2026 Pre-Season Discussion

Anyone at training impressed with anyone? Get the feeling there will be a smokey for round 1 nearly every year with madge's emphasis on rewarding hard work. Any train and trials look likely?
 
Lockysillegitimatechild said:
Anyone at training impressed with anyone? Get the feeling there will be a smokey for round 1 nearly every year with madge's emphasis on rewarding hard work. Any train and trials look likely?
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Not round 1, but if he has a good preseason, mapapalanghi may be a smokey for a game or two.

Given we have some long minute middles and willison capable of covering second row too, maguire may be looking for a player to do a high intensity 20-25.

I like the stocky build because it can be hard to get underneath stocky players and put them on their back.
 
NSW stables said:
Not round 1, but if he has a good preseason, mapapalanghi may be a smokey for a game or two.

Given we have some long minute middles and willison capable of covering second row too, maguire may be looking for a player to do a high intensity 20-25.

I like the stocky build because it can be hard to get underneath stocky players and put them on their back.
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He will need a hell of a pre-season. He barely manages 20 minutes in Cup.
 
Who led the fitness drills? Surprise packets? Underdone? Best train and trial and rookies?

Man, I swear, every off season broncos are the only club you hear nothing about. Lots of media stuff, just nothing about people "training the house down" except when we get a new coach and the media make out like its not working
 
I just read that Walshy's and Ezra's manager, Nash Dawson, has been suspended by the NRL for nine months.

Nash Dawson - suspended for nine months and fined $15,000. Dawson looks after the likes of Walsh, Xavier Coates, Isaiah Iongi, Rob Toia and Ezra Mam. The NRL said Dawson was banned “following a physical altercation with agent Chris Orr following the Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League Championships in 2024. It was also alleged Dawson failed to co-operate with the NRL Integrity Unit.”

How does this work for the players involved? If their agents aren't able to negotiate deals for them during their suspension, do the players get another agent? Reece and Ezra are both on long term contracts so I doubt it will have an effect there.

However, I look at someone like Walshy and his marketability - surely, he would be getting requests for partnerships and paid promotions on a weekly basis. So does all of that stop because his agent's been banned or can they operate for their clients outside of the NRL?
 
leish107 said:
I just read that Walshy's and Ezra's manager, Nash Dawson, has been suspended by the NRL for nine months.

Nash Dawson - suspended for nine months and fined $15,000. Dawson looks after the likes of Walsh, Xavier Coates, Isaiah Iongi, Rob Toia and Ezra Mam. The NRL said Dawson was banned “following a physical altercation with agent Chris Orr following the Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League Championships in 2024. It was also alleged Dawson failed to co-operate with the NRL Integrity Unit.”

How does this work for the players involved? If their agents aren't able to negotiate deals for them during their suspension, do the players get another agent? Reece and Ezra are both on long term contracts so I doubt it will have an effect there.

However, I look at someone like Walshy and his marketability - surely, he would be getting requests for partnerships and paid promotions on a weekly basis. So does all of that stop because his agent's been banned or can they operate for their clients outside of the NRL?
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The managers all belong to an agency, or have business partners involved. They just have a different point-of-contact for the period of suspension.
 
ZeroTackle are bizarre sometimes. Article on big questions for Broncos in 2026 (https://www.zerotackle.com/brisbane...njury-problems-and-backline-decisions-229688/), first two:

1. How we’ll deal with Billy’s ACL injury: yep fair enough, he’s going to be a big loss and will be out for 6 months minimum by the sounds. Article mentions Hunt obviously, sets it up as a duel between he and Mozer, even calls out young Bukowski making waves at Cup, but ends saying with Billy’s injury and Smoothy off to ESL we have a worrying lack of hooker depth. That covers it pretty well… all they forgot was the guy who started hooker and played 63mins of that grand final we won back in 2025.

2. Reynolds’ injury issues: they mention Benny may have to fill in again (but because of our famous lack of hookers, is that even possible?!), freak out over losing Madden and Coby, know who Josh Rogers is so they must do SOME research but they’ve somehow missed the Tom Duffy buy. Part of the whole reason why Black is off to Canberra.

ZT do some clickbait-y stuff but are mostly decent, but joizus what’s going on
 
Everyone of them will have to hate Broncos or at least their content must be biased against Broncos. Otherwise, they simply won’t survive in their field.

I refuse to give a rats arse to any of them.
 
Sproj said:
Seriously though, Smoothy is a massive loss. I don’t think there is anyone else in the world who covers a many positions as he does.
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I think where we’ll really miss him is at lock, he and Kobe were our 2nd and 3rd choice lock options - that’s the first thing I would have said if I was writing that article.

I have no idea who Madge plays at 13 if Patty gets the sniffles before Rd 1. JHunt? Gos? X? Talty? Riki? Horne?
 
Berry Barrigan said:
I think where we’ll really miss him is at lock, he and Kobe were our 2nd and 3rd choice lock options - that’s the first thing I would have said if I was writing that article.

I have no idea who Madge plays at 13 if Patty gets the sniffles before Rd 1. JHunt? Gos? X? Talty? Riki? Horne?
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Yep no idea who plays lock other than Patty next year... but Patty shouldnt play 80 every week and will be missing during origin.

Payne fills in as the ball player at times, but I dont think that's the best option.

BTK has surprisingly good hands and tip ons for a big man, but I dont think he can be the link man in the middle.

I'm thinking Paix will be turned into a bit of the Smoothy role, although I dont think he's anywhere close to being him.

Billy would be my best guess as the closest to what Smoothy offered as a ballplaying lock replacement, but he wont be back until origin is near finished.

Talty is the likely Kobe replacement and most likely backup lock, so I can see him having a big year, but we still need more options.
 
I'm curious to see how Mason Teague performs in the trials. He's very much in that style of a modern lock forward but has just struggled to stand out in the seniors. If he can find another gear, he'll be a great pick up for the club.
 
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