Pat Carrigan has reinforced his intention to be a one-club player at Brisbane as he targets another showdown with arch-rivals North Queensland.
The 28-year-old lock was somewhat bemused his contract was a topic at his Wednesday press conference, given he is signed until the end of 2028.
But with star prop Payne Haas leaving for South Sydney at the end of the year his importance to the side's long-term future cannot be overstated.
A report the Broncos were moving to extend and upgrade Carrigan's deal come as no surprise given the introduction of Perth and PNG in the next two years, followed by another side in either western Brisbane or Christchurch.
Carrigan has shown through past behaviour he is not driven by cash, famously spurning $1 million at Canterbury back in 2019 to re-sign with the club that recruited him as a 16-year-old.
"I grew up as a Broncos kid and I've always said it was the club I dreamed of playing for," Carrigan said.
"I live my dream each and every day. I've never come off contract with the club and if that's to continue, great. If it's not, it's not.
"One thing I know is I love this club and I love playing with these boys."
Carrigan was being honest when he talked in the pre-season about the tax-free money on offer with PNG, but when reminded he made a salient point.
"I think you asked me, 'Is it appealing?' I said, 'One hundred per cent it's appealing to all NRL players.' So, answering your question, it is," he grinned.
"But I've got two years left on my contract here. There are three other teams coming in and plenty of other players coming off contract. I'm locked up until 2028 and I'm here to win."
Asked whether cash was king when making decisions on his future, Carrigan was forthright.
"Not really, to be honest. I'm in a very privileged position to get paid pretty well for what I do, but if that's all you're after, then your intentions are in the wrong place," he said.
Carrigan said it would be "a huge honour" to succeed retiring Adam Reynolds as skipper, which he will almost certainly do after filling in for him this season and last year as well.
"It's special to be mentioned in those conversations, but that's only a small part of what I do every day," he said.
The first item on his agenda is beating the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday night to keep the defending premiers' finals hopes alive.
The Broncos won their last seven games in 2025 to claim the premiership and they need seven from seven to play finals.
"It's about getting into that rhythm," he said.
"You definitely take confidence from what we did last year, but there's no point looking too far ahead because we've got a really big challenge this week."
