Broncos 2020 Squad

[Bongo]

I think us retaining Milford at this point is looking pretty dicey to say the least.

On balance, his most recent contract has probably been poor value for money for the Broncos, although that's not entirely his fault as he's been thrust into roles and positions he was never ideally suited for and he's tried to make the best of them with varying levels of success. That leaves us in a position where we probably need to be reducing his salary for his next deal if we're going to re-sign him at all.

He's now partnered with a proper Halfback, so we get to see if he still has that magic that won him the money he's currently on now in the first place. The problem with this is, the better he plays this year, the harder it would be to convince him to take a pay cut or even maintain his current salary. It's also the case that the better he plays, the more interest he attracts from other clubs, and we then would struggle to compete financially with other offers. So basically, he can bomb this year and we don't attempt to re-sign him, or he kills it this year, and we struggle to afford to re-sign him. Either way though, Milford remaining at the Broncos is pretty touch and go.

Milford is 25 with a lot of first grade experience. I am expecting his next 5 years to be his best years. I think he had a down year this year in difficult circumstances but I am backing him to get it going in 2020. I will have a sneaky bet on him for Dally M. He polls well in his good years. Haas may take a lot of his points though.

 

[Huge]

it's pretty easy for him. He just has to set this coming season on fire with the talent he has. If he does, it won't matter if we can afford him or not because we would be fairly close to a premiership. If he doesn't, he was never the right option, to begin with. I'd be sorry to see him go if he does have a raging hot year but he wouldn't be the first or last to do so.
At least he would have had one year of great play. When I think of the player we had to let go who were only coming into their form years and went on to be spectacular eg. Eastwood, Galea, Webb, Taylor. They were great for a few years but usually ordinary for a few more. So with the swings and roundabouts of player retention, I'd take one more good year from Milford.

True. I would see it as a win if Millionford has a great season because it's likely we'd go close to a premiership. Unlike others I'm not as forgiving for him and the excuses offered, having to change to fullback I don't think is valid. Sure, a week or two of roughness but rugby league is not that complex. He should have killed it at fullback and embarrassed Boyd by comparison but nothing really changed. I don't care that he came up on the 4th/5th for a kick. The only that improved after the swap was Boyd's better defence.

I hope Millionford brains them this year but I am not optimistic.

 

[Kooly87]

Milford is 25 with a lot of first grade experience. I am expecting his next 5 years to be his best years. I think he had a down year this year in difficult circumstances but I am backing him to get it going in 2020. I will have a sneaky bet on him for Dally M. He polls well in his good years. Haas may take a lot of his points though.

He's definitely still young enough to have a great career. I honestly hope he does and that he has that career with us.

I'm simply saying that at this point he isn't great value, he's unlikely to want a pay cut, and the better he plays this year, the harder time we'll have of it trying to re-sign him, so I can see several outcomes where he goes elsewhere after his current deal expires.

I think Bird is in a really similar boat, virtually every outcome for him this year would likely result in him going elsewhere for 2021:

1. Bird gets injured again - we almost certainly don't attempt to re-sign him'
2. Bird plays poorly - we don't offer him a new deal, or if we do it's significantly reduced, so we probably don't re-sign him.
3. Bird kills it, has a career best year, and the Sydney clubs are all over him and we can't afford to match it, so we quite likely don't re-sign him.

 

[Huge]

He's definitely still young enough to have a great career. that's not what I'm saying.

I'm simply saying that at this point he isn't great value, he's unlikely to want a pay cut, and the better he plays this year, the harder time we'll have of it trying to re-sign him, so I can see several outcomes where he goes elsewhere after his current deal expires.

I think Bird is in a really similar boat, virtually every outcome for him this year would likely result in him going elsewhere for 2021.

Milford yes. Bird, mmmm. If Bird has a standout, injury free season he may well attract offers, perhaps even similar money. We may even want to keep him if that turns out to be true. However if he doesn't we won't offer the same money I believe but it's unlikely anyone else will either. If that happens and all the offers around are similar, what's he going to do then I wonder.

If he stays injury free I wouldn't be surprised if Sth Sydney courted him as WB rates him highly. Closer to his home and all that. Like I hope for Milford a great season would do Bird and the Broncos a big favour.

 

[Bongo]

Kooly, you make a really good point. Value wise Milford is very tricky. If he has a stand out season I think we would have to draw a line and say this is what we are paying you and make him choose to stay for less than other offers. If he stinks we decide to keep him or not and for what cash.

