GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 15: Brenko Lee during a Queensland Maroons state of origin training session at Cbus Super Stadium on November 15, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The Brisbane Broncos have confirmed the departure of winger Brenko Lee for the 2023 season.
Lee joined the Broncos from Melbourne ahead of this season on a two-year deal, with the second half of his stint at Red Hill set to end prematurely.
The Brisbane-born journeyman has plied his trade with the Raiders, Bulldogs, Titans, Storm and Broncos since his debut in 2014, amassing a total of 70 NRL appearances.
Lee, who has played just three games at the Broncos this year, will play out the remainder of this season before landing with his sixth NRL club.
“The Broncos can confirm that Brenko Lee has been granted a release from the final year of his contract in 2023,” a Brisbane statement reads.
“Brenko will remain with the Broncos until the end of the 2022 NRL season.”
While the Broncos haven’t confined where Lee will be playing next year, the 26-year-old was recently reported to be nearing an agreed deal with expansion side the Dolphins.
A move to Redcliffe would see Lee link up with his cousin Edrick Lee, who will depart the Knights at the end of this year for the Dolphins.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett recently expressed his eagerness to recruit the Broncos flyer to his new mission.
“I am looking to have Brenko on board,” Bennett told News Corp earlier this month.
“He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities at the Broncos this season but he is getting his chance now and hopefully he finishes the season on a strong note.
“I am looking at him as a starting centre. I don’t want him playing Queensland Cup, Brenko at his best is a genuine NRL player, the try he set up against the Raiders last week was the perfect centre’s play.
“I worked with Brenko during the Origin series a couple of years ago and I like what he brought to the team. He was outstanding in Game Three, we needed him to perform that night and he did – we couldn’t have won the series without him.
“If he comes here, he would be an asset for the Dolphins.”
Lee would join an inexperienced backline under Bennett, which currently includes the likes of Jamayne Isaako, Robert Jennings, Connely Lemuelu and the aforementioned Edrick lee.
Source:: ZeroTackle
