Bronco Frawley weighing up benefits of move to Raiders and centre spot
Rugby league By Bevan Hannan
Friday, 16 July 2004
Emerging Brisbane outside-back Craig Frawley is expected to decide next week if he will accept an offer to join the Canberra Raiders in 2005.
Player manager David Phillips yesterday described negotiations as "positive" and said the final choice had been narrowed down to the Broncos and the Raiders.
Frawley, 23, has scored 10 tries in 13 appearances for the Broncos on the wing this season but it was a desire to return to his favoured position of centre which made Canberra a tempting destination.
The mid-season trading merry-go-round saw the Sydney Roosters agree to release Queensland Origin centre Justin Hodges to Brisbane and poach Canberra's Joel Monaghan as a replacement. While this has created another obstacle to Frawley securing a centre spot at the Broncos, it has created an opening with the Raiders that he is close to pursuing.
"That's the main thing for Craig," Phillips said. "He played centre as a younger player and for whatever reason started playing wing at the Broncos. They have terrific centres in [Brent] Tate, [Shaun] Berrigan and now Hodges coming to the club. The major attraction is the fact that he has an opportunity at centre. If he decides to join the club that would be a significant reason."
Frawley, who made his first- grade debut last season, plans to meet with the Raiders and view the facilities in Canberra next week.
With Brisbane in the midst of negotiations with top priority Darren Lockyer and already having re-signed Petero Civoniceva, Karmichael Hunt, Barry Berrigan and Tate, the Broncos can't afford to match the Raiders' bid.
Frawley first joined the Broncos as a teenager before having two seasons wiped out by knee reconstructions. But he has fought his way back to be an eye-catching performer in 26 NRL matches.
"The offer is of serious interest," Phillips said. "We are looking to have a visit, come back and mull it over. He wants to settle his future sooner rather than later so it is not going to be an issue that drags on.
"He obviously wants to do the right thing by the Broncos who have been a great club to him and stood by him through those couple of injuries. So it is not an easy decision from that point of view."
Frawley is a Redcliffe junior, the same club which produced Raider Phil Graham, and he played with present Canberra first-graders Mark McLinden, Michael Hodgson and Troy Thompson for the 1997 Australian Schoolboys.
The Raiders announced the retention of five of its most promising players yesterday.
Winger Nathan Smith and forward Alan Rothery, who are both in the first-grade squad playing premiers Penrith tomorrow night, signed for two years. Another 21-year-old who has also been blooded in the top grade this year, Kris Kahler, signed for the same period.
Coach Matt Elliott said it wouldn't be too long before the other two re-signings Beau Mundine (two years) and Steve Franciscus (one year) also featured in the big league.
Mundine, 23, joined the Raiders from South Sydney this year and is a cousin of boxer Anthony Mundine. Franciscus, 21, is a Papua New Guinea World Sevens representative in his first season at Canberra after arriving from Queensland Cup team Wests Panthers. Elliott said both were being groomed as centres.
"I remain entirely confident that we are going to have a formidable roster next year," Elliott said. "With all this speculation on people going, we have tended to miss a little bit of who is still here and who is on the way.
"I am really excited about Beau Mundine. I think he is a guy with a full pre-season he is going to come on a long way. He's got a great frame, great speed and tremendous feet.
"Franciscus has adapted to the culture of the club and living in Canberra. He has a great attitude and a lot of physical attributes that will allow him to press for first- grade honours as well."
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