Just so many stories to come out of this.
Reece Walsh - Heading into 2021, the Brisbane Broncos were always going to struggle. If there was one silver lining, it was this young prospect they had coming through in Reece Walsh. It was only going to be a matter of time before Walsh made his NRL debut but before the season had even kicked off he'd been snaffled by a desperate Warriors team.
To make matters worse, Walsh goes onto make a great QCup debut for Norths. For years, fans on here wanted a freakish talent who was ultra competitive and that was on show when he played for Redcliffe and he's there palming trainers off because he refuses to come off despite clearly being injured.
Despite the nature of the Walsh deal, the Broncos are amicable with their release and allow Walsh to go early. In kind, when Walsh decides to return home, the Warriors ensure that he can only talk to the Broncos.
From his return game against the North Queensland Cowboys where he completely terrorised their edges, it was clear he was the Broncos missing ingredient and he had the competition on notice.
Like all champion players, he had issues he had to work on. Questions were being asked that were completely fair but at the back-end of 2025 he produced some of the best form we've ever seen which culminated in one of the greatest finals series you'll see - cementing his name in Rugby League folklore.
Josiah Karapani - There was a lot of excitement surrounding Josiah when he signed with the Broncos. Karapani was one of the brightest prospects coming out of South Sydney and everyone talked about his foot-work. However in club land it was like there was an elephant in the room around Karapani and everything about his signing and re-signing was kept hush hush.
Karapani found himself behind Selwyn Cobbo and Jesse Arthars - almost two polar opposites of one another. Cobbo was a freakish talent but bit of a maverick while Arthars was safe as houses but didn't pose as much a physical threat.
Meanwhile there's Karapani honing his craft for Burleigh. As the season wore on, Karapani's form improved and it got to the point where Madge had to bring him in. There were always concerns about his consistensy and whether his form would hold in the NRL, but if anything his form improved in the NRL and his carries and ability to finish off tries with his foot-work became a trademark of the team. There were four games towards the end of the season where he ran around 200m, turning what was a weakness into a strength.
Kotoni Staggs - The Broncos don't sign too many kids out of Dubbo, I'm not sure what possessed them to sign Kotoni, but there's always been something about him. Whether it was his clutch kick in the 2017 NYC to get the Broncos into the finals, to his Colts, QCup and NRL debuts where he scored a double in all three games there was a unique talent there.
The big question mark over Staggs was consistensy. When the team needed him to roll up the sleeves and do the hard-work he'd often shirk his duties. It remained to be seen whether he could put all the pieces together, until the final series where he ran the ball as much as any other centre and was consistently making over 100m a game. All the while, bursting out of tackles, making big tackles, breaking the line, scoring vital tries etc.
He finally matured and cemented himself as one of the best centres in Broncos history.
Gehamat Shibasaki - On YouTube there used to be a bunch of clips of all these Broncos juniors being graded on various drills. Of all the players, Shibasaki was by far the best and yet he struggled to put it all together on the field. You could see the strong carries, you could see the good tackle technique and the odd piece of skill but it was somewhat negated by his clumsiness.
When Season 2025 was beginning to kick off, a lot of the speculation was that Mariner would play left centre. The one thing about Madge is that he usually has one outside back that's a little unfashionable and rugged - somebody like Shibasaki.
Madge had made a similar move at South Sydney when he initially went with this big body outside back at South Sydney in Shaun Corrigan and the feeling was that Shibasaki would start there but would eventually be found out and the Broncos could move on.
Instead Shibasaki was the Broncos most consistent player behind Payne Haas and was the most valuable player in the NRL. From a train and trial to a development deal to winning a series decider for Queensland - Shiba had finally lived up to those clips.
It was a remarkable story. His career was over, he'd all but given up but through the encouragement of the Blackhawks, the Seagulls and his former team mates he became who he was destined to be and now has a premiership ring to show for it.
Deine Mariner - Coming through the juniors, there were two players all the good judges talked about. One was Robert Toia from Nudgee College, a player who had all the poise of the great centres before him like Inglis, Gasnier, Hodges, Folau etc. Then there was another who came from New Zealand called Deine Mariner.
Watching him play for Tweed, you wonder what the judges saw in him because he hardly touched the ball. What was there to even base an opinion on? Come the finals series, Mariner came to life and in the big moments he was just slicing through teams, bumping out of tackles it was like something woke up.
Then like clockwork, same story in the QCup. After making an impressive debut, he'd just go MIA for a time. There was talk about the Dolphins trying to make him break out of his contract and it was beginning to feel like it wasn't worth the hassle.
