2026 NRL General Discussion Thread

1910 said:
Matt Cameron aligned all their pathways and started the Built from Within program- a Gus recruit and worked out if we have a kid at 16 what do we want him to do at 18, 20 at 21. What's a Panther front rower do? What's a Panther half do? So, Jim Jones can go and watch a 16-year-old and know exactly what a Panther winger looks like. Cameron is now CEO, so he's gone up the chain and understands all the parts.

Jim Jones knows exactly what Cleary wants and how he wants a player to pass, kick, walk, run, make a sandwich. He can find a 17-year-old and they are learning that from day one. He's their Cyril, been doing it since 91 he's that old school drive to watch a carnival, meet mum type.
Click to expand...

This is what we seem to be missing IMHO. We seem to end up with biggest, strongest, most physically talented kids. But are they also smart, which cogs in the team are they. How does a Broncos back rower play, and are our recruitment team looking for this? Are our Cup teams aligned as well?

It's easy when you have had a coach for a long time, we were probably the same with Bennett until he left the first time around I guess and I think it's the major issue with a revolving coach door. But for me, and I'm sure plenty here will agree, this is the critical part we seem to be missing and everything else flows from it. I don't believe the club has a clear idea of what the finished puzzle looks like, so we're just grabbing pieces and making them fit even if they don't - when we all know that a good team is more than the sum of its parts individually.

Second part is recruitment - if we don't know how a Broncos centre is supposed to play, how can we recruit one? What does a Broncos 2RF do? Are we actually looking for the right kids? Again this comes back to the above - without a clear picture, recruitment becomes 'pick the best of the carnival' and it's just about sheer talent. I'd argue that attitude and drive is more important, or at the very least on par. Cronk vs Milford for example.

This also flows through to patching roster holes as well. What type of player do we look for in a certain position, if there's no certainty around what that role's job actually is? Do we sign a hulking prop or a leaner, smaller, faster mover? What's the game's meta, what does the club need for the way we want to play?

The third part is the pathways - once you've got the above sorted out, then the pathways need to be training the kids in "the way we play". Academy through Cup to NRL, all on the same page. I'm not sure if it is, but that also comes back to not knowing what the Broncos puzzle is supposed to look like. Role clarity is so important.
 
LittleDavey said:
This is what we seem to be missing IMHO. We seem to end up with biggest, strongest, most physically talented kids. But are they also smart, which cogs in the team are they. How does a Broncos back rower play, and are our recruitment team looking for this? Are our Cup teams aligned as well?

It's easy when you have had a coach for a long time, we were probably the same with Bennett until he left the first time around I guess and I think it's the major issue with a revolving coach door. But for me, and I'm sure plenty here will agree, this is the critical part we seem to be missing and everything else flows from it. I don't believe the club has a clear idea of what the finished puzzle looks like, so we're just grabbing pieces and making them fit even if they don't - when we all know that a good team is more than the sum of its parts individually.

Second part is recruitment - if we don't know how a Broncos centre is supposed to play, how can we recruit one? What does a Broncos 2RF do? Are we actually looking for the right kids? Again this comes back to the above - without a clear picture, recruitment becomes 'pick the best of the carnival' and it's just about sheer talent. I'd argue that attitude and drive is more important, or at the very least on par. Cronk vs Milford for example.

This also flows through to patching roster holes as well. What type of player do we look for in a certain position, if there's no certainty around what that role's job actually is? Do we sign a hulking prop or a leaner, smaller, faster mover? What's the game's meta, what does the club need for the way we want to play?

The third part is the pathways - once you've got the above sorted out, then the pathways need to be training the kids in "the way we play". Academy through Cup to NRL, all on the same page. I'm not sure if it is, but that also comes back to not knowing what the Broncos puzzle is supposed to look like. Role clarity is so important.
Click to expand...
Absolutely agree....
But when the rules change ...
Broncos don't adapt quick enough...
 
LittleDavey said:
This is what we seem to be missing IMHO. We seem to end up with biggest, strongest, most physically talented kids. But are they also smart, which cogs in the team are they. How does a Broncos back rower play, and are our recruitment team looking for this? Are our Cup teams aligned as well?

It's easy when you have had a coach for a long time, we were probably the same with Bennett until he left the first time around I guess and I think it's the major issue with a revolving coach door. But for me, and I'm sure plenty here will agree, this is the critical part we seem to be missing and everything else flows from it. I don't believe the club has a clear idea of what the finished puzzle looks like, so we're just grabbing pieces and making them fit even if they don't - when we all know that a good team is more than the sum of its parts individually.

Second part is recruitment - if we don't know how a Broncos centre is supposed to play, how can we recruit one? What does a Broncos 2RF do? Are we actually looking for the right kids? Again this comes back to the above - without a clear picture, recruitment becomes 'pick the best of the carnival' and it's just about sheer talent. I'd argue that attitude and drive is more important, or at the very least on par. Cronk vs Milford for example.

This also flows through to patching roster holes as well. What type of player do we look for in a certain position, if there's no certainty around what that role's job actually is? Do we sign a hulking prop or a leaner, smaller, faster mover? What's the game's meta, what does the club need for the way we want to play?

The third part is the pathways - once you've got the above sorted out, then the pathways need to be training the kids in "the way we play". Academy through Cup to NRL, all on the same page. I'm not sure if it is, but that also comes back to not knowing what the Broncos puzzle is supposed to look like. Role clarity is so important.
Click to expand...

I don't like buzz words, but alignment is one I talk about constantly and you can only have it if you have the same staff.

Bunn knows with absolute certainty what Bellamy wants.

The disconnect at the Broncos is that the coach keeps changing, you can't have alignment when the coach changes and you have to change what he wants. The Broncos have had to change their type of player four times in the last six years.

Bellamy tells Bunn I want a bench player, and Bunn goes and finds Wishart because he knows exactly what he wants because they have worked together for so long and he doesn't bring players back to Bellamy that he doesn't think will pass.

Jim Jones knows exactly what Cleary wants.

The Broncos haven't had that alignment for a long time.

The best clubs have stability in coaching and recruitment. Geelong with Scott and Wells, Storm with Bunn, Ponissi and Bellamy, Dolphins have had three chairmen in 50 years and they're all former players that are great businessmen and smart.
 
So when the Broncos admin do their usual factfinding missions overseas with other sports orgs, what is it they're looking to glean? Is it purely on how to make more money or? Because academy to first grade pathways are a fairly consistent thing in european football, you would think they would take notice and attempt to replicate this.
 
New Posts

Unread

Back
Top