said.
Canberra Times
