SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 15: David Fifita stretches during the Australian Rugby League Nines team training session at Old Saleyards Reserve on October 15, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

The Roosters and Rabbitohs are two clubs bidding for the signature of Broncos youngster David Fifita.

The Roosters are thought to be planning to use the funds freed up by the retirement of Cooper Cronk while the Rabbitohs are looking to take the cap space from medically retiring skipper Sam Burgess.

Fifita is expected to attract a $1 million per season price tag and has been likened to Sonny Bill Williams after playing well for the Broncos, Queensland and Australia at the World Cup Nines.

Despite only making 35 NRL appearances so far the 19-year-old has already played for Queensland, the Prime Ministers XIII, the Indigenous All Stars and Australia and will play for the Junior Kangaroos against France on Friday afternoon.

Fifita can officially start negotiations with clubs on November 1 but the Roosters and Rabbitohs have already expressed their interest.

Steve Deacon, Fifita's manager, is trying to minimise the hype and pressure on his star player.

“There has been enough said about the matter (his contract) at this stage,” Deacon said.

“He’s got other things to concentrate on at the moment.”

The Roosters will need to upgrade some of their stars after their second premiership including Latrell Mitchell and Sam Verrilis and will be reluctant to pay Fifita more than Boyd Cordner and James Tedesco, their current highest paid players.

Brisbane are the only club thought to be capable of matching the Roosters for an offer and coach Anthony Seibold is desperate to keep Fifita at the Broncos.

32 COMMENTS

  1. Just watch all the comments on this topic go from constructive to dribble when nothing can happen until Nov 1. I will start getting interested on that date.

  2. I hope David Fifita stays in Queensland, but not necessarily with the Broncos. This guy is a champion in the making and hasn’t even turned 21 yet. Imagine the boost it would give the Titans if he was to sign with them, but alas, I can’t see that happening.

  3. I reckon David Fifita would make a tremendous right hand centre at this stage of his career. When he breaks the line or is put into a gap he has the pace, strength and fend to score a try, as we have seen on occasions. I also think he might be wasted if he spends all of a game in the forwards. For those of us who remember Noel Cleal, he was that kind of player and I reckon Fifita would be just as damaging and a little bit faster.

  4. Budgerigar.legs Crusher Cleal started out in the backs as a centre and was a real blockbuster at the Roosters from 1980-1982 making a grand final. Bob Fulton was the coach and later Cleal followed Fulton over to Manly in 1983 in a massive poaching strategy by Manly enticing a stack of cream Rooster talent like McCabe, Dave Brown, Boustead, Schubert, and later Ian Barkley and Marty Gurr to loose the 1983 grand final to Parra.
    Fulton turned Cleal into the powerful running second rower and eventually won the 1987 comp.

    The transition from a back to a forward is much easier for big centres than it is for big forwards to transition into the backs. I Think Fifita is now settled as a forward, who can play prop with ease ,but in my opinion is best as a running second rower. But he would make a great stop gap centre for an injury crisis at the club he plays for.

    John Ribot (de Bresac) was his full name by birth who is the only forward I can think of who had great success transitioning into the backs. Starting his Sydney career with Newtown then to Wests when Roy Masters moved him from a lock to a winger and played for Australia before Manly poached him in 1982 to join all those poached Roosters.

  5. Rucky you are correct, with everybody signed until the end of 2020, the Roosters only need to resign Tetevano on similar money that he is on or let him go if they pursue Fifita. Sydney Roosters have Cronks million to spend less the reported 300k for Flanagan.

    If they do sign Fafita then Tetevano’s 300k will bring the kitty back up to 1 million. Top up money for Manu, Mitchell and others will come from the retirement money freed up by Aubusson, Morris and Hall.

    The Roosters are about 650k behind Melbourne in TPA contract supplements.

  6. If any clubs have the resources to keep a player , other than the Nuggets. They’d have to be Brisbane & Melboune.
    So I’m sure Brisbane can also come up with just as many non cap related methods of paying players , as those clubs down south.
    Let’s all hope that they do so & Fifita stays at Brosbane.

  7. ŚTD, brosbane? Hahahahahahaha! Is that where the bros kick it with bane? Maybe you need to stay off the drugs!!! Hahahahahahaha

  8. Brosbane?????? Dont forget Eastofdivide Penrith have the resources also being fifth on the TPA list. And Growing, matter of fact they could even over take Brosbane wherever that is. Are you a bananabender BL0W in Penrith supporter,?????? From Brosbane.

  9. @adam, that person isn’t a panthers supporter. ŚTD aka EOD is a rabbit supporters! But that’s what happens when you live in brosbane! Your conscious but confused! Hahahahahahaha, SMH!!!

  10. You would think if they were going to resign tetevano they would have done so by now.
    I think his money will go to Flanagan. With Cronks ! mill plus the increase in the cap 200k together with the 3 retired players next year it will leave about 2 mill to upgrade and extend contracts.
    That will be enough to do that with Mitchell Manu JWH Friend S.T Butcher Ikavalu and lam.And top up Teddy and Keary
    Then the till is empty. If this article is true i have the feeling one of the centers and or one of the props will go.

