2025 Pre-season discussion. Longer, harder: 6-12, 18 weeks. Reconnecting.

You'd have to be a weak gutted dog of an individual to do that without having a conversation with Kev first.
You've just described player managers to a tee! Wouldn't surprise me if none of them know how to act like a proper human being.
 
In case you missed it in the coach thread, this spray from Former Brisbane Broncos High Performance Manager Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess was the major bombshell yesterday. It's a must listen.


What's telling is, it got limited attention in the Murdoch press yesterday (CM, Australian - byline Badel & Meyn). But very much tamed down. The focus being on the players being pampered and "yes men."

This is what they left out, and it was the crux of the conversation:

Chopper "loves Kevvie" (we all do) but you really can't compare him to Wayne Bennett, Michael Maguire or Craig Bellamy. "You can't mention him in the same sentence as those three guys."​
He says the Broncos need a change of coach - no hesitation in answering that - and thinks Madge would sort it out.​
At this stage of the news cycle, the prevailing wisdom is to give Kevvie the start of next season, varying from 6-10 weeks as a grace period to right the ship, and if he can't do it, he gets the bullet, with Trent Barrett on standby in his traditional caretaker role. The ONLY replacement candidate being tossed around is Madge, and as far as I can see he's not available in 2025 due to Origin.

For whatever reason, it appears the Broncos board (Murdoch) is not yet ready to put the knife to his throat. He's still under protection.
Just wondering out loud, but perhaps the board (rightly or wrongly) have identified Madge as the desired man to take over from Kev, and knowing he cannot or will not come in 2025, figure they will keep their powder dry. Give Kev the first 10 rounds, and if it's working great, if not, pull the trigger and get Madge.
I know there's plenty of opinions saying to give Kev a chance next year is just wasting 1 more year, and I get that, but it makes sense if the board had identified the replacement and he isn't available till 26.
Of course, this all requires a competent board, so .........
 
Considerably saltier opinion piece bylined Badel & Meyn in today's CM than Badel's interview on SEN. Assume this is Meyn not Badel, after Kevvie snapped at him in the last press conference:

* Walsh a "magnificent talent ... could become one of Brisbane’s greatest ever players, but needs strong leadership." Described by "insiders" as “moody” and “highly strung”. Aadored by fans, but staff "terrified of offending him." Only did one in-season presser despite massive marketability. Regularly palms the obligation to the likes of Corey Jensen and Kobe Hetherington. Bagged for warming up shirtless.​
* Club "gone to sleep" on recruitment. Fortunate to be gifted Walsh back. Butchering Tom Dearden indictment on club. Failed to replace last years defectors. Yet to recruit anyone new for 2025. Not a bad young roster, but don't seem to be searching for new talent to evolve the squad. Unlike Panthers, Storm etc.​
*Kev & Donuts spend past 3 days interviewing squad. Composition problematic - four hookers, no enforcer, no Reyno successor, pay distribution unbalanced. Spending 2.2m on spine, compare to Melbourne's 3.77m. Need to throw the bank at Sam Walker. Could release Staggs or Cobbo. No club has two centre/wingers on big money.​
*Donuts should headhunt Cam Smith as head of football. Pushes his case. Would command respect from players. Club misses Ikin's skill set. Walters must focus purely on coaching. Walters hire Joe McDermott "lacks the pedigree and gravitas to make a mark."​
* Board needs overhaul. Names Glenn Lazarus or Michael De Vere as potential seats.​
* Walters missed finals three of four years. Now make or break. Did great job in 2021 rebuilding. Friction in coaching ranks this year. Chance to "shake things up" with fresh assistants Trent Barrett, who has a terrible head coaching record, and emerging Ben Te’o. Walters will live or die by these appointments. Had few answers to form slump this year, consistently claiming all they needed to do was get the basics and fundamentals right. Which they didn't. NRL more complex than running and tackling hard. Needs to get more technical and trust the likes of Barrett, Te’o, Matt Ballin, Allan Langer and Darius Boyd to help him.​
 
Are you blokes okay? Must be disgusting be a broncos fan at moment
Disgusted? No...maybe frustrated and disappointed but that will pass. If anything the season has encouraged more talk on here than normal in regards to problem solving.

