TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 19: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been processed using digital filters) Adam Elliott of the Raiders looks on during the round two NRL match between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Canberra Raiders at Qld Country Bank Stadium, on March 19, 2022, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
While his services for the 2023 season are currently being chased by the Newcastle Knights, current Canberra second-rower Adam Elliott could be swayed to stay on in the nation’s capital should the Raiders win a highly-prized NRLW license ahead of next year.
As reported on Thursday, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo outlined plans for the six-team competition to become a 10-franchise affair as soon as next season – with ‘The Green Machine’ one of the leading candidates for an expansion entry.
And while Elliott is still seen as a required name on Ricky Stuart’s roster beyond the end of the 2022 season, the forward’s ability to see a future in Canberra is only likely to grow stronger should his partner, and NRLW extraordinaire, Mille Boyle be offered a deal to become a Raider in her own right.
Despite their ongoing efforts to earn admission to the fledgling competition, it appears a nigh-on certainty that Boyle – the joint 2022 Dally M winner – will be tabled a rich marquee deal given her nous and family ties to the franchise.
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The 23-year-old’s father, David, featured in 117 first-grade games for the Raiders between 1991 and 1998, with the current Bronco’s uncle, Jason Croker, holding the club’s games record with 318 appearances across a 16-season stint in lime green.
It is yet to be determined if and when the Raiders can expect to learn whether their bid for an NRLW license has proven successful, with the club submitting the necessary paperwork for entry in April.
Although the ability to create a tight-knit reunion could sway Elliott’s thinking as his single-season deal inches towards a close, reports from The Daily Telegraph claim that the Knights’ offer to the Bega-born ex-Bulldog is also sure to prove tempting.
With an inability to call on Mitchell Barnett for the 2023 season following his defection to the Warriors, Newcastle head coach Adam O’Brien is said to see Elliott as a ‘like-for-like’ replacement for the tattooed second-rower.
The Knights also made overtures about the 27-year-old’s availability last season after he was dumped by the Dogs following his public tryst with Boyle in a Gold Coast restaurant’s restrooms in August of 2021.
Elliott is set to have his first meeting with his former side on Friday night when Canterbury travels to Canberra for their Round 9 meeting.
Source:: ZeroTackle
