Broncos' Gem has big contract decision looming large
The 27-year-old, known as 'Gem', is off is contract at the end of next year and on a modest salary but his manager Wade Rushton has told Wide World of Sports that the Broncos have been unable to offer him a deal beyond that.
On Tuesday, Shibasaki said his next deal was not on his mind right now. His stellar season has been founded on "staying present" and not looking too far ahead.
Other clubs will be able to field offers for Shibasaki, who is now one of the game's form centres, from November 1.
"When it comes to (November 1) I will think about that but what I have been doing is narrowing my focus to now. That has been a big part of my success so far," Shibasaki said.
Gehamat Shibasaki scores the Broncos first try of the season 👏 📺 Watch #NRLRoostersBroncos on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/YqMTpg0Z58✍️ BLOG https://t.co/I84lo7m8o5🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/S609WnAheY pic.twitter.com/dC7T7kO82M
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) March 6, 2025
He added that "the Broncos mean a lot to me" but he is expected to be offered a hefty pay increase by other clubs and financial decisions will have to be made.
"That is another thing I have got to sit down with my family and talk about," he said.
"You look at my age now and I am coming to the older side of things. I will focus on that when the time comes."
The fairytale rise of Shibasaki has been steep but there is another mountain he wants to climb.
The message from the blockbusting centre to his increasing number of fans will be music to their ears.
There's a premiership for the fifth-placed Broncos to win.
"That's been the goal since the pre-season once I did get that contract done," Shibasaki said ahead of Friday night's home clash with Parramatta.
"The next step was to play and aim for that premiership at the end of the year. We still have seven more weeks left and then finals kick in. This is the time where we knuckle down and get ready for that.
After linking with Wynnum Manly, Shibasaki started the 2025 pre-season started with no NRL contract.
He earned a train and trial deal and then a development list contract, which he is still on, then an upgrade to the top 30 for next year. Then followed an incredible Queensland call-up for the State of Origin decider where he set up a try and outplayed gun NSW opposite number Stephen Crichton.
"Origin was an unreal experience for me and my family. I'm still pinching myself now. It's about taking all that experience and bringing it back here and doing well for the rest of the season," he said.
This season Shibasaki has played 16 games in which he has scored 12 tries, made 13 line breaks and 61 tackle busts.
To put just one of those impressive statistics in perspective, that is twice as many tries as he had scored in his previous 30 NRL matches in seven seasons since debuting in 2018.
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