Mariner ended up recommitting to the club, proved to be a handy finisher but there were still weaknesses in his game. His carries were soft and often put his team mates under pressure. However after a stint in reserves, Mariner came out the other side and started running harder. Suddenly his carries saw him finding his front and his game started to come together.
Mariner still hasn't completely matured yet, that opening try in the GF gave us all a massive fright, but he's come a long way and turned a weakness into a strength.
Ben Hunt - In 2007, Anthony Griffin accepted a position at the Broncos to take over the NYC side. Brisbane didn't really value the competition, preferring to send their star recruits like David Taylor, Joel Moon and Rodney Davies to the QCup for their development. So Hook had a bunch of 18 year old kids and a few QCup prospects he cobbled together.
For years, the Broncos had been desperate to unearth the heir apparant to Alfie. Things didn't work out with Brett Seymour, Berrick Barnes was signed by Rugby and there wasn't a whole lot on the horizon. However this young halfback from Rockhampton, a graduate of St. Brendan's was beginning to make waves in the Toyota Cup.
By the time the season was over, most good judges considered Ben Hunt not only the best halfback in the competition, but the best player. Hunt had an opportunity to cement himself in the Grand Final against Canberra and unfortunately he had his worse game of the season and the Broncos lost a heart-breaker in golden point.
As time wore on, it seemed like the coaches saw him more as a dummy half than as a halfback. It wouldn't be until Corey Norman left and time was winding down on Peter Wallace' tenure at the club that Hunt was given a shot.
During a dark period for the Broncos, Ben Hunt was a shining light and his ability to bring players onto the ball made the Broncos look as potent as they had in years. Hunt went from strength to strength, to the point where he was absolutely robbed of a Dally M and was the key reason behind the Broncos making the Grand Final.
However like clock work, Hunt saved his worst game for that Grand Final. Those scenes of Hunt after he dropped the kick off, down on his haunches, trembling as he fought back tears left a lot of scars and the media were incredibly unkind.
It was tough and this new golden era that fans had been hoping to see didn't transpire. In the end, the Dragons offered Ben Hunt a ridiculous contract and you couldn't blame Hunt for taking it. It was a fresh start for him and initially it seemed like the best thing that could have happened for him. Hunt was one of the form players of the competition, his combination with Widdop was fantastic. However over time, the same mistakes started appearing.
The Dragons tried to make it work and built the team around Hunt but it didn't work out. When Hook was eventually shown the door, Hunt wanted to leave as well and made it no secret he wanted to be a part of the Broncos 2023 season. The Dragons refused, but after serving two more seasons, they eventually relented and Hunt found his way back in 2025.
Fans had seen this story before. Allan Langer returned in 2002, he didn't win a premiership. Scott Prince returned in 2013, it didn't work out either. It looked like a good move on paper, but sport so rarely grants you these fairytales.
This seemed like another to add to the list. Hunt was trying hard, but struggled on the left and wasn't fairing much better at dummy half. There were some shocking performances, none more so than the heart-breaking golden point loss to the Warriors.
The season turned when Reynolds got injured. Hunt returned to his natural #7 position and what the Broncos lost in general kicking they gained in his ability to draw and pass. Hunt helped guidethe younger players and served as an inspiration.
Finals was going to be a whole other story and once again, Hunt found himself on a big stage and he was struggling. Poor options, length of the field intercept tries it just seemed like Hunt had been found out. However with the game on the line, when they needed a halfback, somebody to boot them to victory, Hunt for the first time in over 300 games kicked a match winning field goal to record one of the all-time great Broncos victories.
Hunt's experience was invaluable and when Reynolds went down, he stepped into the role and led the team around as well as any halfback ever has at the club. He put his body on the line, had to come off the field, but he'd done more than enough to finally put to bed all those ghosts from 2015.
From 2008, to 2015 to 2025 Ben Hunt could finally earn his rightful place as a champion of his beloved Broncos.
Adam Reynolds - If you asked a Broncos fan what position they needed to fix, they would have told you halfback. It was the one position they struggled with and their inability to close out sets or manage games was their achilles heel.
Reynolds was such a pivotal part of South Sydney. The idea of signing him seemed completely unrealistic. Still, Donaghy and Kevie knew what they wanted, made one of the all-time great Broncos pitches and the Broncos had their man.
It was a great fit and the move breathed new life into Reynolds' career. By the time the 2023 GF rolled around, it seemed destined to go down in club folklore. However, Reynolds suffered an injury on the night that ordinarily would have seen him come off. Reynolds soldiered on, but he had a sub-par game and it just seemed like there was going to be a ceiling on what he could achieve.
