Broncos 2020 Squad

[DigitalDaz]

My theory on Croft - Seibold may have known Croft from his Melbourne days and was putting out the "feelers" for Croft to come to Brisbane. Bellamy caught wind of this, chucked a tantrum and dropped Croft for disloyalty and because he knew he didn't want to be at the club.

 

[Kooly87]

My theory on Croft - Seibold may have known Croft from his Melbourne days and was putting out the "feelers" for Croft to come to Brisbane. Bellamy caught wind of this, chucked a tantrum and dropped Croft for disloyalty and because he knew he didn't want to be at the club.

I think people are overthinking it with Croft.

It's not like Croft is in isolation, they've had to basically clear the decks going into 2020 with massive turnover of personnel, which suggests they're under cap pressure most likely.

Croft was on an apparent 400k and with a determination to use Smith as a Halfback/Playmaker in an ever growing capacity, a genuine Halfback like Croft could easily be seen as surplus to requirements. Smith is approaching retirement, Bellamy has indicated that this contract may well be his last too, so you have two guys nearing the end of their time at Melbourne and they have obviously, for better or worse, decided that Smith as Halfback is their best chance to secure another Premiership before their time is up.

They've realistically gambled on short term success and only time will tell if that gamble paid off. If they can make it pay with a Premiership, many would agree it was worth the risk and possibly even the fallout afterwards when they both retire. Either way, they most likely won't be dealing with those consequences themselves, so you can see why the gamble was an easier one for them to take.

 

[BroncsFan]

I think people are overthinking it with Croft.

It's not like Croft is in isolation, they've had to basically clear the decks going into 2020 with massive turnover of personnel, which suggests they're under cap pressure most likely.

Croft was on an apparent 400k and with a determination to use Smith as a Halfback/Playmaker in an ever growing capacity, a genuine Halfback like Croft could easily be seen as surplus to requirements. Smith is approaching retirement, Bellamy has indicated that this contract may well be his last too, so you have two guys nearing the end of their time at Melbourne and they have obviously, for better or worse, decided that Smith as Halfback is their best chance to secure another Premiership before their time is up.

They've realistically gambled on short term success and only time will tell if that gamble paid off. If they can make it pay with a Premiership, many would agree it was worth the risk and possibly even the fallout afterwards when they both retire. Either way, they most likely won't be dealing with those consequences themselves, so you can see why the gamble was an easier one for them to take.

Also when Smith retires they'll have a $1m of cap to spend... with Paps, Munster and Smith/Grant locked into the rest of the spine long term they can spend that cash on a playmaker based on current market.

Smith retiring may coincide with someone like Keary coming off contract... Milf will come off around that time as well, if they want to legitimately go to the well (I don't think Munster and Milf would work, but they might see something)... or a young buck may appear from no where and need a big pay rise (i.e. Dylan Brown at eels, Ash's first season at titans, CHT at warriors, Sam Walker at the roosters might explode as well, etc.) ... they also have a young 18 yr old half coming through cant remember his name or pedigree though.

I tend to think there was a bit of a personality clash with Croft at the storm and if you become offside with the leadership group you pretty much get banished down there.

 

[Kooly87]

Also when Smith retires they'll have a $1m of cap to spend... with Paps, Munster and Smith/Grant locked into the rest of the spine long term they can spend that cash on a playmaker based on current market.

Smith retiring may coincide with someone like Keary coming off contract... Milf will come off around that time as well, if they want to legitimately go to the well (I don't think Munster and Milf would work, but they might see something)... or a young buck may appear from no where and need a big pay rise (i.e. Dylan Brown at eels, Ash's first season at titans, CHT at warriors, Sam Walker at the roosters might explode as well, etc.) ... they also have a young 18 yr old half coming through cant remember his name or pedigree though.

I tend to think there was a bit of a personality clash with Croft at the storm and if you become offside with the leadership group you pretty much get banished down there.

The personality clash is certainly possible, I'm not ruling it out, but the more and more that roster has been gutted, the less and less I'm inclined to believe personalities were an issue as much as finances appear to be. On face value it seems far more likely that they just needed some breathing space and that having an out and out Halfback on the books was surplus to requirements if Smith is going to do the job instead.

Your point about retirements is a pertinent one. They have two great Hooking prospects already on the books to replace Cam Smith in B.Smith and Harry Grant, so they likely won't need to go to market there, so Smith's money can go to a star Halfback once Smith is finished defacto playing that Halfback role for them. I think there is even the real possibility that at some stage this year or next they'll make it official and Smith will actually wear the #7 jumper and one of those two Hooking prospects will get his #9 jersey. It may lighten Cam Smith's defensive workload and extend his career just a little longer, and that will certainly make the Croft departure make far more sense if it does eventuate.

 

[Huge]

Smith can play 5/8 too. **** Melbourne! We got our own issues to consider. Slightly pissy posting. 14 day swing done and a few am drinks on board

 

[Kooly87]

Smith can play 5/8 too. **** Melbourne! We got our own issues to consider. Slightly pissy posting. 14 day swing done and a few am drinks on board

With Munster, Hughes and now Jacks as well, they actually have a surplus of 5/8's. They certainly appear to be all in on the 'Smith to Halfback/Organiser' call though, so now it's on them to make it pay.

 

[1910]

With Munster, Hughes and now Jacks as well, they actually have a surplus of 5/8's. They certainly appear to be all in on the 'Smith to Halfback/Organiser' call though, so now it's on them to make it pay.

Johns too. He was alright for the Coast, not great but something to work with there.

 

[Wolfie]

Johns too. He was alright for the Coast, not great but something to work with there.

Hynes as well can slot in there.

