Broncos fans' hopes dashed in bizarre mix-up with Selwyn Cobbo and Reece Walsh contracts

Brisbane Broncos fans have had their hopes dashed after the NRL's official website made a bizarre blunder regarding the contracts of Reece Walsh and Selwyn Cobbo. Broncos fans have been holding out hope that gun centres Cobbo and Kotoni Staggs will both re-sign with the club, but salary cap pressure means one or both might have to leave.

The situation took a curious turn this week when fans noticed the official player tracker on NRL.com listed Cobbo as having a deal with the Broncos until 2029. In reality, Cobbo is only contracted for 2025, but many thought this indicated the Broncos had quietly re-signed the Queensland Origin star without officially announcing it.

It's not uncommon for clubs to re-sign players without making an official announcement, but not when it's a high-profile player like Cobbo. And it turns out the situation was all a big mix-up with Reece Walsh.

Walsh and Cobbo are listed in succession on the player tracker, and it looks like Walsh's recent extension was mistakenly updated next to Cobbo's name. NRL.com has since rectified the mistake, but up until Friday it had Walsh contracted only until 2025 and Cobbo extended until 2029.

In reality it's the other way around, with Walsh recently agreeing to a four-year extension worth $5 million. Whoever was in charge of updating Walsh's contract details accidentally did it next to Cobbo's name, sparking somewhat of a frenzy on social media. But the situation was rectified as of Friday morning, and Broncos fans daring to dream of a Cobbo contract extension were left sorely disappointed.

Can the Broncos keep Selwyn Cobbo and Kotoni Staggs?

With Walsh, Payne Haas, Ezra Mam and Patrick Carrigan all on big money at the Broncos, the likes of Cobbo and Staggs might need to settle for less or head to a rival club. Ben Hunt also recently returned to the club on $1.2 million over two years, however Adam Reynolds is likely to retire at the end of 2025 and free up some money.

"I want to keep both Kotoni and Selwyn,” new coach Michael Maguire said late last year. “How we achieve that is up to the organisation and what we do there. I tend to steer away from that (salary cap management) and how that happens. At the end of the day, I want both of them here … but how we do that is a work in progress.”

RELATED:

• Craig Bellamy's replacement at Storm as Brandon Smith fires fresh shot

• Ezra Mam's driving record revealed in disturbing new details about star

The Broncos recently signed Melbourne Storm back Grant Anderson for 2026, in what is viewed as a contingency plan should either of Staggs or Cobbo depart. Maguire recently told Cobbo that contract talks would be put on hold until after he completed pre-season.

"He is strong, and in my opinion, I can really help him grow his game," Maguire said previously. "Selwyn is young. You can see the talent he's had here at the Broncos and when he's played for Queensland he is destructive. Myself, personally, I feel as though I can help him grow as a player and a person as well. That is what I enjoy doing … growing individuals. There is a bit of work to do, as we know inside these walls, but that is something we will set out to do."