Broncos Player Movement and Rumours 2020

[Waynesaurus]

Croft is still young, you don't get to be a junior kangaroo halfback if you have nothing to offer, we expected him to be our savior and carry an under performing, unmotivated rabble of a team and it killed his confidence.

 

[jarro65]

I feel significantly better about Croft's prospects with Walters on board. That would only increase if you added Bellamy too.

Croft was horrible this year, no doubt about it, but honestly, we've been happy to give a lot of other guys an apparent free pass for their 2020 form because of the Coach so I don't see why Croft isn't afforded any of the same leverage as well.

Where do we play him though ?

You can't drop Dearden now, not after playing so many minutes for us this season, and if MILF can regain his form under Kevvie then it would be hard to argue that they would be our starting halves combination.

 

[Waynesaurus]

Well for starters he needs to play QCup to find some confidence in his game.

 

[Foordy]

Where do we play him though ?

You can't drop Dearden now, not after playing so many minutes for us this season, and if MILF can regain his form under Kevvie then it would be hard to argue that they would be our starting halves combination.

Maybe Kevvie will have another crack at turning Milf into a fullback.

Kevvie was asked in one of the interviews if he thought Milf had a long term future with us, and where we play him ... while he was confident Milf could be a long term player for us, he didn't commit on what position he thought was best for Milf

 

[Kooly87]

Where do we play him though ?

You can't drop Dearden now, not after playing so many minutes for us this season, and if MILF can regain his form under Kevvie then it would be hard to argue that they would be our starting halves combination.

In the Queensland Cup most likely, at least for the time being. I'm not expecting a miracle before Round 1, but over the course of the season who knows what's possible.

 

[BroncsFan]

Where do we play him though ?

You can't drop Dearden now, not after playing so many minutes for us this season, and if MILF can regain his form under Kevvie then it would be hard to argue that they would be our starting halves combination.

I'm of the opinion that Croft was doing his role reasonably well and easily outplaying Milf up until Tigers or Dogs game.... and to me (from my arm chair) it looked like he was used to playing in a well oiled machine with players around him knowing what the **** they're actually meant to be doing. Something that was clearly not happening at the Broncos for the last couple years

Against the storm is where it completely hit the fan as Milf was moved to fullback and the timing was completely off. It's like no one had played together before and Croft went way into his shell coupled with intense scrutiny from the media.

I also think Seibold wanted Milf to be the attacking spark and own the ball inside the 20m, but he was so woefully out of form and seemingly disinterested that he was offering nothing on that left edge, which put the emphasis on Croft to try and spark something, whilst also getting the team around the field.

Overall I just think it was trash coaching and a complete inability to get the team to play even the most basic of football.

We also had very very little ball inside the opposition 20m for basically the whole season, which doesn't really help us in evaluating the halves outside of all of them lacking a sufficient long kicking game to win the field position battle.

In terms of where he plays now, it probably comes down to the off season, pre season and trials, as I don't know if anyone has really put their hand up to be the 6 or 7.

Dearden has the inside running, but has deficiencies in his kicking game (he was also getting no help from his halves partner to finish the year). I actually think Dearden could do with a bit more time in qcup to refine his game against men and take a bit of pressure off him to own and run the entire team. But he's also our most likely option in the halves and will play, so here's hoping he gets some sort of help from the rest of the spine.

Milf was out of form and then injured, but if Kevvie can get the spark back then he is top shelf and first picked. I actually thought in 2017 or 2018 he may have had the making of being a 7 because he looked good getting it from 1st receiver and attacking both sides of the ruck, but that may be a jump too far in one shortened preseason.

Croft would need the team around him humming at which point he can be a solid foil for either, but he also lacks in the kicking department... I'm not ready to write him off yet, but he probably needs a more consistent team around him (which could be literally any other team because we seem to be playing a different game to everyone else) and he can fit in knowing the team around him are doing their job as well

 

[rnabokov]

Maybe Kevvie will have another crack at turning Milf into a fullback.

Kevvie was asked in one of the interviews if he thought Milf had a long term future with us, and where we play him ... while he was confident Milf could be a long term player for us, he didn't commit on what position he thought was best for Milf

I certainly hope not FB. For mine, Milf's days at the back are well and truly over, and I'd suggest that is exactly how Milf feels. He wouldn't have spent 2 years working on his kicking game if he wanted to play FB, and from memory, he has made it clear that 5/8 is where he wants to play, and, his performances there show me that that is his position, and the only position for him. Aside from which, his performances at the back have been ordinary, and shifting him there was a poor coaching decision in the context of our roster in the season just gone.

