'Selwyn is very loved by everyone': Michael Maguire fuels talk of remarkable Cobbo career twist

Dolphins-bound flyer Selwyn Cobbo is still weeks away from having to clear out his locker at the Broncos but Brisbane coach Michael Maguire is already toying with the prospect of the big winger returning to Red Hill for 2027.

Playing out as a subplot ahead of Saturday evening's crunch Brisbane derby is the Dolphins' fight to stop Cobbo from returning to the Broncos once his one-year contract at Redcliffe is done.

Underwhelmed with what the Broncos were willing to pay him amid a salary-cap squeeze, the former Queensland State of Origin speedster signed with the Dolphins in June.

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And the fact he only penned a one-year deal means he will become a free agent on November 1 of this year, at which point his management will be allowed to negotiate a potential return to the Broncos for 2027.

In a radio interview on Thursday, Maguire was prodded on that very prospect.

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"We do love Selwyn, and circumstances [mean] you can't keep everyone," Maguire said on SEN.

"I said at the start of the year I'd love to keep everyone, but the salary cap is just what it is, and every club loses or players have to leave.

"But one thing [is] they're always welcome to come back. So those things present themselves at some stage. Whether that comes about, you're always tinkering in the background with who you have at the club.

"Selwyn is very loved by everyone; he's loved by all the players, myself and the community.

"And we'll always have an open door at the Broncos, but we then have to sit down and go through the salary cap to work out how that looks, as well."

Maguire dropped Cobbo after the Broncos' dismal 34-6 loss to the Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval on May 31, which marked Brisbane's sixth loss from seven games.

The 23-year-old has made three NRL appearances since then but was sidelined with a hamstring injury in his latest outing.

Cobbo and the Broncos' first-choice halves, Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam, all pulled hamstrings on a costly trip to Melbourne last week.

Cobbo pulled off a sensational chase-down tackle on Storm flyer Xavier Coates but injured his ankle and hamstring over the remainder of the game, won by Melbourne 22-2.

Josiah Karapani will fill Cobbo's position on the left wing against the Dolphins on Saturday night.

The Broncos are placed sixth and the Dolphins, who are vying for their first NRL finals berth in their brief history, are sitting eighth.