Brisbane veteran Alex Glenn signs new deal to be a Bronco for life
Alex Glenn has been rewarded for his loyalty and earned a new deal that will see him retire at the Brisbane Broncos - but another huge honour could await the veteran back-rower.
Brisbane will announce the retention of Alex Glenn this week with the new deal to make the veteran utility a Bronco for life as he garners support to succeed Darius Boyd as club captain.
The Sunday Mail can reveal Glenn’s seven months of contractual uncertainty are over with the 31-year-old agreeing to terms on a two-year extension that will see him finish his career at Red Hill as a proud one-club servant.
The Broncos will formally announce his re-signing until the end of 2021 pending Glenn’s return from an overseas holiday.
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Alex Glenn is set to be rewarded with a deal that will make him a one-club player. Picture: Getty
The deal caps a remarkable resurrection for Glenn, who has gone from being an off-contract stalwart in danger of being cut by the club to a valued veteran in serious contention for the Broncos captaincy in 2020.
With Matt Gillett having announced his retirement and Broncos bosses reluctant to risk a public-relations backlash by appointing Matt Lodge as captain, Glenn is now the chief threat to Boyd’s top-dog status at Red Hill.
Former Broncos skipper Justin Hodges played in six campaigns alongside Glenn and believes he would flourish as a leader - either as an outright skipper or sharing co-captaincy duties with Boyd.
“An important thing is whether the captain has the respect of the players and the two guys who have the respect of the group are Darius and Alex Glenn,” said Hodges, who captained Brisbane in their most recent grand-final appearance in 2015.
Justin Hodges (L) believes Alex Glenn is a respected leader at Brisbane. Picture: Jono Searle.
“Alex has really impressed me over the years.
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“Being captain of the Broncos is a massive job. The best thing for young guys like Payne Haas and David Fifita is to just play football without worrying about the captaincy.
“Darius is still the captain until ‘Seibs’ (coach Anthony Seibold) makes his decision, but the coaching staff will have a good look at the candidates in the pre-season.
“I don’t think Darius should be removed as captain just because people feel like change needs to be made.
“I would even consider a co-captaincy situation where Alex can step up and take some of the pressure off Darius.”
Alex Glenn is already the fifth-most capped Bronco of all-time. Picture: Getty
Glenn has legitimate claims to the Broncos top job.
Underlining Glenn’s mental toughness, loyalty and longevity, he is the fifth-most capped player in Brisbane history with 259 NRL games, having usurped club legends Allan Langer (258), Andrew Gee (255), Shane Webcke (254) and Kevin Walters (241).
Incredibly, Glenn has played 20 or more games in 11 consecutive seasons. If he maintains his career average, the former Kiwi Test star will become just the fourth Bronco to reach 300 NRL games.
In 2011, Glenn became the youngest captain in Broncos history, filling in for Darren Lockyer in a clash against Canberra at age 22.
Anthony Siebold has some big questions to answer this off-season. Picture: Peter Wallis
Now, nine years later, he has claims to the captaincy on a full-time basis, impressing coach Anthony Seibold with his on-field professionalism and off-field ambassadorial qualities.
Broncos CEO Paul White confirmed Glenn will remain at Red Hill next year after rejecting more lucrative offers from Sydney-based clubs.
“Alex is a really important piece of the puzzle,” he said.
“Alex is a leader within our club, he has been a 10-year player and everyone can see the emerging talent we have got coming through and the potential of that squad, but it’s important to retain some leadership around that group.
“Gillo’s recent retirement makes the retention of Alex even more important.”
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