When Reynolds initially signed that three year deal the belief was that it would be the last deal he'd sign. Reynolds decided to stick around for another year as the club contemplated life without their #7. His quality performances were beginning to become further and further apart and there was speculation around whether he was the best fit at halfback.
When Deine Mariner scored and had Suncorp Stadium absolutely rocking, there was one player who was ready to step up and put his own demons to bed. In a similar position four years ago, Reynolds had failed to land a conversion that ultimately lost South Sydney a GF. Here he was ready to win the Broncos the game and with a salute, Reynolds had done it, ending the dynasty that all started when he was there.
Reynolds gave everything his body had to offer to lift that trophy. In doing so, he enshrined himself in Broncos immortality.
Corey Jensen - For years the Broncos had this much vaunted pack with names like Payne Haas, David Fifita, Tevita Pangai Jr, Matt Lodge, Tom Flegler, Jaydn Su'A, Patrick Carrigan etc. as impressive as they looked on paper, they took up so much value that it limited what the Broncos could do with the ball.
The Broncos had to get the balance right, so they went looking for underrated players and they found Corey Jensen. Jensen at that point was a fringe first grader who despite being in the NRL for years had never truly established himself at that level. The Broncos brought him down and kept his role simple - run it straight.
It was a job he was good at but such was the talent at the club he was taken for granted and he missed the 2023 GF team. It would have been easy to sulk but Jensen just kept toiling away. Initially when 2025 started, Madge saw more value in starting Hetherington but over time Jensen's carries complimented the team better.
Even in the dying stages of the GF, Jensen was still taking strong carries up the middle. For so long, he's been told he wasn't good enough, but in the GF he was as reliable as ever.
Cory Paix - Coming through the grades, most good judges rated Paix as the best half of his year level. However looming right behind him was Tom Dearden and suddenly Paix found himself cast aside. If he had a future at the club, he was going to have to play dummy half.
It was a rough transition, in one of his earliest games the Roosters put on a record scoreline and Paix was just torn to shreds in the middle. He was far from a natural, but he just kept toiling away and building his game.
For a time he was sharing the hooking duties with Walters. However Billy would go onto have his best performances when Kevie would keep him out there longer and Paix was dropped for Smoothy.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Paix but he just kept his head down and despite the Broncos trying to move him on, he stuck to his guns. When Madge came in, he made it a mission to win that #9 and worked his backside off to impress the coach.
Paix tried but despite a strong start, he started to fall down the pecking order and it seemed like his time at the club was coming to an end. Still, Paix kept at it and when the senior players succumbed to injury he was ready to get the boys over the line.
Just another who was told he wasn't good enough but he never let it stop him.
Payne Haas - In 2015, Bennett made a host of signings. There was James Roberts, Tevita Pangai Jr, Jamayne Isaako but the one that had the good judges excited was this kid called Payne Haas. At the time Andrew Fifita was the best forward in the game and supposedly this Payne Haas kid was on a whole other level.
It didn't take long for him to prove himself either. When he played his first game under Seibold, the whole dynamic of the team changed and I've never seen a team base their attack around a teenage prop forward. It was such an up and down year for Brisbane, but it was Payne Haas tearing through the heart of Penrith that ultimately got them into the finals.
Haas was far and away the Broncos best player. Even during their lean years, Haas was doing things we never thought a prop forward was capable of. It wasn't flashy trick plays like David Taylor it was hard tough carries through the middle, amazing cover tackles and just a machine like consistensy.
Then people started getting into his ear. He was told that a generational talent deserved nothing but the finest things and right as the Broncos were beginning to turn the ship around, Haas dropped a bombshell, he wanted a release.
Haas had come from a troubled upbringing. He needed to be the provider and help turn his family around after all their trauma and suffering. He wasn't perfect, he made mistakes, but for a young man he had more responsibility than most.
It led to a game against the Gold Coast Titans and the crowd turned up and told Haas what they thought of him. I've never seen a player rocked so much than I saw Haas that night. I remember the footage in the sheds of Reynolds draping his arm around him, in that moment I'd like to think Haas realised how much the support actually meant to him.
It didn't take long to earn the Broncos forgiveness. Haas kept motoring away and it was this year he took his game to the next level under Madge and really started to terrorise teams. That performance against Penrith to end the dynasty was unreal and his determination to win a premiership with the Broncos finally paid off.
Haas is easily the most athletic and skillful front row forward in Broncos history, but he just didn't have the success guys like Lazarus, Webcke and Civoniceiva had. In 2025 he finally got his reward.
