Almost a month after his club's Telstra Premiership season came to an end, Broncos captain Darius Boyd is still without a contract for next year, but the Brisbane club insists a new long-term deal is close to being finalized
The process of re-signing Boyd has taken a long time due to it being the last contract the 30-year-old will sign before he hangs up the boots.
Both parties want every little detail of the contract to be perfect, and the Broncos are working around the clock with Boyd's manager to get the deal done.
There is no danger of Boyd going elsewhere, with the Australian and Queensland representative wanting to finish his career in Brisbane under the guidance of coach Wayne Bennett.
Broncos CEO Paul White gave an update on negotiations, saying an announcement about Boyd's future would be made in the coming weeks.
"He's very close [to re-signing]. We're just finalising some of the finer details," White said.
"It's a big contract for Darius and our club so we want to get it right. We've been comfortable with the process right throughout.
"I've worked with Darius's manager and with Darius himself. We're getting pretty close. We'll hopefully have an announcement during the next few weeks."
But Boyd is not the only signature the Broncos are chasing, with White revealing his club is always on the lookout for a last-minute buy heading into the 2018 season.
It is a tactic that has worked well for the club in recent history, with star centre James Roberts joining the Broncos in December of 2015 after a contract bungle allowed him to leave the Gold Coast Titans.
Roberts bolstered the depth in Brisbane's outside backs, and now it will be the Broncos' halves and hooker stocks that need reinforcing.
Brisbane are struggling for depth in the halves after Ben Hunt departed for the St George Illawarra Dragons, while the club's decision not to re-sign backup hooker Travis Waddell has left recently injured Andrew McCullough as the Broncos' only recognised No.9.
For those reasons Brisbane are sure to add players in the coming months as they try to form a squad capable of winning the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership.
"I don't really want to speculate on player recruitment other than to say that we're always active in the market," White said.
"This time of year is a bit of a silly season. Clubs are recruiting players and some players get moved on.
"If you recall over the last couple of years we picked up Adam Blair prior to the 2015 season and we picked up Korbin Sims late last year.
"We remain active in the market all the time. Yes there are long-term strategies but there are also short-term opportunities so we'll look to take advantage of whatever comes our way over the next few months."
Photo copyright: Broncos Media.Broncos fullback Darius Boyd is hoping to finish his NRL career in Brisbane.