Catalans winger Jodie Broughton is determined to prove he’s still got what it takes to play at the top as he weighs up the next move of his career.
The Dragons winger is on the cusp of making his return to the action for the Dragons following a rotten run of injuries.
His return will give him the opportunity to put himself in the shop window as he looks to earn another full-time contract. Broughton is off-contract with the Dragons at the end of the season and was on a list of players told they would not be offered a new deal.
However, the 31-year-old revealed there is still a chance he could remain in France next season, although admitted he is open to offers from all levels of the game.
“I’ve not made any decisions yet,” he said when asked on his future.
“I saw a few weeks ago that I wouldn’t be staying at the Dragons but that’s not necessarily the case. I’m in the last year of my contract and on May 1st the club has to tell you if they’re offering you a contract or not. I sat down with Steve McNamara and he told me that they were obliged to send this letter out and they couldn’t say they’d sign me as I’d not played this year. But he also said that wasn’t to say that they wouldn’t offer me one later down the track if my form was good.
“I’d be happy to stay another year at Catalans, but if it’s not possible I’d look to play another year in Super League if the body was right. Failing that, I still want to carry on playing and Championship would certainly be an option. I’m open at this stage. If the body couldn’t do it I’d happily retire, I don’t want to be one of those who plays longer than they should do and if I had another major injury I’d call it a day, but the body feels good, I’ve had a big rest due to the injuries and I just want to get back into it.”
Broughton is a qualified quantity surveyor, something which he plans to pursue once his days as a professional are over. However, should a full-time contract not materialise for next season, he would search for a part-time gig.
“I’ve got that to drop back on and ultimately is what I will do at the end of my rugby career, but I want to carry on playing rugby if I can keep playing well.
“I’m not really chasing money, I reckon I’ll probably earn the same if I played Championship and worked as I would do playing full-time. But I still feel like I’ve got a bit more to give on a full-time basis. I want to get to 200 games and ultimately win something. I missed out on Wembley with Hull FC in 2008 and Catalans last year. I wouldn’t mind being in a final of some sort to finish off my career as a professional.”
In the meantime, Broughton is raring to go after his injury nightmare.
The winger missed the second-half of 2017 with a serious bicep injury before rupturing his ACL in July of last year.
Upon his return to action this year he ruptured his bicep, resulting in yet another spell on the sidelines.
However, he is now fully fit having come through games for the club’s reserve grade and their dual-reg partner, Toulouse Olympique.
“The body feels good and I’m ready to go,” he said.
“But the boys have been playing really well so I’ve had to wait for a look in, but in the next two weeks I’m hoping to be back in the side.
“Because I’ve been out that long I kind of lost my match day preparation. I’d forgot what to do and what to put in my bag to be ready, I even forgot my headphones!
“But I don’t feel like I’ve anything to lose, the worst thing to happen would be getting injured again but I’ve been through a bit of that already so that doesn’t scare me anymore. I just want to get out there, play and prove to myself and the coaches I can still play and keep going.”