Tyson Gamble has an upgraded two-year deal and his sights set on the Broncos famous No.6 jersey as he offers a potential bargain basement solution to Brisbane's revolving scrumbase.
Gamble's well-earned extension until the end of 2023 was announced by Brisbane on Thursday after Melbourne, Canberra and the Gold Coast flagged interest in the feisty playmaker.
NRL.com understands Gamble's new contract bumps him above the NRL's minimum wage bracket of around $100,000 a year for the first time in his career which has take him the long way round to 10 first-grade games.
His new deal remains light years away from the estimated $4 million deal that made Anthony Milford the highest-paid Bronco in history, and the lucrative four-year extension signed by good mate Kotoni Staggs earlier this year.
Gamble's bull-with-a-bee-in-its-bonnet playing style has its fans, and he was typically up-front about challenging Staggs for the chance to partner marquee signing Adam Reynolds next season.
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"I want to play alongside Reyno but it'll probably be a battle between Kotoni and I throughout pre-season next year and throughout the trials," Gamble said.
"If he beats me to it then so be it. I just want what's best for this club and what's best for this team, I'll just have to fight my way into another jersey.
"I prefer five-eighth but either way I'm just happy to be in the team, to be honest.
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"I've only played 10 or so games so I'll play wherever Kevvy [coach Kevin Walters] wants me.
"But that's for next year, we've got the rest of this year, I'm just looking forward to that and hopefully getting a strong finish."
Gamble has been in the halves for three of Brisbane's four wins this year, catching the eye against Cronulla with a crucial shot on Jesse Ramien that was followed by some argy-bargy with the Sharks centre.
He also gave Ronaldo Mulitalo a serve after a try-saving tackle, and knows NRL rivals have him on their radar thanks to his combative approach.
"I know I overstep sometimes and get in people's faces and it's probably not a good look," Gamble said.
"I don't plan on going out and being a grub, it just comes out in me.
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"I've copped a bit, I definitely get ripped into a lot because I think people realise that's the way I play.
"But if you're going to give it out you've got to be able to take it so I'm happy, it doesn't bother me too much.
"I'm just passionate, I love this team, love the group and I'll do what I can to win, I'm not going to change."
As a teenager Gamble knocked back an under 20s deal with Cronulla to eventually work his way to NRL via the Intrust Super Cup with Redcliffe.
He admits he thought more than once that a first-grade crack had passed him by before being signed by Wests Tigers in 2018, but is now making the most of a Broncos opportunity he's wanted "since I was a kid".
"You get to a point where you think maybe it's not for me, making NRL," he said.
"But I was happy to play Redcliffe, happy to play Cup - that was an achievement in itself for me so I was stoked to just be playing that, and then the opportunity came to go to the Tigers.
"That was a real shock because I was 20, 21 and the time and most of the blokes my age - Jayden Nikorima and that - they had already been playing 20s and made it into the NRL.
"It was a shock but I'm here now and I'm loving every minute of it."