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Broncos move leaves fans fuming; Origin star drop big hint on future— NRL Daily
WHAT'S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au. One member revealed that the price of her two season-long tickets spiked an increase of over $300 as perDonaghy revealed some membership packages have changed, but believes members are still getting good value for money.
“We’re getting in touch with members early to help them find the right fit for 2027,” Donaghy told CODE. “Some prices are changing as discounted offers finish or packages change, but membership remains the best value way to watch the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. “A new member can get a reserved seat for all 12 home games for under $300, which works out to $25 a game, and that’s even lower if you’re an existing member.
” It was an ugly season for the Broncos, who tumbled down the ladder the year after a grand final triumph in 2025. While the team are widely expected to bounce back, there may be some further pain with Adam Reynolds retired and Payne Haas South Sydney bound.
Dane Gagai has stated his return to the Brisbane Broncos next season will not necessarily be the final chapter of his decorated NRL career, with the veteran centre revealing he wants to play on beyond 2027. Gagai will run out for the Newcastle Knights in Sunday’s NRL Grand Final against the Roosters in what will be his final match for the club before joining the Broncos next season.
Signing a one-year contract with Brisbane, the 35-year-old will return to the club where his NRL career began in 2011.
“That’s where it all started for me. I’ve got family up there, but I don’t plan on finishing up after next year,” Gagai toldCANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - JULY 27: Dane Gagai of the Knights in action during the round 21 NRL match between the Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights at GIO Stadium, on July 27, 2025, in Canberra, Australia.
Commenting on the move, the former Queensland Maroons stalwart revealed there was no pathway to remain at the Knights beyond this year. With his future up in the air and whispers that he could hang up his boots, an opportunity emerged at Red Hill to play under coach Michael Maguire.
“When I got the phone call from my manager and he said that they were keen, I was . ” As he prepares to switch states in a few months’ time, Gagai’s only focus for now is clinching his first premiership. The only member of the squad who has played in an NRL Grand Final before, he is relishing the opportunity to be back on the grand stage.
“Trying to get back here and I guess the uncertainty of whether you would play in another Grand Final is there’s a lot that has to go into being able to be in this position. ”People thought the Knights were mad for offering Dylan Brown a record-breaking contract last year, and they were equally miffed at why he would want to leave Parramatta to join a team that claimed the wooden spoon.
But the historic 10-year deal worth a reported $13m seems a lot more logical now with Newcastle in its first grand final in 25 years, even if their megastar won’t be there on Sunday. The New Zealand international is still recovering from the ACL injury that ended his season back in July, ironically against the Roosters who will be taking on the Knights at Accor Stadium this weekend.
It says a lot about the team that they’ve been able to do this all without Brown, who has come to terms with the injury and has backed his replacement Sandon Smith to get the job done after his matchwinning double against Penrith.
“I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if it’s because I’m at a new club and haven’t been playing too much footy, but that’s gone,” he told the NewsWire when asked how he was processing things.
“I’m extremely happy for everyone. I think Sandon was a huge one. For someone to get an opportunity and to see them thrive, you can’t beat that feeling of being happy for other people.
“I’m just grateful that I’m getting to be a part of it. We were down the bottom last year at Parramatta and Newcastle were too, so my future was just ‘what’s it going to be’, and here we are. ”Brown’s last game for the Eels was a 66-10 win over Newcastle that capped a horror year for the Knights and an equally tricky one for the elite playmaker who lost his spot in the side late in the season.
It’s why he must have had his doubts about his new team and whether they could actually compete for a title this year.
“I wouldn’t have not believed you,” he said, with Brown dominating last year’s Pacific Championships for the Kiwis. “I definitely knew what the team were capable of. I guess they’re just proving to themselves what they can do.
“I think confidence is a huge thing in rugby league. When you start winning games, you just start finding ways to do that and you learn what you’ve got to do to get wins. I feel like every single week they’re just finding belief in what they do. ”Brown had more try assists this year than he did in 2025 despite playing fewer games, with the halfback forming a potent triumvirate with Kalyn Ponga and Fletcher Sharpe.
There were huge question marks over how the team would function given their attacking woes last year, but Brown saw early signs that something special was brewing.
