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Message: [QUOTE="Super Freak, post: 2753215, member: 8536"] BRISBANE will broker a two-year deal for Corey Parker in a move that will see the Broncos skipper smash NRL playing records and represent Queensland until 2018. The Sunday Mail can reveal Parker’s management is in the final stages of talks on a contract that will see Parker become the first player in the code’s 108-year history to play 360-plus NRL games. There were fears salary-cap pressures could force Brisbane’s skipper into early retirement but the Broncos are planning to announce Parker’s retention after Origin II on Wednesday week. Just turned 34, Parker was only expected to be handed a 12-month extension following 15 years of service that has left the ironman forward with a degenerative knee condition. But Parker is adamant he can survive in the NRL beyond his 36th birthday. The Broncos are willing to agree to a two-year arrangement, with the extended term bolstered by a series of third-party deals to keep him at Red Hill. Without third-party assistance, Parker faced the prospect of signing a one-year term under the salary cap. Parker’s new deal will also ensure he remains an integral part of Queensland’s Origin juggernaut alongside Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston. The Broncos skipper joined Brad Fittler in equal fourth on the NRL’s all-time list with his 336th NRL game on Thursday against Canberra and is adamant he can soldier on in 2018. “The body is fine,” Parker said. “The thing that drives me is the younger blokes here at the Broncos and the enthusiasm I get from them. “Honestly, I’m enjoying my football now as much as I ever have. There’s a lot of reasons for that. There are young guys here like Anthony Milford, he has a massive future and I feed off the energy of guys like him. “I constantly want to show them I am in the battle with them and that’s what keeps me motivated.” Broncos legend Darren Lockyer is the most-capped player in history with 355 games, but Parker is on track to overtake his former colleague early next season. If he maintains his seasonal average of 22 games, Parker will retire with an estimated 393 NRL matches - a phenomenal tally that may never be beaten. Having previously negotiated his own deals, Parker has hired leading agent Isaac Moses to broker the final contract of his career. Broncos teammates have privately urged the club to do everything possible to keep Parker on deck and the inspirational forward confirmed a deal is imminent. “It won’t be long now before we sort it out,” he said. “It great to hear your teammates wanting you to play on. I’d like to think I’ve helped some young guys here learn the Broncos culture, I get great satisfaction out of lending a hand and showing some wisdom.” Emerging prop Jarrod Wallace said the Broncos could not afford to lose a captain who retains links from Brisbane’s last premiership win in 2006. “Cozza has come through the era of Shane Webcke and Andrew Gee (Broncos front-row legends) and he is just so professional,” he said. “He is always pushing us younger guys to be better. The club is very fortunate to have him as a leader.” [url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/broncos/corey-parker-set-to-play-on-for-brisbane-and-queensland-until-at-least-2018/news-story/abfa0fe7abed116be116b989e6d865b4]No Cookies | Herald Sun[/url] [/QUOTE]

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