Canberra Raiders and NSW Origin forward Hudson Young has arrived in Port Moresby for talks with the PNG Chiefs, who have a $900,000-a-season offer on the table after the Raiders withdrew their record contract offer.
Young touched down in the PNG capital on Wednesday and was greeted by Chiefs coach Willie Peters, chief executive Lorna McPherson and general manager of football Michael Chammas, The Age reported. He made the trip with his manager, Sam Ayoub.
The 28-year-old is recovering from a season-ending Achilles injury. The Chiefs, who enter the NRL in 2028, are chasing him as their eighth signing.
Chiefs holding firm at $900,000
According to The Age, the NRL initially set Young’s market value at $1.1 million to match what Canberra had been prepared to pay him. That figure was reset to $1 million, then re-evaluated again after the Raiders pulled their deal.
The Chiefs were never going to move from their $900,000-per-season offer, the report said, and that figure is now acceptable to NRL head office and to Young, with no higher offers on the table.
Read more: Hudson Young’s Record Raiders Offer Withdrawn as Chiefs Circle
Why the trip matters
Young has been to PNG before with the Prime Minister’s XIII, but this visit gives him a look at the working and living arrangements for Chiefs players before he decides whether the move suits him.
In September, he said the Chiefs were a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.
“I just want to make sure that I’m comfortable with the decision I make, and that’s the reason why I’m going over there, just to suss it all out …” Young said at the time.
Raiders contract and Stuart’s stance
Young is still contracted to Canberra until the end of 2027. The Raiders pulled their offer, the highest the club has tabled to a player, after Young kept weighing his options even when a fifth season was proposed, The Age reported.
Asked whether Canberra would release Young straight away, coach Ricky Stuart told The Canberra Times: “That’s up to Hudson and his management to ask for that, but I’d definitely look at it.”
Read more: Liam Martin Open to Raiders Move as Stuart Opens Door on Hudson Young
Chiefs’ recruitment so far
English prop Matty Lees is the only forward the Chiefs have signed. They have also secured Connor Watson, Joey Manu, Jarome Luai, Alex Johnston, Zac Lomax and Brian To’o, and have tabled an offer of up to $3 million over four years for Gold Coast forward Cooper Bai, who is reportedly leaning towards Melbourne.
Neither the Chiefs nor Young had announced a decision at the time of writing.
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