Brisbane Broncos forward Kobe Hetherington could be shaping as one of the inaugural signings for the Perth Bears after reportedly knocking back a second year on his contract extension to remain in Brisbane
The lock and prop forward, who has also previously spent time at dummy hal,f has been a strong performer for the Red Hill-based outfit this year, playing 17 games.
It is being reported by News Corp that, while yet to be officially announced by the club, he has put pen to paper on a one-year contract extension.
It will see him remain in Brisbane for 2026, before becoming a free agent again on November 1 this year to negotiate his future for 2027 and beyond.
The middle forward reportedly had interest from a number of clubs in Sydney, led by the St George Illawarra Dragons and Wests Tigers, but has instead decided to stick solid in Brisbane where, at full strength, he is a walk up starter on Michael Maguire’s bench.
It has also been reported by AAP that Hetherington knocked back a contract from the Manly Sea Eagles, believed to be a three-year offer.
“Kobe is happy at the Broncos, so we were happy to extend for one year and we’ll see what happens after that,” his manager Chris Haddad was quoted by the publication.
“The Broncos offered us a two-year deal but we were happy to do another 12 months and Kobe will keep testing and challenging himself.
“He could have left the Broncos. Several Sydney clubs were keen on Kobe, but when we sat down with ‘Madge’ (Maguire), he wanted a chance to work with Kobe and he is enjoying being coached by Madge.”
The Broncos, who are short in the salary cap department, are also set to lock up the signing of Corey Jensen shortly, but have had to bail on plays for the likes of Josh Kerr and Tui Kamikamica who have both reportedly been shopped to the club.
The Broncos precarious salary cap situation makes Hetherington a quality purchase for the club, but it will also mean he could be in for an upgrade at the end of 2026 as the Bears join.
Mal Meninga and his recruitment team in the Western Australian capital will be able to hire players from November 1 this year for 2027, with Phillip Sami the first to publicly express an interest in the move.
Hetherington could be targeted as another early prospect, while Cronulla Sharks fullback Will Kennedy, who is set to sign a one-year basement price extension with his current club, could be another.
