The New Zealand Warriors and Brisbane Broncos have still failed to reach a conclusion over Mitch Barnett's future, with the New South Wales State of Origin forward set to be released by the Auckland-based club at the end of the year.
As it stands, the Warriors have agreed to release Barnett on compassionate grounds, but want a player in return before they will let the prop abandon the last year of his deal.
Barnett has, by all reports, agreed to join the Broncos for 2027 and beyond where he will become the replacement for Payne Haas who has signed on with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
That is not set in stone yet though, with the club first chasing Antonio Verhoeven who has re-signed with the Broncos today after the Red Hill outfit knocked back the approach flat.
The Warriors then turned their attention towards outside back Grant Anderson who started the year on the outside looking in at the Broncos, and there was hope he would switch clubs prior to the June 30 deadline, but that has now been scuppered with the former Storm player suffering a knee injury on the weekend that will leave him sidelined for 12 weeks.
Warriors CEO Cameron George admitted to News Corp there is no conclusion yet, but that talks are about to resume, and Barnett will be playing for the Broncos next year.
“The Broncos and us are still talking but at this point there is no conclusion,” he said.
“I'll talk to Dave Donaghy (Broncos CEO) over the next few days.
“There's no surprises in discussions.
“There is an expectation from us of some compensation and what form that is in we are still working through it.
“We are fully supportive of Mitch's family situation and that is his priority, but in absolutely good faith the expectation is that we need an outcome from the Broncos."