 

[Kooly87]

Johns too. He was alright for the Coast, not great but something to work with there.

I wanted to include him but I just think with so many in front of him he's probably going to have to go elsewhere to get a run in the next couple of seasons unless he's happy to bide his time.

 

[john1420]

Because Smith has reached God-like status in the game. It would be like taking the reins off Lockyer in 2010 because some young whippersnapper was in the team now and wanting more control. The Storm are as much Smith's team as they are Bellamy's. The jury is still out but letting him walk could very well prove to be a monumental fuckup by the storm. In any case we didn't break the bank for him and he fills a position fans have been crying out for since at least 2017.

I've always thought they were more Smith's team than Bellamy's.

I wonder if we will ever find out?

 

[Kooly87]

I've always thought they were more Smith's team than Bellamy's.

I wonder if we will ever find out?

Does it really matter?

Under Bellamy Smith has gone on to become the games most decorated, and probably best overall player at least in modern history, and quite possibly of all time.

With Smith as his Captain, Bellamy has become arguably the Premier Coach of his generation.

Would either of them have been as successful as they have been working apart? Perhaps, but I'm sure if you asked them both, they'd tell you their careers and their success are very much intertwined.

It's perhaps the greatest Coach/Captain partnership the game has ever seen and the need to establish who is the more 'in charge' out of the two should really be irrelevant.

I think if you were a fly on the wall you'd see during the week it was more Bellamy's team, but on game day and out on the field it's more Smith's team. But you can't have one without the other, and when they are combined together you get an absolute force to be reckoned with for over a decade now.

 

[tommy]

I've always thought they were more Smith's team than Bellamy's.

I wonder if we will ever find out?

We'll have to wait for the tell-all book where he will sugarcoat his career and admit to precisely zero wrongdoing.

 

[Super Freak]

The greatest captain/coach partnership the game has ever seen?

I really don’t see how any argument could be made as to why it is when there have been more successful captain/coach partnerships in the past.

 

[Kooly87]

The greatest captain/coach partnership the game has ever seen?

I really don’t see how any argument could be made as to why it is when there have been more successful captain/coach partnerships in the past.

In terms of actual (legitimate) Premierships sure, but I think there needs to be some weight given to the fact that this was all done in Melbourne, probably the most ambitious expansion attempt the game has ever made in easily it's most hostile market.

What Smith and Bellamy have been able to deliver at Melbourne in terms of creating an internal culture and delivering overall results, as well as in growing the profile and the game overall in the environment they did it in, is really something else, and does in my opinion deserve significant recognition and would put them right amongst the best (even if perhaps not the very best) of certainly the modern era and probably any era ever.

 

[john1420]

In terms of actual (legitimate) Premierships sure, but I think there needs to be some weight given to the fact that this was all done in Melbourne, probably the most ambitious expansion attempt the game has ever made in easily it's most hostile market.

What Smith and Bellamy have been able to deliver at Melbourne in terms of creating an internal culture and delivering overall results, as well as in growing the profile and the game overall in the environment they did it in, is really something else, and does in my opinion deserve significant recognition and would put them right amongst the best (even if perhaps not the very best) of certainly the modern era and probably any era ever.

That's all well and good, but they cheated to do it.

Some folks are prepared to overlook that, I am not.

 

[HarryAllan7]

In terms of actual (legitimate) Premierships sure, but I think there needs to be some weight given to the fact that this was all done in Melbourne, probably the most ambitious expansion attempt the game has ever made in easily it's most hostile market.

What Smith and Bellamy have been able to deliver at Melbourne in terms of creating an internal culture and delivering overall results, as well as in growing the profile and the game overall in the environment they did it in, is really something else, and does in my opinion deserve significant recognition and would put them right amongst the best (even if perhaps not the very best) of certainly the modern era and probably any era ever.

I take issue with the fact that they pioneered the type of wrestling / slowing down the ruck, exploiting the rules and constantly finding tactics to bend and exploit said rules... The game we watch today would no doubt be more enjoyable if this Melb team had never existed, they have transformed the game from a free-flowing, enjoyable spectacle to a niggling, wrestle-fest where some teams blatantly break rules knowing that referees do not have the heart to continuously penalise them for fear of 'ruining the game'.

ALL THAT SAID... that is just personal opinion and if it had not been Melb / Bellamy who kickstarted this transformation them someone else likely would have in time.

The real issue I have with Melbourne is that they are OUTRIGHT CHEATERS. They intentionally and systematically cheated the salary cap system to win multiple tarnished premierships and then continued to reap the fruits of those infractions for many years afterwards.

It is a filthy and scummy organisation and I'm proud our Broncos aren't like this.

 

[Battler]

Also when Smith retires they'll have a $1m of cap to spend... with Paps, Munster and Smith/Grant locked into the rest of the spine long term they can spend that cash on a playmaker based on current market.

Smith retiring may coincide with someone like Keary coming off contract... Milf will come off around that time as well, if they want to legitimately go to the well (I don't think Munster and Milf would work, but they might see something)... or a young buck may appear from no where and need a big pay rise (i.e. Dylan Brown at eels, Ash's first season at titans, CHT at warriors, Sam Walker at the roosters might explode as well, etc.) ... they also have a young 18 yr old half coming through cant remember his name or pedigree though.

I tend to think there was a bit of a personality clash with Croft at the storm and if you become offside with the leadership group you pretty much get banished down there.

They won't have the same pull with players without Smith and Bellamy around. We saw the same thing when we lost Bennett the first time and then Locky.

 

[lynx000]

They won't have the same pull with players without Smith and Bellamy around. We saw the same thing when we lost Bennett the first time and then Locky.

Unless they do something like recruit Robinson to replace Bellamy.