Brendan Piakura - If there's one player the club has shown their faith in, it's Piakura. At a time where Brisbane were trying to balance their salary cap, he was one junior prospect they were happy to splurge on. Barrett desperately wanted him at the Bulldogs, thought he had him, until a last minute backflip kept him at the Broncos.
It seemed like the game was starting to get away from Piakura. A player of his ilk would have been a star in the 2000s but with a crackdown on head highs and concussions, it remained to be seen whether Brendan could fit in.
To make matters worse, the Broncos doubled down and were happy to let Kurt Capewell walk in favour of Piakura. Brendan had a lot to live up to and as teams tore apart that left edge it seemed like the Broncos made a blue.
When Madge took over, one of the big changes he made was starting Piakura off the bench. Piakura was going to have to force his way into the team. It was a challenge that would ultimately work out because by the time Piakura came in, he was in fine form and the only thing stopping him from really breaking out was the head knocks.
Teams knew it too. In the Grand Final, Melbourne clearly made a point to attack the head of Piakura and try to prevent him getting 1-1 with Hughes. Piakura toughed it out and in a scene that was eerily reminiscent of that 2008 Semi, Trent Loiero hit Piakura with everything and yet Piakura held onto the ball and earned the penalty for his team.
The gamble paid off and Piakura will go down as a premiership winner.
Jordan Riki - Following the departure of David Fifita, the Broncos turned to this young well mannered kid from Christchurch to help ease the pain. Riki was a popular figure at Red Hill and in his few games off the bench had some impressive runs albeit in losing efforts.
Kevie threw him into the deep end at the start of 2021 and the results weren't great. It was a steep learning curve and Riki struggled with it. Still, he kept plugging away and by 2023 had really grown into a reliable option on that right edge.
Riki's form has somewhat plateud there, but ever since he started sporting that headgear he seems a lot more switched on and when the game was there to be won, it was Riki who called it, came down with the ball and died with it to secure the Broncos first premiership in 19 years.
Patrick Carrigan - I've rarely seen Carrigan have a quiet game. Even as an 18 year old, he just always put his hand up and refused to be a spectator. There's all these stories about his time in the Queensland U/20s and how they didn't have a captain, but by the end of their camp, Carrigan was clearly the man for the role.
An old head on young shoulders, Carrigan had to accept a lot of responsibility. He found himself as captain during the Broncos wooden spoon years and copped a lot of criticism. Over time, he grew from it and by 2022 he proved himself as one of the best forwards of the game.
Cameron Smith, one of the greatest players in the history of the game said last night that your last game is a reflection of your season. Carrigan was absolutely tireless. 80 minutes, 16 carries, 47 tackles - it wasn't a super human effort, but it's just something we've come to expect from Carrigan.
Ezra Mam - It was a sad time to watch Tom Dearden leave the club. His potential was obvious and you just knew he had the strength of character to realise it despite the horrific start. Then along came this prospect called Ezra Mam. Mam was a stand-out in Mal Meninga Cup but nothing we hadn't seen before. It wasn't until he started playing QCup that he really started to turn heads.
The following year, he lit up the trials and while his form suffered in QCup, when he was picked for the Broncos mid-way through the year it was a lightening bolt moment and Brisbane were beginning to look like dark horses.
It didn't work out, Mam was still a rookie and teams started to bully him. There was this game against Melbourne where they just ran Nelson Asofa-Solomona at him all night and it got ugly. Still, he grew from the experience and the following year he was the best five-eighth in the game and all but won the 2023 Grand Final.
Unfortunately us fans had been through this before. We'd seen another Souths Logan product set the competition alight, only to slip. It seemed like history was repeating itself as Mam's form became increasingly erratic and his off-field behaviour became concerning. There was the questionable attire at the Broncos Awards night, there was the Bali incident then finally there was the crash.
It looked like Ezra's career was on the brink. The club stood by him despite the pressure from the media and the public to sack him. Ezra copped his nine week suspension, went to rehab and worked his way back into the team.
I remember that QCup game, his first half was as rusty as you'll ever see. However by about 30 minutes in, he found his groove and in 20 minutes was easily the best player on the ground. He gave the Broncos no other choice, he had to be picked.
Mam made an immediate difference and once Walsh returned, the Broncos had found their groove. They only lost two games - one was against Melbourne where Mam had to come from the field. The other was decided by centimetres as Walsh was found to be off-side in the dying stages.
