Martin Taupau to Super League update as NRL veteran reportedly set to leave Brisbane
NRL veteran Martin Taupau is set to become a free agent at the end of this season according to reports which have emerged Down Under – but talk of Super League clubs swooping to sign him is premature.
Brisbane media outlet The Courier Mail have reported that Taupau is set to be cut by the Broncos at the end of this season, bringing an end to his stay at the club.
Taupau began the season in the Brisbane side but has largely been reduced to playing Queensland Cup rugby for Burleigh Bears in recent months, and it now looks as though he will be not offered new terms by the Broncos going into 2025 as they reportedly look to allocate funds towards a new bumper deal for Reece Walsh.
Often linked with Super League at various points in the past, news of his impending departure from the Broncos has inevitably led some to suggest that ‘multiple Super League clubs’ are chasing his signature.
However, there are a whole plethora of sticking points surrounding any deal for Taupau, Love Rugby League has been told.
For starters, Taupau’s salary of $350,000 – around £182,000 – per year means any club would almost certainly be looking at paying marquee money for a player who would likely request a similar or increased salary to make the move to Super League, it is understood.
That would instantly rule a number of clubs out – not least those who have already allocated their marquee spaces for 2025. Taupau would have to be willing to take a salary cut to negotiate with several of the competition’s biggest sides.
Taupau would also be 35 by the time the Super League season begins in 2025 too, another sticking point for clubs looking to sign overseas players.
Many clubs are also well down the line with their overseas recruitment for next year too and while a deal certainly couldn’t be ruled out, it looks unlikely at this moment in time that Super League will welcome Taupau.
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