Exclusive: Talks over Brisbane Broncos utility staying in the Super League for 2024 are still going on
Tristan Sailor’s management is reportedly still in discussion with Super League clubs regarding a possible 2024 transfer, according to Love Rugby League. This means Sailor may still play in England the following season.
Rugby League Live first reported this year that Sailor had received offers from teams for the upcoming campaign, raising doubts over his future with the Brisbane Broncos.
The 25-year-old, who is still under contract with the Broncos for the upcoming season, is the son of former Australia dual-code great Wendell Sailor. However, Sailor’s management was made offers to play in Super League, and Sailor was apparently interested in moving.
Although no deal has been finalised, Hull FC and Catalans Dragons were two teams mentioned as Sailor’s admirers at the time. Interest in the player is still simmering beneath the surface.
At least two elite teams have been informed of Sailor’s continuous availability, and Love Rugby League has been informed that discussions are still taking on behind closed doors regarding whether to put up a bid for the player.
Sailor is a versatile back that can play many different positions, which gives him fantastic depth for many teams coming into the upcoming season.
One significant issue still stands, though: the potential for a merger to be blocked by foreign quota laws.
The barrier Super League teams would need to get past in order to sign Tristan Sailor
As things stand, Sailor might not have played enough games to reach the level needed to obtain a working visa in order to play in the Super League.
In order to enable him to register for a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) and make the move, clubs would need to request a dispensation.
However, Sailor’s situation’s numerical figures are narrow. A player leaving the NRL must have participated in 50% of NRL games during the qualifying period in order to be eligible for a GBE; if an application is submitted after August, the 2022 and 2023 seasons will be taken into consideration.
Sailor has only made four appearances for Brisbane this season, and since he had no contract with an NRL team last year, he would have failed to meet that requirement by a significant margin.
However, there is a secondary category that might allow Sailor to
Any player who meets the secondary criteria, which are expressly for players 25 years of age or younger—Sailor is 25—will be taken into consideration by the RFL.It specifies that throughout the current season, a player must appear in 25% of his club’s NRL games, including play-offs.
With the Broncos playing 27 games in 2023 (including the postseason), Sailor’s appearance percentage with four appearances is 14.81%, which is once again below the threshold.
However, considering that he had no club contract the previous year, it is believed that this will leave the door open for dispensation to be granted.
