For those of you living under a rock - or similarly, in Queensland - let me fill you in.

Raiders chief executive Don Furner on Friday claimed Milford's contract with Canberra for 2014 is confirmed again - apparently in writing from Milford and his manager Sam Ayoub.

So Milford will be in Canberra for the 2014 NRL season. Right. Done. Well, maybe? We think so?

It all started in August when Milford, the Raiders player of the year for 2013, requested a release on compassionate grounds to return to family in Brisbane.

The whole excruciating saga seemed to have drawn to a conclusion when the Raiders put out a media release on Wednesday morning to confirm - there's that word again - Milford would be honouring the remainder of his Raiders deal in 2014.

It was cause for celebration, given an NRL player - a Raiders player no less - was actually seeing a contract through to its finality.

The media release from the Raiders was, of course, just a petty and futile ploy to undermine Brisbane's announcement that Milford would be signing for the Broncos in 2015-16.

And that's what this fight for Milford has become. Not a sanctioned bout by Queensberry rules, but a grubby, below-the-belt, slug-fest that threatens to bash a 19-year-old rookie's reputation to smithereens.

I don't begrudge Milford's decision to move to the Broncos from 2015. He's off contract, he misses home, his father is reportedly ill. Fair play, Anthony, the decision is yours to make.

But Milford's comments in a News Corp publication on Friday that he hasn't given Canberra ''any guarantees'' he will return in 2014 just muddied the situation and his reputation.

The reaction from Raiders fans on social media ranged from a tired acceptance and good riddance to outright spleen-venting anger. Some on the popular fan site Greenhouse agreed to brand him Milfraud.

It's understandable fans fear that Milford's comments in the press on Friday are an indication he's readying for an exit via self-sabotage; that maybe he will force the hand of the Raiders.

But this doesn't seem the same as Josh Dugan flipping the bird on a rooftop, or Ferguson skipping a Raiders game for a schooner and schnitzel in the Sutherland Shire. Perhaps he has genuinely been taken out of context. There's no doubt he'd prefer to be in Brisbane, but he's indicated to the Raiders he will give them one more year.

So I am giving Milford, still a teenage boy being advised by others far more experienced, the benefit of the doubt.

Whatever happens, the Raiders cannot allow Milford to play for another NRL team in 2014. They must hold their ground. This is not about compassion, it is about business. Milford's manager Sam Ayoub has previously threatened legal action or a season boycott.

If Milford truly doesn't want to play for Canberra, then the Raiders will have to let him return to his family in Brisbane, but not to play in the NRL. He must sit it out.

There are several reasons.

One is that the Raiders cannot be the NRL's whipping boy again, dumping star players only to see them link up with a rival club.

The most obvious reason is that Milford is one of Canberra's best - if not the best - attacking players. He's the X-factor, the match-winner.

Having already ditched Origin stars Dugan and Ferguson, the Raiders simply can't afford to lose another player, especially at this stage of the pre-season.

New Raiders coach Ricky Stuart realises it, too. He left Parramatta in controversial circumstances and he's returning to his spiritual home where there will be high expectations of him.

Stuart won a premiership in his first season as an NRL coach, with the Roosters in 2002, but he would be the first to admit that players win premierships. It's why he made Milford's retention his first priority when he took the job at Canberra.

Milford's eventual departure, in 2015, although regrettable, would enable him time to find a replacement.

The Broncos claim they are doing the right thing in this whole situation, that they abided by the November 1 anti-tampering deadline and signed Milford with no expectation other than he will be in Brisbane in 2015.

But someone up north is behind the Brisbane media's propaganda campaign to increase pressure and deliver Milford to the Broncos ASAP - the Broncos, Milford, or his manager.

The Broncos need halves. They let former NSW Origin halfback Peter Wallace go to Penrith, Corey Norman to Parramatta and Scott Prince has retired.

If the Raiders have truly retained Milford for 2014, the next challenge will be readdressing his reputation with fans and ensuring he's committed to his teammates and the club culture. This is a fight the Raiders can't afford to lose.