NRL star Pat Carrigan’s savvy property play points to big Broncos move

Patrick Carrigan and Bronte Gildea are tipped to be moving to Brisbane as he chases the Broncos’ top job. Picture: John Gass

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NRL Broncos star Pat Carrigan has snapped up a beachside crash pad ahead of his reported move to Brisbane, with the ironman tipped to be next in line for the club’s captaincy.

The 28-year-old dropped $950,000 on a two-bedroom unit in a 1970s walk-up just across the road from the stunning Tallebudgera Estuary in Palm Beach.

The sale, which settled in August, is expected to be another renovation milestone for the footy player with his builder mate Chris Neilsen of Kingfisher Constructions, who is listed on property records as co-owner of the apartment.

Carrigan is reportedly looking to relocate once his Kangaroos campaign wraps up next month. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

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Carrigan, pictured with partner Bronte Gildea, is yet to add another Brisbane property to his portfolio

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It’s a savvy buy for the duo, sitting well below the hotspot’s median unit price of $1.25m, and follows Kingfisher’s stunning Palm Springs-inspired upgrade of Carrigan’s Burleigh Waters home, which the forward purchased for $1.61m in 2024.

The latest blue-chip property play comes amid widespread speculation that Carrigan and his Channel 9 sports presenter partner Bronte Gildea are relocating from the Gold Coast to Brisbane full-time once his current Kangaroos campaign wraps up.

The move will no doubt please Broncos coach Michael Maguire, who has reportedly urged his squad closer to the club’s Red Hill base to facilitate pre-season training, signalling a new era in 2027.

The Palm Beach unit is in a building of six

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It’s the perfect coastal weekender

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But for keen surfer and budding property tycoon Patty, the Palm Beach apartment will serve as the ultimate weekend getaway to escape the city grind.

Positioned on the first floor at Murlong Cres, the original-condition unit has an east-facing balcony capturing cooling coastal breezes and calm creek views.

Sold by Lacey West agents, Will West and Tiffany Richmond, the location was described as “arguably the most sought-after street in Palm Beach”.

Mr West said the unit in a small block of six looked out to “pristine turquoise waters,” with the new owners able to “swim, kayak, fish or paddle board, with the boat ramp just across the road.”

Plenty of potential for the keen renovator

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The two-bedder was pitched as a blue-chip lifestyle investment

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The listing pitched the walk-up as a “blue-chip lifestyle investment with exciting future development potential in the area” – a drawcard for Carrigan, who has spoken of his passion for property and taken after his chippie father with his off-season side hustle in flipping homes.

Carrigan’s shift up the M1 is the strongest sign yet he is the preferred candidate to succeed retired halfback Adam Reynolds as captain, despite a push for new recruit Mitch Barnett to take the reins.

Carrigan pictured for the State of Origin series. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

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The World Cup star, who has been groomed for the top job over the last six years and filled in as Brisbane skipper 27 times, has been open on his leadership ambitions.

“I’ve always prided myself on not changing and being true to who I am,” he told the Australian.

“That’s been like that over the last five years when I’ve had the opportunity to lead and lean on guys like Reynolds and Payne [Haas] as well. With the change comes a great opportunity.”

Realestate.com.au data shows unit prices in Palm Beach were up 8.7 per cent over the past year, while house prices climbed 10.3 per cent.

His Burleigh Waters home underwent a Palm Springs-inspired renovation

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