NRL NEWS: Munster facing pay cut, Raiders re-sign prop, clubs go bananas for Herbie, Warriors heading home

Melbourne were expecting an answer from star trio Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Jahrome Hughes on their contract extensions by the end of Wednesday but have called off a deadline for the trio to accept their multimillion-dollar offers.

The Storm are keen to lock away the three representative stars, who are not off contract until the end of next year, on long-term deals with rival clubs, particularly the Dolphins expansion team, anxious to pry them away from AAMI Park.

Braith Anasta, who recently became Munster’s manager, said on NRL 360 that the uncertainty around coach Craig Bellamy’s future beyond this season was a factor in the delay for his client to put pen to paper.

“For Cameron to stay, and you’ve got to understand he’s not off contract until the end of next year so there’s no real hurry for Cameron to sign anything.

“If he does stay he’ll have to take a big pay cut, so that’s for him to decide and for us to decide in the short term but he won’t be hurrying into anything.

“[Bellamy’s future] is is a huge thing and that is something I’ve discussed with Cameron. With Craig, there is no security there. No one knows what he’s doing, the players don’t know, so that does come into consideration when making a big decision like this. It’s a tough decision.

“[The Storm] have been working on this for a while and [chairman] Matty Tripp is doing a good job but we’ll see what happens over the next 24 hours,” Anasta said on Tuesday night. “I just think they want all the players to sign at the same time and get them under the cap.

“I’d say the players are talking to each other, they’re all mates. They all want to stay there, it’s just whether they can fit them all in. [One player] will need to take a haircut to stay. Not all three of them.”

Grant has been ruled out of Saturday’s home clash with Parramatta after testing positive to COVID-19.

Raiders re-sign Horsburgh

Canberra have kept another Queenslander from potentially heading home to join the Dolphins with prop Corey Horsburgh extending his time in the national capital until the end of 2025.

The Raiders have announced he has signed a two-year contract extension with an option to stick around for another year as well.

“The Raiders gave me the opportunity to come down to Canberra and start my NRL career and I’m really happy to have re-signed,” Horsburgh said. “I really enjoy living in Canberra and being part of this team and club and I love running out each week in the green jersey.”

Raiders CEO Don Furner said Horsburgh’s re-signing continued the club’s retention push.

“Corey is another example of a young player who came to our club looking for an opportunity and his efforts have been rewarded with another contract here where we know he will continue to develop into an even better player,” Furner said. “Most of the squad has been retained now for at least next season and we see Corey’s re-signing as another show of faith in what we’re continuing to build here at our club.”

Warriors set for homecoming

Warriors CEO Cameron George says they can now plan confidently for the first major rugby league game in New Zealand in more than two and a half years following the Government’s decision to remove a
wide range of COVID-19 restrictions.

As well as abolishing outdoor gathering limits, the NZ Government has confirmed a significant
loosening of vaccine pass requirements, most vaccine mandates and QR code scanning while
masks will no longer be required at outdoor venues.

“It’s fantastic news for all the long-suffering rugby league fans and for sports organisations
like ours,” said George. “Until now we were cautiously optimistic families, members, fans and sponsors would at last be able to see the team playing in front of them at Mount Smart.

“But now we’re confident and hugely excited about the way being cleared for a return to our
true home. Our first game back against Wests Tigers on July 3 will be one of the biggest and certainly
the most emotional in the club’s history. We want to see the place packed to the rafters for
what will be an unforgettable occasion.”

The match against Wests Tigers will be the Warriors’ first at Mt Smart Stadium since they hosted South Sydney on August 30, 2019.

They will also host Melbourne on July 29, Canterbury on August 12 and Gold Coast September 3, flying in and out from their base in Redcliffe.

Farnworth in demand

Broncos centre Herbie Farnworth is in big demand with the Englishman attracting offers from several clubs as he comes off contract at season’s end.

The Dolphins have been linked to Farnworth, who would be a perfect fit for the expansion team when they come into the competition next year.

Brisbane officials are confident they will keep Farnworth, who scored two crucial tries in their 16-10 win over Canterbury on Sunday night.

With Kotoni Staggs under contract until the end of 2025, they believe he and Farnworth can be their long-term centre pairing.

The Broncos created some salary cap space on Monday when they offloaded utility back Jamayne Isaako to the Gold Coast for the rest of the season with the Kiwi international joining the Dolphins in 2023.

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