2024 pre-season discussion: Pre-season Premiers

[NSW stables]

Updated Team List (Broncos posted 2023)

1. Creedence Toia
2. Israel Leota
3. Ethan Quai-Ward
4. Josiah Karapani
5. Deine Mariner
6. Josh Rogers
7. Kurt Falls
8. Xavier Willison
9. Blake Mozer
10. Ben Te Kura
11. Josh Stuckey
12. Ethan O’Neill
13. Cooper Page-Wilson

Interchange
14. Cameron Bukowski
15. Jaiyden Hunt
16. Bailey Butler
17. Rory Ferguson
18. Coby Black
19. Josh Patson
20. Kalolo Saitua
21. Tristan Sailor
22. Bailey Tew

Broncos Team List: Trial v Wynnum

Fans will get their first look at some of the Broncos newest developments this Saturday when the team takes on the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls at Kougari Oval.

www.broncos.com.au

That is a very tall front row pairing.

 

[McHunt]

Matt Ballin:

"Blake is going really well but I really don't like it when people compare him to Cameron Smith because Cameron was one of the best players in our game ... ever. So I just think that is unfair on Blake when he gets compared to Cameron and the ability he could have. Blake has played one game of NRL and has a real bright future ahead of him."​

​

"I just say to Blakey, 'be yourself at training and work hard'. That's as simple as I keep it for him. I tell him, 'don't read too many articles about what they are saying about you in the media. Your trajectory will be based on your effort and ability to stay focused on what Blake Mozer does well'. We have got a heap of good hookers here at the Broncos. There is a lot of competition and he has a bright future ahead."​

Billy Walters:

"Whoever works the hardest and plays the best in trials will probably get first crack. It's been good for Mozer to get a full year in Queensland Cup and playing against men. He's only young. He's still got a lot to learn but he's looking very promising."​

​

 

[McHunt]

 

[McHunt]

"set to"

 

[McHunt]

Mam:

“I’d like to see Reyno sign on as long as he can, as long as his legs work. He has been very good for me in my learning the last couple of years. Having him as a mentor in my career has been very helpful and I can see my game developing even more because of a player like him.”​

​

“No doubt we can go all the way this year. It is not just ‘Reyno’. It is the whole team and staff included ... and the support system at the club. It is about us all having a clear head and knowing what the goal is. We are not just going into a season looking to play footy. We like to go into a season winning. The main goal is for us to win the grand final.”​

​

“I never looked any further than the Broncos. I grew up a big Broncos fan, I debuted here and they have looked after me since I was a young kid, 13, coming into the development system. That loyalty the club has showed me made the decision very easy for me. I’m happy to spend a lot more time at the Broncos. All that interest was through my management and I told my management that I didn’t want to look further than the Broncos and that’s the way we handled it. I was surprised to hear about all the reports about the Dolphins, but I didn’t look that far."​

​

“There’s a big future here at the club with all the young boys coming through. Hopefully we can put it together and with people like ‘Reyno’ at the club as well, he can guide us in the years ahead.”​

​

“I have a little niggle in my groin. It is not too serious. I will be back on the field. I had to manage my load a bit. I put all my trust in the performance staff at the club. It was disappointing to pull out of the Allstars match for the second year now but who knows, it could be third time lucky next year. Hopefully I can play in the game. It has always been a big goal to represent my culture on the big stage.”​

 

[BroncsFan]

"set to"

18yr drought

 

[GCBRONCO]

 

[BRC088]

What's with the socks, saving on electrical tape... hehe

 

[McHunt]

Ezra's 21st at the Indooroopilly Golf Club.

Horsebit motif, as seen on Bronco:

 

[GCBRONCO]

TPJ pretty much looking likely reports he has apparently signed or close to a deal with Souths Magpies.

 

[GCBRONCO]

 

[GCBRONCO]

 

[Manofoneway]

Annersley has met with coaches, and sent officials to training, to discuss the forthcoming season:

“Coaches have been pushing the envelope more and more so. So it’s best to reset the standards now in training rather than on the field during matches. These are not rule changes but rather shifts in emphasis. "​

​

“We are doing a reset, this is not a clamp down. The reason we are doing it now and the reason we have had a meeting with the coaches is we want them to fix these issues in training so that when we get to match day we don’t have to worry about it. There isn’t a blitz. If the coaches prepare their teams on this basis then they won’t have any concerns. It’s not our objective to start and stop the game and blowing penalties all over the field."​

​

“There has always been a downtown rule but we need to bring attention back to it. Now a player from the kicker’s team cannot advance until the point where the ball goes over their head. They have to stay at least level with the ruck until then. In recent years when they knew their team was going to kick the ball they would tear down the field.”​

​

The shift in focus includes:

* Removing ruck sleepers who keep the markers out of play​

* No driving your teammate forward like a rugby-maul​

* Relaxing restrictions on deliberate knock-ons​

* Protecting players who jump to retrieve a bouncing ball​

* Putting players on notice who lift the leg of an attacker who is already being held up by defenders.​

* Greater emphasis on keeping the 10 metres and ruck compliance​

Everyone remember the magic round we got ridiculously shafted by the head injury protocols? I remember Riki or flegler getting binned for being "too forceful" in a tackle. That was so bizarre to do that in during a flagship weekend trying to draw new supporters to the game.

 

[Chewed]

Does anyone remember what game Walters played Cobbo through the middle?. Think it was 22.

 

[Footy Fanatic]

Does anyone remember what game Walters played Cobbo through the middle?. Think it was 22.

It was against Bulldogs.

 

[Sproj]

It was against Bulldogs.

And was in 2023.

 

[Footy Fanatic]

I actually re-watched that game recently because I have been missing the footy so much, fun game!

So many different wrinkles to it.

- No Origin players
- Billy Walters masterclass
- Cobbo playing in the middle (and then a ridiculous Cobbo sin bin)
- A good look at Willison and Mariner

 

[Fitzy]

Arthars (Strange), Willison and Staggs in the all-stars game.

Arthars is a weird one considering he was apparently racing the clock for round one. Maybe he is a bit ahead of schedule and it’s a good way to get 20-30 minutes into him, not great news for him about claiming that wing spot if his only designated minutes before rd 1 are in an all star game the same weekend as our starting 17’s last trial.

Kotoni should get heaps of minutes potentially close to full 80 considering Staggs, Hammer and Tass are the centres with Alofiana and Addo as the wingers so Hammer is the only one with coverage versatility so you’d expect him to probably have a stint on the wing at some stage. You’d expect Staggs and Hamiso to start and Tass probably bench with Hamiso interchange in and out of wing position for interchange purposes, might even play a bit of fullback with Nicho being the only other player who could cover fullback if Latrell went off. So minutes could be high for Kotoni which is what we want and need really.

Willison is one of 6 middles - Royce Hunt, Trey Mooney, Joseph Tapine, Jazz Tevaga (back up hooker by the looks), Leo Thompson and X. Royce and Tapine are the likely ones to get the most minutes, Thompson, X and Mooney as rotation and I guess now that I’m thinking about it Tevaga probably isn’t likely to get that many minutes through the middle considering Chooks won’t want a large stint from Brandon at hooker.

Bailey Butler as well as a T&T for us will be playing in the game for the indigenous all.

Good to see Selwyn not playing definitely would have been an irrational decision to send him off to play for the all stars without a trial with us. I actually think he will be fine defensively, his most complete game in the NRL nearly still to this day was when he played centre in 2021 against the Knights.