  11. I doubt Fifita will go to Souths as Bennett his former coach is on limited time, lets face it…the old fellow is not the coach he once was.

    Fifita if he leaves Brisbane will want to go to a club that has a great disposition that thrives for success with a proven record of getting the very best out of every player that pulls on a Roosters jersey.

    Brisbane will only pay about 3/4 of what the dual premiers Sydney can offer plus a premiership ring and representative footy is a certainty at the Roosters. Look at the track record of the Roosters. Young kids that started at the Roosters as 15-17yr olds like Radley, Butcher, Crichton before Souths poached him away, Manu, Mitchell, Aubusson, Corder, Friend, Tupou, Friend, Verrills are now Premiership Winners.

    Whilst the next patch of youngsters emerge and played a significant roll in winning this years comp like Collins, Tupounuua, Ikuvalu, Lam, etc.

    The Roosters are so well organised and coached that even players who the Roosters do not want like Souths slim jim….Murray, is knocking on the Sydney Roosters door to get the choker syndrome coached out of his game and do what
    Crichton did by receiving a premiership bling. Fifita if you want success then the Roosters is the place to be.

  12. Mark.mybutthole I had to wait a minute or so to stop laughing so hard at your usual garbage.
    Go concentrate on something productive like how to kurb the sombreros diminishing membership instead of the fables you keep vomiting out on here.

  13. Adamstupid interesting calculations you have come up but for 1.2m in upgrades you conveniently overlooked.
    Basically you have no idea what you are talking about like your 8 other aliases.

  14. Fifi would hate it at Souffs…
    No club house
    No home ground
    No direction
    Zimmer frame Benny
    No likelihood of success.
    Nah, don’t do it Dave…

  15. Fully understand the cap sombreros desperately trying to lure superstar Murray and confirmed on the sombreros chat site with calls to offload Radley, Crighton and Manu to Newcastle to afford him.
    Problem is Cam Murray doesn’t know about it and will never leave greatest club in history.

  16. chookdung, Souths dont believe in funding our club at the expense of ruining peoples lives through addiction to pokies like your club.
    30,000 members support our great club’s existence and explains your club’s depleting members. The gambling has sent them broke.
    Yeah, enjoy your club.

  17. My mail is Fifita looking good coming to Souths after some good signs this afternoon behind the scenes and same source has confirmed Anthony Mundine’s son just signed with Souths after knocking back offer from the cap sombreros.
    You read it hear.

  18. Stupid SHADOW banging on about the black and white past..
    Tell everyone here about Souffs achievements in the past two years…
    You are in Easts shadow at the moment, don’t forget it…

  19. As we all know. Third Party Deals have limits put on them by the NRL.
    That’s why some clubs have used more creative ways of paying , as well as T.P.D.’s.
    Cronk’s coaching roll always had to happen. As a future coaching roll & payments for that roll, were agreed on as part of Cronk’s contract. For the two years he played at a certain club. His partner also had her further education paid for by the same club. Also as part of his contract. That’s just a fact!
    Nothing about those things is illegal or cheating. They are just more available to use for clubs with better / more business contacts & deeper pockets. Are they fair? Probably not.
    You can bet your bottom dollar that if Cronk does do mentoring of GWS AFL players? That was also agreed to with a future payments arrangement.
    Angus Crichton was able to be purchased by a club that had just won a premiership, because of such deals.
    As stated many times. Some clubs use very creative ways of paying players.
    Unless limits are put on all such deals. Nothing will change on who makes the finals each year. It’s just the haves & the have nots.

  20. Sure … WoodForlorn . One error in typing on the phone. Hit the o instead of the i, for Brisbane. What a pick up by you.
    Take a look at the last story on Fifita.
    With your ‘ he gets boss around by woman ‘.
    Do you really want to go down the how stupid are you street? Was that your caveman way of writing something ridiculous?
    So ‘Enj ou y’ your day . That one’s still my favourite of yours.
    Don’t CUSS about it! 👍

  21. Hahahahahahaha. EOD aka ŚTD, taking a break from the roar? What is your user name on that site? Something smurf? A true rabbits fan, aye ŚTD. Mock someone for a error but when it comes to you, you can do no wrong! Hahahahahahaha, what a sook! It’s not fair! Hahahahahahaha.

    You probably pour the milk first, so your cereal has a soft landing! Hahahahahaha

  22. You mistake me for someone who gives a crap ‘SkidMarksHisWords’.
    I rarely give your novels a passing glance.
    There’s already a story. Why bother to sign in under all of your hundred different names, to add your extensive boring crap to them?
    Check out the Readers Digest . So you can learn how to scribble an abridged version of your Hyena dribble. Or maybe it’s your keypad that’s stuck on ‘a & h’?

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