Supporting the Broncos (or any team) is generally an outlet that accompanies other facets of life like family, friends, work, hobbies etc. Most on here aren't feeling as bad as you hope as the Broncos winning or losing doesn't really impact the other things they have going in their life. My daughter still gives me the same hug, my car runs the same, my work day doesn't change, the Netflix catalogue is the same, the steak at the pub with my mates tastes the same whether our team wins or loses.

On R U OK day the question is @Broncs1459 are you ok? I'm guessing the other facets of your life are not great to give you reason to come into this forum and find personal value by trying to find negativity in an opposition fans forum. Next time you are going to spew your nonsense in here which most just roll their eyes at give one of your parents a call instead, text a mate, walk a dog, put your headphones in and go for a run, you will be better for it.
 
Considerably saltier opinion piece bylined Badel & Meyn in today's CM than Badel's interview on SEN. Assume this is Meyn not Badel, after Kevvie snapped at him in the last press conference:

* Walsh a "magnificent talent ... could become one of Brisbane’s greatest ever players, but needs strong leadership." Described by "insiders" as “moody” and “highly strung”. Aadored by fans, but staff "terrified of offending him." Only did one in-season presser despite massive marketability. Regularly palms the obligation to the likes of Corey Jensen and Kobe Hetherington. Bagged for warming up shirtless.​
* Club "gone to sleep" on recruitment. Fortunate to be gifted Walsh back. Butchering Tom Dearden indictment on club. Failed to replace last years defectors. Yet to recruit anyone new for 2025. Not a bad young roster, but don't seem to be searching for new talent to evolve the squad. Unlike Panthers, Storm etc.​
*Kev & Donuts spend past 3 days interviewing squad. Composition problematic - four hookers, no enforcer, no Reyno successor, pay distribution unbalanced. Spending 2.2m on spine, compare to Melbourne's 3.77m. Need to throw the bank at Sam Walker. Could release Staggs or Cobbo. No club has two centre/wingers on big money.​
*Donuts should headhunt Cam Smith as head of football. Pushes his case. Would command respect from players. Club misses Ikin's skill set. Walters must focus purely on coaching. Walters hire Joe McDermott "lacks the pedigree and gravitas to make a mark."​
* Board needs overhaul. Names Glenn Lazarus or Michael De Vere as potential seats.​
* Walters missed finals three of four years. Now make or break. Did great job in 2021 rebuilding. Friction in coaching ranks this year. Chance to "shake things up" with fresh assistants Trent Barrett, who has a terrible head coaching record, and emerging Ben Te’o. Walters will live or die by these appointments. Had few answers to form slump this year, consistently claiming all they needed to do was get the basics and fundamentals right. Which they didn't. NRL more complex than running and tackling hard. Needs to get more technical and trust the likes of Barrett, Te’o, Matt Ballin, Allan Langer and Darius Boyd to help him.​
Read that yesterday thought it was on the money for the most part nothing I'd consider outrageous or click baity
 
Considerably saltier opinion piece bylined Badel & Meyn in today's CM than Badel's interview on SEN. Assume this is Meyn not Badel, after Kevvie snapped at him in the last press conference:

* Club "gone to sleep" on recruitment. Fortunate to be gifted Walsh back. Butchering Tom Dearden indictment on club. Failed to replace last years defectors. Yet to recruit anyone new for 2025. Not a bad young roster, but don't seem to be searching for new talent to evolve the squad. Unlike Panthers, Storm etc.​

Hard to disagree with most of that but I still don't know about the whole Dearden thing. Not sure we could have hung on to him once they came knocking. Wasn't he a Cows supporter growing up and his hero was Thurston?
 
Hard to disagree with most of that but I still don't know about the whole Dearden thing. Not sure we could have hung on to him once they came knocking. Wasn't he a Cows supporter growing up and his hero was Thurston?
I strongly agree with it. I was deeply unimpressed at the time - and haven't been impressed since - by Kevvie's grooming of halves. We looked a rabble until Reyno arrived, already the finished product. And Mam has looked natural talent since his first trial, and doesn't seem to have progressed into anything more than impulsive.

Seibold chucked Dearden to the wolves young, but he was up to it for the most part. Kevvie broke him somehow. I don't know how. It took him quite a while at the Cowboys to regain his confidence.

You might remember Macca and his wife billetted best mates Dearden and Coates, treated them like family. Macca got shipped out, Dearden was pissed around, not extended, and ended up signing with the Cowboys. Coates got the shits, did a massive flip after declaring he wanted to be a "Bronco for life" and left to the Storm.
 

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