Brisbane Broncos are accelerating contract negotiations to retain fan-favorite forward Xavier Willison, a young talent whose emerging on-field dominance and surprising personal quirk have added a layer of Hollywood irony to one of the biggest contract stories of the 2025 NRL season.
The 23-year-old New Zealand international, who will turn 24 in just two weeks, carries an iconic tattoo of *The Godfather*’s legendary Don Vito Corleone inked across his right leg – an homage to his all-time favorite film, a 1972 classic that shaped his childhood movie nights growing up. When asked about his favorite line from the Francis Ford Coppola epic, Willison laughed and quoted the movie’s most famous line: “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Now, fans and pundits are echoing that line right back at the Broncos front office: it’s time for the club to make Willison an offer he can’t walk away from. Willison has opened up about his connection to the film, explaining that he grew up watching the gangster classic at his grandmother’s house, and it has remained his top film, with 1993’s *A Bronx Tale* a close second. “I like those old-school Italian mafia sort of movies,” he explained in a recent interview.
Willison’s own Broncos story is only just getting off the ground. After cementing his place as a regular starting member of the Brisbane squad in 2024, he played a critical role in the team’s run to last year’s NRL premiership, establishing himself as one of the most dynamic young forwards in the league. Come November 1, Willison will be eligible to hit the open player market, where analysts expect competing clubs to flood him with massive contract offers. The Broncos, already bracing for the departure of star prop Payne Haas, who will leave to join the South Sydney Rabbitohs at the end of the current season, are leaving no stone unturned to convince their rising star to re-sign long-term.
Multiple media reports indicate the club has already tabled a three-year contract extension valued at roughly AUD 3 million, a deal that would keep Willison in Brisbane through the 2028 season. Any lingering doubt over Willison’s value to the squad was erased last Thursday, when the forward put on a career-best performance in the Broncos’ upset 24-10 win over reigning premiers Penrith Panthers. Starting the match in the front row before shifting to the edge in the second half, Willison racked up 189 running meters, dominating the Panthers’ defensive line and creating space for Brisbane’s playmakers to attack.
Off the back of that upset win, Brisbane ended an eight-game losing streak that had left the team’s finals hopes all but written off. While the odds of a premiership push remain extremely long this season, the victory has given the Broncos a faint but achievable path to sneak into the top eight finals lineup. Fullback Reece Walsh led the charge with three try assists, proving that when the Broncos have their full squad of star players fit and on the park, they remain a dangerous contender for any side in the league.
“It’s a good feeling. It’s fun to be back in the winner’s circle,” Willison said after the match, addressing contract talks for the first time publicly. “We’re still working through things. Definitely my preference is to stay. They’ve given me everything. They brought me over from New Zealand as a kid, so definitely.”
Willison added that the team’s recent losing streak never came from a lack of effort, but rather from key absences across the injury list. “The last couple of weeks, I definitely felt like we’ve had the effort. The boys were trying to look after each other, it just hasn’t gone our way. Tonight everyone was there, which definitely helped,” he said.
For the Broncos, locking in Willison is now a top off-field priority, and with the young forward already openly stating his desire to stay, it looks like only a matter of time before the club gets their man – if they can make that Godfather-worthy offer he can’t refuse.