According to reports, Frank Ponissi will stay with the Melbourne Storm and turn down offers from the Collingwood Magpies and Brisbane Broncos. In an attempt to cover for Ben Ikin, who left to take a position as CEO of the Queensland Rugby League, the Broncos are looking for a general manager of football to oversee their footy department.
The Brisbane team had made Ponissi their primary goal in an attempt to entice the important player to leave the Melbourne Storm. However, the Daily Telegraph claims that Ponissi will turn down other offers and agree to a new contract with the team.
By spurning Collingwood and the AFL, Ponissi will also provide a massive boost to the NRL and NSW Rugby League. He played a key role in helping the NSW Blues beat Queensland in the State of Origin series this year alongside coach Michael Maguire. With Maguire taking over as Broncos coach, it had been hoped the connection could lure Ponissi to the Brisbane club.
The Broncos haven’t had a general manager of football since Ikin’s departure in 2023, which came about after a falling out with then-coach Kevin Walters. Walters and Ikin had a number of differences of opinion, and Ikin’s role was scaled back significantly before he left.
With Walters now gone and the Broncos in desperate need of an overhaul, they’re keen for a general manager of football to sit in an overarching role. They also recently appointed experienced and highly regarded Troy Thomson as their new football operations manager to replace Joe McDermott.
“We had been working to address those, but we’ll continue to work towards addressing those because it’s really important. I think first and foremost it’s about making sure our people have the right environment, but also that they’re willing to buy into what our club’s about.
“We’ve looked to invest in really strong leadership and we’ll continue to invest in strong leadership. We’re in the market for a general manager of football to come in to help support Michael, and I think that’ll be another important step that will reinforce that.”
Meanwhile, the Storm are at risk of losing both Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jonah Pezet after the latter rejected their contract offer and is now a free agent. Rival clubs have been keen to secure Pezet’s services, and he’s free to negotiate with other teams – as is Papenhuyzen.
Papenhuyzen and Pezet have both rejected contract offers from the Storm in recent days, with Papenhuyzen unimpressed by a $750,000 per season offer and keen to test his value on the open market. Pezet had been hoping to strike a new deal that would allow him to be ‘loaned’ to a rival club while he waits for an opportunity behind Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes, but according to the Daily Telegraph that hasn’t eventuated.
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