Mam just gave the Broncos that second wind they needed against Penrith and Melbourne. Despite sending plenty of traffic down Ezra's way, the Broncos only coceded the one try with Ezra coming up with a try-saver on Warbrick to deny them late.
Sometimes life just gives you a break. It's what you do with it that defines you. Mam took his, worked on himself and played a pivotal part in his team's success.
On a side note, there was a Shark's poster over on LU who loved Ezra and saw him as a premiership winner. He went by Mr. Angry and was a colourful character who loved talking footy. He passed away last year but I know he would have got in a sneaky I told you so if he was around.
Kobe Hetherington - Like Jensen, the Broncos had been blessed with all these talented forwards that they'd lost sight of players like your Harvey Howards, Kevin Campions, David Staggs etc. who do the dirty work. When Kobe first came to the club, he followed in his old man's foot-steps and played dummy half. He was a good junior in that position, but didn't have what it took to succeed at a first grade level.
So he came through the BRL and QCup and made the transition to lock. The game was changing and the nuggety type of players were beginning to find success at 13. Kobe was one of the more consistent Broncos in QCup and when Kevie was looking for players to replace Pangai Jr and Lodge, he put his hand up.
There were two qualities that made Kobe a valuable part of the team. One was his ability to get in behind the ruck and earn quick play the balls for his team. The other was his tackle technique and his ability to hurt defenders.
Still there was a ceiling there and by 2024 he'd reached it and Kobe was seen as expendable. The club considered moving him onto Wests, but when Madge took over he really valued the qualities Kobe brought and looked to develop his game. Kobe was initially promoted to the lock forward role, but it didn't suit the team. He struggled to make those runs he was known for and he struggled with the extra responsibility.
Kobe was a maligned figure by fans but once he switched to the bench the fans came around. Kobe played his last game for the Broncos and it was his best of the season. He brought all the qualities he was known for and it was his run that helped set up that remarkable effort from Walsh.
Xavier Willison - There was a game of Langer Cup between St Marys and Palm Beach Currumbin during COVID where Willison went to and fro with Xavier Va'a. Those two went at one another like Spud and Chief, meanwhile in the NRL the Broncos forwards were just allowing their opposition to waltz over. Willison was always another can't miss NRL prospect and if there was one player fans were excited to see in the wake of 2023, it was Willison.
Whenever Carrigan and Haas were out, it was Willison who stood up and he led that pack just as well as those two. It was a bitter blow when he broke his arm against South Sydney, the Prelim Final seemed so far away at that point. Yet the boys got there and when they did, Willison was on deck to give them that second wind.
It was his try that gave Brisbane the run against Penrith and the bench made such a big difference in the GF. It was a sad day when Flegler signed with the Dolphins but Willison has well and truly made his mark on the team.
Tyson Smoothy - Of all the players Hodges rated in the NYC, I was really surprised to see him put over Smoothy. In a team that included Haas, Staggs, Carrigan, Farnworth etc. it was this Sunshine Coast product.
When the NRL deistablished the NYC, Smoothy found himself cast aside playing Colts for Redcliffe. It was the equivalent of being cast out to the wilderness and his team didn't even make the finals. The following year he went back to the Falcons, won the Colts premiership there and received a lifeline from the Panthers. COVID hit so it didn't work out, but then Melbourne picked him up through their affiliates and he ended up making his way into the team after some injuries.
Tyson didn't force his way into the team but he kept plugging away for the Falcons. If there was one blue chip player you would throw a contract to in 2022, it was Smoothy and the Broncos did just that.
It was a rough initiation for Smoothy at the Broncos. He struggled to get on the same page, but once he found his rhythm he brought a lot of composure to the team. There was a game against Newcastle where the Knights were throwing everything at Brisbane to steal the game late. It had easily been the Knights best performance all year and it would be their launching pad for their run to the finals. Anyways they're throwing everything at the Broncos and it all comes down to this scrap for the ball and in his first game for the club, it was Smoothy who secured it.
That was a feature this finals series. It was Smoothy who was able to dive on a grubber to break the Panthers strangle hold on the Broncos. Then it was Smoothy again who defused Xavier's bat back.
Like a lot of players he had to force his way into the 17. It was a controversial selection at the time, Talty was hard done by but hindsight proved it correct. When the fulltime siren went, Smoothy found himself at halfback.
When you recruit players, you look for winners. You look for players who keep their composure, push themselves to be the best versions of themselves. Smoothy has that in spades and he'll do well in the UK.
There's just so many stories and lessons you can take out of something like this. I'm just so appreciative of this sport and all the young men (and women - the NRLW team did us proud) who represent us.
