TEST great Darren Lockyer has urged the NRL to bankroll Karmichael Hunt's return to rugby league as the Broncos and Titans prepare to fight it out for the AFL convert.
The fierce foes will square off at Cbus Super Stadium on Friday night and their Queensland derby rivalry will extend off-field in the battle for Hunt's signature.
The Courier-Mail can reveal the Broncos' interest in bringing Hunt home to Red Hill is genuine.
The club has yet to table a formal offer for Hunt, but possesses scope within the salary-cap to be competitive after failing in their big-money bid for Maroons skipper Cameron Smith.
However, Hunt's return to the Broncos is not a fait accompli, with the Titans ready to pounce if the former Test and Origin fullback indicates he is serious about an NRL comeback.
"We're as interested as anyone in talking to him," Titans boss Graham Annesley said on Monday night.
"I'm not sure in Karmichael's eyes if we are in the ball park financially or what our salary-cap position is. There are a few stumbling blocks, but we would never knock back a conversation with Karmichael or his manager.
"If Karmichael is interested in coming back to rugby league, I imagine he will carry a fairly hefty price tag. I'm not sure if we'd be able to match it with the other clubs but we'd be happy to ask the question.
"He is quality ... a class rugby league player."
The Courier-Mail understands the Broncos are prepared to outlay $600,000 annually to entice Hunt.
By tapping into its vast corporate network, Brisbane can source additional third-party sponsorships to bring Hunt's package to around $1 million a season.
That figure is still shy of the estimated $1.3m Hunt pockets in the AFL.
The 27-year-old has an option to remain at the Suns next year but is currently playing reserves a scenario no top-level athlete will find palatable in the long term.
The Broncos went close to snaring Hunt for this season before the AFL flexed its political muscle at the eleventh hour.
However, Lockyer believes the NRL should take the fight to its chief sporting rival and fund a poaching bid for his former Broncos and Maroons teammate.
"Karmichael is a good fit for our game," Lockyer said.
"If there is an opportunity that makes sense from a commercial and holistic viewpoint, the NRL should get him back.
"We lost Israel Folau to rugby and it wouldn't have taken $1 million to get a guy like Izzy back.
"There is now an opportunity to get Karmichael and I'd like to see the NRL try to find a way to make it happen."
The prospect of the NRL underwriting the purchase of a marquee player, such as Hunt, was discussed at February's CEOs meeting.
"There was a discussion around that type of concept," Annesley said.
"There is an appetite for it if the NRL is in a position to subsidise payments to a player like Karmichael Hunt, and every club had an equal opportunity to bid for the player."
Lockyer added: "I'd love to see 'K' back in our game, he would look good in a Broncos jersey that's for sure."
