The Brisbane Broncos are reportedly shopping for a second rower ahead of their match against the Rabbitohs following the departures of trio Kurt Capewell, Keenan Palasia, and Thomas Flegler.
This comes after their Round 1 game exposed their lack of aggression on the edges as Brendan Piakura left the field four minutes into the game and forced Patrick Carrigan to move from his preferred lock position.
With two spots left on their Top 30 roster for this season, the club is aiming to bring in more forward talent to sharpen their depth in the second row.
The Courier Mail has reported the Broncos officials have contacted several NRL player agents to request a list of available forwards to sign for this season and the next.
It is understood that before linking up with the Canberra Raiders, the Broncos made a play to sign Zac Hosking from the Penrith Panthers but were unsuccessful in their attempt.
However, the Broncos did manage to sign Jaiyden Hunt from the Dragons in the off-season and have approximately $300,000 to spend under their salary cap for this season.
“I'm not surprised if the Broncos have decided to go to market,” Parker said.
“When they lost Piakura in round 1 they were a bit light on the edges, so that suggests to me that they do need more depth in the forwards.
“It depends if they want someone who has been there and done it as an NRL player, or do they want to develop someone?
“I guess they want some with experience who can hit the ground running. They wouldn't have planned on losing Kurt Capewell this season, so that's put a dent in the depth.
“Piakura is only young and may not play the whole season, so they need one more back-rower.”
At the moment, there are more than 20 back-rowers who are off-contract at the end of the season.
The list is headlined by Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Luke Garner and Angus Crichton but also includes players such as Coen Hess, Klese Haas, Jaydn Su'A, Trey Mooney, and Euan Aitken
