Just the quotes from the three part feature running in the Courier Mail this week.
"One leading NRL player agent:"
“The truth is a lot of Queensland players and families have lost trust in the Broncos system. I’ve had a number of kids who have chosen other NRL clubs because they believe they will get a better education at a club like Melbourne or the Roosters than they would at the Broncos. There is an arrogance at the Broncos. They just expect Queensland kids to stay because they are the Broncos. Their pitches to sign players are nowhere near as detailed as the effort other clubs put in."
Brisbane’s elite player development manager Simon Scanlan:
“We can’t keep them all. It’s a competitive world and several NRL clubs are now setting up in Queensland looking for talent. It hurts (to lose Fifita, Dearden etc). You build a strong relationship with the parents, the kids and their families and you invest a lot of time and effort."
“We have players who are playing across the NRL. Over the last six years, more than 50 players have either signed with our club, another NRL club or even rugby union. We have produced a heap of kids, but they all can’t stay here."
“It’s out of our control to some degree whether they kick on to the NRL and at times other clubs will take them out of our program. Do we like it? No we don’t. Does it hurt? Yes it does. We have to look at ourselves as well and try to be better.”
Karl Morris:
“Every new CEO will look at the whole organisation. Dave has come from a very successful organisation at the Storm and the first thing every CEO does is review every part of the organisation. There is zero doubt he will do that. Dave will be conducting a review of the entire Broncos organisation."
“The board has a role and of course we have to take some of the blame. We are all working towards the path of getting the best team on the paddock. We are all responsible to make the Broncos a continuously better place.”
“It’s been a perfect storm in some ways. We had a range of big contracts we were dealing with and some are starting to come off-contract, giving Kevvie the opportunity and the scope in the salary cap to make the hard decisions that we’ve seen him do already."
“Kevin has enthusiasm in spades, but he has to get the best player list to get us into the top four and they are hard decisions that probably haven’t been made and they haven’t been made because of the contractual arrangements that have been, and are at, the club.”
“The Broncos have lacked the ability to make the hard decisions."
“Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards and the week-in, week-out worry about getting the two points has distracted our plan of setting up the club for the medium to long-term. We’re not there to make the top eight. We want to be making the top four and being in a position to compete for the grand final and win premierships.”
“We haven’t won a premiership since 2006 but what it shows is how good the NRL is right across the board now. The quality of the NRL has improved dramatically over the last 15 years.
“Theoretically, an NRL team should win the premiership every 16 years. We haven’t lost our aura, but the rest of the league has risen up and matched the benchmarks the Broncos set 15 years ago.
“Look at the data around member engagement, corporate dollars and TV ratings. The Broncos are still a massive brand. Queenslanders still love the Broncos."
Neil Monaghan:
“We picked Kevvie as our coach and as the right man for the job. He has a terrific support team around him and is a good person. We did not get into this position overnight. It has been years in the making and we won’t fix it overnight. Kevvie was a winner as a player and will be a winner as a Broncos coach, but it will take time and hard work.”
“The supporters have been patient and largely understanding that every club has a rough trot. Not one club is immune to the issues the Broncos are now facing, but I am adamant we will come out of it."
“To be honest, there could be more pain ahead. I wish we could come out of this more rapidly, but the building blocks are there and I can say the hard decisions will be made.”
Kevin Walters:
“My big job is to bring it all back together and have everyone singing off the same page.
“I believe one of my big skills is the ability to get people working together as a team and bringing harmony. I will unite the Broncos as one."
“It was everywhere. Across the whole club. I saw fractures. There was a disconnect between players, staff, the board and a disconnect with the Broncos’ links to the Queensland people. That should not be the Broncos. I feel those links wavered last year for whatever reason, so we need to build a strong base.
“I want the players reconnecting with the community, fans, members and sponsors. We are bringing the real Broncos back.”
“I felt I’ve had control from the moment I walked in. It’s obviously not my roster as such that I selected, but I’m working with these guys. They’re a good bunch of guys."
“What’s personal for me is fixing up the Broncos. We finished last year and this is a new season, new era. We will fix the place up. It might take us a little bit of time but I’m seeing some good positive things. I do take it personally.”
“I have been put in a position to make this club better than what we were. I’m not worried about the tenure I have here at the Broncos, I have been placed here to make the place better and that’s what I am trying to do this year."
“At different stages I feel the team has improved and then we take a few steps back. We are sitting back and having a good look at things. While we have a mindset and we have a thought process, the performances over the next few weeks will determine the direction that we take.”
Part III
NEWS - Broken Broncos
Just the quotes from the three part feature running in the Courier Mail this week. "One leading NRL player agent:" “The truth is a lot of Queensland players and families have lost trust in the Broncos system. I’ve had a number of kids who have chosen other NRL clubs because they believe they...
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