<big>**NRL bid consortium for second Brisbane team moves to poach Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper**</big>
By Peter Badel The Sunday Mail
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Official offer … Brisbane NRL bid team want SBW to launch their franchise. Source: Adrian Dennis / News Limited
The Brisbane bid team has made official moves to poach Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper from rugby union as the prospective NRL franchise tries to lure them with a multimillion-dollar package deal.
The consortium formally contacted the pair's manager, Khoder Nasser, last week expressing a desire to bring them to the NRL for their proposed entry in 2013.
Nasser, who also represents boxer Anthony Mundine, said both Sonny Bill Williams and Cooper would seriously weigh up a switch after this year's Rugby World Cup.
But the Brisbane consortium faces an uphill battle luring either of the pair. Salary cap constraints aside, the organisation has yet to secure an NRL licence and even if it did, any potential playing targets would need to find an alternative home for next season.
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However, as the NRL is poised to make a call on expansion in coming months, the Brisbane consortium is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to become Queensland's fourth team.
Do you believe Quade Cooper or Sonny Bill Williams will sign an NRL contract in the future? Post your reply at the bottom of the page.
"We don't know whether we're in or not, but we have approached Quade and Sonny," Brisbane bid delegate Bill Rae said.
"We want Quade and Sonny Bill to get their World Cup campaigns out of the way first, but once that's done we'll up the ante for them. We've started talks with these guys and we want them on board.
"We're being realistic about this. At the moment we don't have an NRL licence and the New Zealand Rugby Union (to which Williams is contracted) will be hard to beat when it comes down to dollars.
"Because we don't have a history, we need some special talent to build the club from scratch and we'd love to see Quade and Sonny on our wall as the originals."
The Brisbane consortium may struggle to table a palatable offer for Williams, who rejected $2 million a season from French rugby side Toulon last year to sign with the NZRU.
But with the 25-year-old clear to resume his NRL career in 2013 - he is currently banned for the duration of the five-year Canterbury-Bankstown contract he walked out on in 2008 - the timing of Brisbane's planned entry could help bring Williams back to league.
Wallabies star Cooper remains a free agent for next season. The Reds are desperate to retain him, but Cooper has told close friends he wants to one day test himself in the NRL and had secret talks with Parramatta last August.
"I can confirm I have had an approach from the Brisbane bid team," Nasser said. "Of course (a return to league) is something Sonny will consider, he started his career playing rugby league.
"Quade has a phenomenal passing, running and kicking game, and this is a guy who has got 1m to play with."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-bid-consortium-for-second-brisbane-team-move-to-poach-sonny-bill-williams-and-quade-cooper/story-e6frf3ou-1226040376312
By Peter Badel The Sunday Mail
\
\
Official offer … Brisbane NRL bid team want SBW to launch their franchise. Source: Adrian Dennis / News Limited
The Brisbane bid team has made official moves to poach Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper from rugby union as the prospective NRL franchise tries to lure them with a multimillion-dollar package deal.
The consortium formally contacted the pair's manager, Khoder Nasser, last week expressing a desire to bring them to the NRL for their proposed entry in 2013.
Nasser, who also represents boxer Anthony Mundine, said both Sonny Bill Williams and Cooper would seriously weigh up a switch after this year's Rugby World Cup.
But the Brisbane consortium faces an uphill battle luring either of the pair. Salary cap constraints aside, the organisation has yet to secure an NRL licence and even if it did, any potential playing targets would need to find an alternative home for next season.
\
\
\
However, as the NRL is poised to make a call on expansion in coming months, the Brisbane consortium is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to become Queensland's fourth team.
Do you believe Quade Cooper or Sonny Bill Williams will sign an NRL contract in the future? Post your reply at the bottom of the page.
"We don't know whether we're in or not, but we have approached Quade and Sonny," Brisbane bid delegate Bill Rae said.
"We want Quade and Sonny Bill to get their World Cup campaigns out of the way first, but once that's done we'll up the ante for them. We've started talks with these guys and we want them on board.
"We're being realistic about this. At the moment we don't have an NRL licence and the New Zealand Rugby Union (to which Williams is contracted) will be hard to beat when it comes down to dollars.
"Because we don't have a history, we need some special talent to build the club from scratch and we'd love to see Quade and Sonny on our wall as the originals."
The Brisbane consortium may struggle to table a palatable offer for Williams, who rejected $2 million a season from French rugby side Toulon last year to sign with the NZRU.
But with the 25-year-old clear to resume his NRL career in 2013 - he is currently banned for the duration of the five-year Canterbury-Bankstown contract he walked out on in 2008 - the timing of Brisbane's planned entry could help bring Williams back to league.
Wallabies star Cooper remains a free agent for next season. The Reds are desperate to retain him, but Cooper has told close friends he wants to one day test himself in the NRL and had secret talks with Parramatta last August.
"I can confirm I have had an approach from the Brisbane bid team," Nasser said. "Of course (a return to league) is something Sonny will consider, he started his career playing rugby league.
"Quade has a phenomenal passing, running and kicking game, and this is a guy who has got 1m to play with."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-bid-consortium-for-second-brisbane-team-move-to-poach-sonny-bill-williams-and-quade-cooper/story-e6frf3ou-1226040376312