“Training against people doing edge v edge, you learn a lot about the players in pre-season,” he said. “Everyone’s confident in pre-season, but when did I know we were actually capable of winning? I guess once you just start seeing wins.
“You never know until you start playing for the season, and everyone’s confident, but you’ve got to get results. “You can fake it until you make it, so that’s what you’ve got to do in pre-season. Once it comes, you start winning, and then everyone else is out there to prove you wrong. ”He was the team’s representative at the grand final launch in Sydney on Monday evening and is happy to be the hype man in the Hunter.
— Martin Gabor DAILY TELEGRAPH 28TH SEPTEMBER 2026 NO NEWS. COM - NO NEWS WIRE - NO AUSTRALIAN - MUST CHECK WITH PIC DESK BEFORE USE - Pictured is Newcastle Knights player Dylan Brown and Sydney Roosters player James Tedesco at Campbells Cove at The Rocks after Newcastle Knights fans and Sydney Roosters fans with crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge to officially kick off grand final week ahead of the 2026 NRL Grand Final.
Picture: Richard DobsonNewcastle’s turnaround from the wooden spoon to a spot in the grand final is the stuff of legend, but it’s even more remarkable when you hear the players talk about how miserable they were after being embarrassed at the end of 2025. Things were bleak in the CommBank Stadium sheds after they were trounced 66-10 by an Eels side that had also missed the finals.
They conceded 34 points in the first half of that Eels game, but they’ve allowed just 34 in their three finals games that included them having to defend with 12 men for 45 minutes against the best team of the decade. It’s mind-boggling to think that the team that got belted by Parramatta is 80 minutes away from its first premiership in 25 years, but it’s all part of the journey for someone like Cody Hopwood, who made his debut in that infamous loss.
“But I remember our heads being down . There were so many players who were flat, tired, and miserable. We were embarrassed of the performance.
“We actually said goodbye to some players who served this club really well in Jayden Brailey, Adam Elliott, and all those sorts of guys. It was a bit embarrassing to send them off on that note.
“When we hit pre-season, we knew we didn’t want anything like that to happen again, but it went unsaid. No one really spoke about it, it was just something that we knew wasn’t acceptable. Fortunately, things have turned around. ”Dylan Lucas didn’t play in that game but says it has driven them because they never want to experience something like that again.
“You don’t like losing games of footy, especially not when you get embarrassed like that. It definitely lights a fire in your belly and you don’t want to feel that feeling again,” he said.
“We’ve come in through the pre-season, ripped in, and now we’re starting to reap the rewards of that. When you start winning games, it becomes a habit and you just want to keep chasing that feeling you get when you win a game.
“For these young boys the amount of footy they’ve had to play this year is only going to pay them back in a couple of years’ time. They’re only just getting started, so it’s very exciting for them and it’s very exciting for the club as well. ” The Knights have gone from a team that couldn’t score points into one that is on the verge of completing rugby league’s greatest fairytale fuelled by their incredible fans.
“I feel like this year we were just a lot more connected from day one of pre-season,” speedster Dom Young said ahead of the showdown with his former side. “I feel like we were just enjoying being around each other and in each other’s company and all the new staff bringing something different.
“I think everyone just bought in to what it means to be a Knight, brought that energy in early, and really got us connected with the community and the town. I think it just made everyone believe in what we can do and why we do it as well.
“I think we’ve always had the talent, the players we’ve got in our team that can create big moments. It was just about putting it together on the weekend, and we’re starting to do that now. ”The stunning transformation is perfectly encapsulated by 20-year-old Hopwood, who was miserable after that Eels loss but was almost crying tears of joy when Sandon Smith raced away to seal the win over Penrith.
“Everything hit me at once when I saw him grab that ball. I knew he was going to get there too because he’s got some good wheels,” Hopwood beamed.
“I was on the 30-metre line and I just started nearly breaking down crying. I wanted to get to Sandon and give him a cuddle as quick as I could. I wasn’t moving the quickest, but honestly, that was a pretty surreal moment.
— Martin Gabor SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Cody Hopwood of the Knightscelebrates winning the NRL Preliminary Final match between the Penrith Panthers and Newcastle Knights at Accor Stadium on September 27, 2026, in Sydney, Australia.
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