Brisbane are set to double down on the re-signing of teenage prop Payne Haas by fending off interest from rival clubs to keep the best class of young forward talent in the NRL.
The Broncos locked Haas into a six-year, $3 million deal on Thursday according to NRL.com, keeping other clubs at bay and the 19-year-old at Brisbane until 2024.
However, they still have a burgeoning list of young stars off contract this year, including forward trio Tevita Pangai Junior, Jaydn Su'A and Matt Lodge.
They set the tone for this year's player market.
While the end of 2017 was dominated by marquee players making moves on big-money deals, this year's is based largely on potential.
Bennett's Broncos are at the forefront of that.
In addition to three forwards of the future they have wingers Jamayne Isaako and Corey Oates off contract, with the club facing another battle to retain their services.
While Newcastle were set to be at least one club interested in Pangai Junior's services given he is a local junior, coach Nathan Brown is resigned to the fact he and the other forwards will remain at the Broncos.
"He's obviously an outstanding player but I'm confident from what everyone's telling us - not Tevita himself - that he's staying in Brisbane for a bit longer," Brown told AAP.
"It sounds like him, Lodgey, all them boys, Jaydn Su'a, they're all staying together for a bit longer.
"Tevita's a player that I don't think he's lacking any interest if he was on the market. He's a Newcastle junior and we certainly do like our local juniors here.
"But as we stand here today, from what I understand, Tevita will spend at least another year at Brisbane."
Brown's admission comes after Lodge confirmed on Tuesday he expected to stay at the club while Pangai Junior told reporters to wait until November for news.
Bennett has been confident this week he would keep the players.
"It'll happen," he said.
"They're quality players, everyone's interested in them, it's no more difficult than any other year."
Other in-demand young talent includes the likes of Rhyse Martin at Canterbury, who the Bulldogs are desperate to hang onto amid their salary cap issues, and Gold Coast's Keegan Hipgrave.
Robert Jennings, the NRL's leading try scorer, is yet to be locked in at South Sydney while young Newcastle halfback Brock Lamb could is also on the market.
At the other end of the scale, Issac Luke, Brett Morris, Jarryd Hayne and Jason Nightingale headline the best current and former representative talent yet to be secured.
James Segeyaro and Lachlan Coote are among other players with their future yet to be decided.
Cameron Smith, Billy Slater Paul Gallen, Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah and John Sutton are yet to determine if they'll retire or play on, however, none will leave their current clubs.
