Wallace in five-year Broncos deal

[MDBronco]

By Matt Marshall

July 05, 2008 12:00am

BRISBANE will bank its post-Darren Lockyer future on rookie playmaker Peter Wallace, the boom halfback likely to accept an extraordinary five-year deal with the club next week.

The length of the contract will catapult Wallace, 22, into the elite level of the NRL with Lockyer, Bulldogs sensation Sonny Bill Williams and Dragons skipper Mark Gasnier among the handful of players who command five-year agreements.

The lucrative long-term deal recently tabled to Wallace is believed to be worth more than $1.5 million and will escalate significantly in value following Lockyer's almost certain departure from Brisbane at the end of 2009.

In securing Wallace, who made his State of Origin debut for NSW in the opening two matches of this year's series, Brisbane trumped a massive poaching raid from four rival clubs – including Wayne Bennett's future side St George Illawarra.

Last month, Brisbane activated a representative clause in Wallace's contract to fend off interest from the Dragons, Bulldogs, Warriors and Tigers.

It then tabled the lucrative offer for the level-headed playmaker that will keep him in Broncos colours until at least the end of 2012.

The offer, which includes an upgrade on his existing two-year agreement, and a three-year extension, confirms Wallace's meteoric rise.

He was poached from Penrith last year by Bennett and made an immediate impact.

The deal puts the NSW star on track to join club legends Allan Langer, Kevin Walters and Lockyer as highly decorated Brisbane playmakers.

Loyalty to the club that helped hone him into a representative talent and the imminent arrival of Langer as assistant coach next year were key factors in Wallace's decision to stay.

The Melbourne-born halfback has revelled with two specialist halfbacks on Brisbane's coaching roster this year – head coach-in-waiting Ivan Henjak and assistant Paul Green.

"Everything is in his favour in Brisbane," Wallace's manager Allan Gainey said last night.

"Of course, the outgoing coach (Bennett) had a lot to do with getting him there but he's happy in Brisbane.

"He'd like to have his future locked away and he realises if he accepts this deal, he'll still be only 26 when he comes off contract."

Wallace's signature is seen as a major boon for Henjak and will end any doubts that his perceived lack of profile might hurt Brisbane in the player market.

The combination of Wallace's masterful kicking game – which has blossomed this year – with the arrival of aerial expert Israel Folau from Melbourne is a tantalising proposition for Brisbane fans.

After suffering a ruptured testicle in Origin II, Wallace will make his return to the Broncos next Sunday against the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium.