REGARDLESS of what other offers come his way, the Newcastle Knights remain confident they will be able to convince dynamic centre Bradman Best to extend his stay at the club.
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Best, who scored two tries in a stunning State of Origin debut for NSW this season, heads a list of high-profile Knights who are entering the final season of their contracts and are officially allowed to start negotiating with rival clubs as of November 1.
Other Newcastle players who are yet to secure their futures beyond the end of 2024 include Jacob Saifiti, Dane Gagai, Krystian Mapapalangi, Matthew Croker and Tyson Gamble. Best is likely to attract the most interest on the market, and there have already been reports that Wests Tigers are preparing to launch a lucrative bid.
That is of no great concern to Knights chief executive Philip Gardner, who accepts it is the nature of the business.
"I think every coach in the NRL would like to have Bradman Best in their team," Gardner said.
"He's a very talented player and we believe his best football is still in front of him.
"Bradman has been with us since juniors.
"He started his NRL career with the Knights and we'd like him to finish his career with the Knights. It's up to us to come up with a deal that keeps him here and allows him to fulfil his potential at this club."
Gardner was relaxed about the prospect of Best entering the open market on November 1, saying that clubs were already allowed to express interest in players before they became free agents.
"We've spoken to his management and we're hoping to get Bradman extended as quickly as possible," he said.
"But players are entitled to do the best deal they can for themselves.
"He becomes a free agent on November 1, and if there are other offers out there, we understand that he might like to consider them.
"But we're also confident that he loves playing for the Knights, he loves living in this community, and hopefully that will be a factor in whatever decision he makes.
"In saying that, we need to be competitive and show that we value him. You can't take any player for granted. We have to treat them all with respect and come to an arrangement that is mutually advantageous.
"Nobody wants to feel like they've been under-valued."
The Knights hope to extend Best's contract for at least a further two seasons, until the end of 2026, by which time he would be 25.
"If they were interested in a longer-term contract, we'd certainly consider it," Gardner said. "That would probably depend on what Bradman and his management would prefer."
Meanwhile, the Knights are still waiting to learn if new signing Kai Pearce-Paul will be required in the England squad for their three-Test series against Tonga.
The squad was expected to be announced overnight, and Pearce-Paul was in contention after helping Wigan win the Super League grand final last weekend.
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