3 minute read

Brisbane have secured a coup in extending the contract of Kangaroos and Maroons prop Pat Carrigan for four years unitl the end of the 2028 NRL season.

Brisbane want a club full of players like Pat Carrigan, which is why they have re-signed the Kangaroos and Queensland prop until the end of 2028.

That virtually wraps the 25-year-old Carrigan up for the rest of his NRL career.

He was already signed until the end of 2024 and the Broncos secured an extra four years despite significant interest from other NRL clubs.

The re-signing couldn't have come at a better time after the Broncos recently lost centre Herbie Farnworth and prop Thomas Flegler to new rivals the Dolphins from 2024.

The club also showed interest in former Broncos back-rower David Fifita before he re-signed with the Titans this week.

Broncos head of recruitment Simon Scanlan explained why Carrigan, signed with the club since he was 17, was such a key piece in the roster long-term.

"We want to keep all our players. Every club does. With the salary cap some drop off but Patty is a very important member of the Broncos going forward with his attitude, effort and how much he cares for the club," Scanlan told AAP.

"He wants to be at the Broncos. He wants to win a competition. We want a club full of those people."

Regarded as a future captain of the club, Carrigan has taken his game to new heights. Last year he was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal as the player of the series in Queensland's State of Origin series win, and he played a key role for Australia in the successful World Cup defence.

Brisbane coach Kevin Walters said it was "a great day for the Broncos".

"Pat embodies what we are about as a club and he is at the heart of what we are building here together," Walters said.

Carrigan came through the club's academy system, going on to captain the under 20s team before graduating to the NRL squad where he went through tough times in 2020 when the club took out the wooden spoon.

He then ruptured his ACL in 2021 before bouncing back brilliantly last season.

Carrigan said he loved the Broncos and "could never imagine leaving".

"We are building something special here together and I wanted to make a long-term commitment to be a part of that," he said.

"A lot of us guys have been through the tough times together and now we are starting to show signs of what we can do if we work hard and work for each other."

Carrigan has made it clear that breaking the Broncos' 17-year premiership drought is high on his agenda

All of Australia's 17 players in the World Cup final have won NRL finals matches apart from Carrigan. Many of them have won premierships and Carrigan now wants to "be like them".

"All of the rep accolades are nice and being part of those teams but all I ever wanted to do as a kid was play for the Brisbane Broncos, and second to that was win a comp'," he said recently.

"Every year that rolls around that we don't do that is 'X amount' of years since 2006.

"Being around those (World Cup) guys and the Penrith guys has made me hungrier than ever to put myself in that position."