Bird just has to go in my view. He is no value to us in the centres or 14 despite being elite when fit. We just have to write of the losses over the past couple of years. For his sake I hope he has a good year and career somewhere else this year or next year.

 

[Kooly87]

Kooly, you make a really good point. Value wise Milford is very tricky. If he has a stand out season I think we would have to draw a line and say this is what we are paying you and make him choose to stay for less than other offers. If he stinks we decide to keep him or not and for what cash.

Bird just has to go in my view. He is no value to us in the centres or 14 despite being elite when fit. We just have to write of the losses over the past couple of years. For his sake I hope he has a good year and career somewhere else this year or next year.

He's valuable as a Centre, but probably not as the highest paid Centre in the game, which is what renewing him on his current deal would make him.

I think you'll learn a lot about Bird as a person after this year. Is he the kind of bloke who would stay for less money? Is he the kind of guy who would feel he owes it to the Broncos to stick around and repay their initial faith in him? I guess time will tell and we'll have answers to some of those questions.

I wouldn't blame him at all for taking more money elsewhere, no one really could, but I'd be seriously impressed in him as a person if he was prepared to stay here for less and repay what we've invested in him.

 

[john1420]

Kooly, you make a really good point. Value wise Milford is very tricky. If he has a stand out season I think we would have to draw a line and say this is what we are paying you and make him choose to stay for less than other offers. If he stinks we decide to keep him or not and for what cash.

Bird just has to go in my view. He is no value to us in the centres or 14 despite being elite when fit. We just have to write of the losses over the past couple of years. For his sake I hope he has a good year and career somewhere else this year or next year.

I think Bird offers value in the centres, he is a natural footballer and a genuine competitor
He is, in my view, exactly what we need in this team
The issue is his salary, which I certainly believe is too high
But if he can stay at the right price, he is great value to the team

 

[theshed]

Kooly, you make a really good point. Value wise Milford is very tricky. If he has a stand out season I think we would have to draw a line and say this is what we are paying you and make him choose to stay for less than other offers. If he stinks we decide to keep him or not and for what cash.

Bird just has to go in my view. He is no value to us in the centres or 14 despite being elite when fit. We just have to write of the losses over the past couple of years. For his sake I hope he has a good year and career somewhere else this year or next year.

I think Cam Murray is already filling the role that Bennett wanted Bird to play at broncos.

 

[Kooly87]

I think Bird offers value in the centres, he is a natural footballer and a genuine competitor
He is, in my view, exactly what we need in this team
The issue is his salary, which I certainly believe is too high
But if he can stay at the right price, he is great value to the team

I just think that given his age and potential, if he even begins to look like his injury worries are behind him, there will be plenty of interest from the Sydney clubs and that will be hard for him to knock back.

 

[Marty Deutschmann]

Cronk was considered a hooker too when he started at the Storm.

They always talk about how he was manufactured into a 7 by Bellamy.

I think he suited 7 better anyway.

I think the same goes for Paix.
[automerge]1576377395[/automerge]
Could Dearden ever play fullback?

1. Dearden
6. Paix
7. Croft
9. Turpin

You probably nullify Dearden's strengths at fullback. He's a 7 through and through.

 

[NSW stables]

If we dont have the money to match counter bids for halves we want to keep, we could always just threaten to run fifita, hass and TPJ at them all game next time they face the broncos.

That would give mist people second thoughts

 

[Super Freak]

Could Dearden ever play fullback?

1. Dearden
6. Paix
7. Croft
9. Turpin

Simple answer. No.

He's a half.

 

[Kooly87]

Simple answer. No.

He's a half.

Attempting to turn him into a Fullback for some reason would be classic Broncos though.

 

[Morepudding]

Going by Rabs' recent form I suspect it'd be more like Rabs: Flegler.

"Thaiday passes to Thaiday and Thaiday scores!" (* Actually Blair passes to Thaiday)

 

[john1420]

I just think that given his age and potential, if he even begins to look like his injury worries are behind him, there will be plenty of interest from the Sydney clubs and that will be hard for him to knock back.

Yep agree with you there, I will be surprised if he stays for a new contract

 

[theshed]

"Thaiday passes to Thaiday and Thaiday scores!" (* Actually Blair passes to Thaiday)

*actually Blair passes to Offa

 

[Unbreakable]

There's a story in the Daily Telegraph about Jack Bird & Matthew Lodge getting in to an altercation at a bonding session last weekend, not much too it. Bird had a few drinks, Lodge hadn't been drinking, had to be separated by the other boys. Have already mended fences and settled their differences.

 

[mitch222]

Im angry about this. Fight during the season fellas so your fired up for the next game and smash them.