Rabbitohs recruit Anthony Milford is facing the possibility of a ‘gap year’ before signing with the Dolphins in 2023 as Souths decide whether to end the controversial star’s stint at Redfern.
The Courier Mail reported Milford is still living in Brisbane since the NRL’s decision not to register his one-year deal after he was charged with three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of wilful damage involving a vehicle.
The 27-year-old has stated he will be opposing a series of the charges from an alleged incident last September in the aftermath of the Broncos’ end of season celebrations.
However it appears likely the ex-Broncos $1m man’s time at Souths will come to an end without him playing a game for the club.
Milford has been undertaking his own training program outside of Sydney and should Souths choose to cut ties with him, the Dolphins are looming large as a potential suitor for his services.
The 193-game veteran has a close relationship with Dolphins head coach Wayne Bennett form their time together at the Broncos.
Before he was announced as Dolphins coach, Bennett admitted last year that he would sign Milford if he parted ways with the Broncos and is confident he can return him to his best. After signing with the Rabbitohs, Milford stated his desire to return to Queensland in the future after he got his career back on track at South Sydney.
“Ideally it would be nice [to return to Queensland]. But I said I’ll back myself at Souths and see how I go,” Milford said at the time.
The theory is that Bennett will make a play for Milford for 2023 if the NRL allow him to resume playing and training duties once his legal fight comes to a conclusion.
It looks increasingly likely that Milford will spend the majority of 2022 training on his own and focusing on his court battle.
However Bennett still has plenty of work to do to create an NRL squad after making just five signings so far, including Storm stars Felise Kaufusi and Jesse Bromwich.