Big mistake for mine.

 

[Wolfie]

You harassed me for suggesting the signing of Fogarty.. before we signed Croft.

Maybe "the kids" would have done better this year if we had Fogarty in the halves.

Jimmy lends a hand to the rise of the Titans

The rise of halfback Jamal Fogarty in the NRL arena this season may have come as a surprise to some rugby league followers, but definitely not to Intrust Super Cup fans – and certainly not to Gold Coast Titans assistant coach Jimmy Lenihan.

www.qrl.com.au

No, you got stick about going on about a player you didn't watch, you did your usual get excited about hyping up a player based on reports in the press instead of seeing them play.

And the kids would have done a lot better with some know how behind them. Look at the likes of Tesi Niu. Came in with all this hype behind him ( and you were one of those hyping him up ) and he looked out of his depth from the start.

 

[rnabokov]

I'm of the opinion that Croft was doing his role reasonably well and easily outplaying Milf up until Tigers or Dogs game.... and to me (from my arm chair) it looked like he was used to playing in a well oiled machine with players around him knowing what the **** they're actually meant to be doing. Something that was clearly not happening at the Broncos for the last couple years

Against the storm is where it completely hit the fan as Milf was moved to fullback and the timing was completely off. It's like no one had played together before and Croft went way into his shell coupled with intense scrutiny from the media.

I also think Seibold wanted Milf to be the attacking spark and own the ball inside the 20m, but he was so woefully out of form and seemingly disinterested that he was offering nothing on that left edge, which put the emphasis on Croft to try and spark something, whilst also getting the team around the field.

Overall I just think it was trash coaching and a complete inability to get the team to play even the most basic of football.

We also had very very little ball inside the opposition 20m for basically the whole season, which doesn't really help us in evaluating the halves outside of all of them lacking a sufficient long kicking game to win the field position battle.

In terms of where he plays now, it probably comes down to the off season, pre season and trials, as I don't know if anyone has really put their hand up to be the 6 or 7.

Dearden has the inside running, but has deficiencies in his kicking game (he was also getting no help from his halves partner to finish the year). I actually think Dearden could do with a bit more time in qcup to refine his game against men and take a bit of pressure off him to own and run the entire team. But he's also our most likely option in the halves and will play, so here's hoping he gets some sort of help from the rest of the spine.

Milf was out of form and then injured, but if Kevvie can get the spark back then he is top shelf and first picked. I actually thought in 2017 or 2018 he may have had the making of being a 7 because he looked good getting it from 1st receiver and attacking both sides of the ruck, but that may be a jump too far in one shortened preseason.

Croft would need the team around him humming at which point he can be a solid foil for either, but he also lacks in the kicking department... I'm not ready to write him off yet, but he probably needs a more consistent team around him (which could be literally any other team because we seem to be playing a different game to everyone else) and he can fit in knowing the team around him are doing their job as well

Dearden has shown this armchair critic that he has to be our starting half, particularly if he is paired with Milford at 5/8. They have shown they combine well in the limited opportunities they have had together. As for his kicking game he needs a lot of work as you say based on what he showed this year. Like Milford, I don't see him as a natural kicker and he ought to go to kicking school, exactly as Milford did in '18 and '19. For starters, his positioning to get the ball for a kick is wrong. He stands to shallow and puts undue pressure on himself. Of course he needs some "protection" in this regard from someone nominated to take on that role, like standing in front of him as he gets the ball.

As for Croft I agree with your assessment above. Take him out of a well drilled structure as in the Storm and he struggles to cope with organising, and his defence is shit. For mine he has a lot to prove before he can be considered as a starting option, which would also entail Milf and or Dearden failing to perform. I reckon if anyone could do with time in QCup it is Croft.

 

[Harry]

This 2021 depth chart is based on players currently on our books / on contract next year who have played some first grade (so no Walsh, Patterson)

1. Isaako / Niu / Bird / Milf
2. Coates / Oates
3. Staggs / Farnworth / Isaako
4. Bird / Niu / Coates
5. Farnworth / Kennar / Isaako
6. Milf / Croft / Staggs
7. Dearden / Croft / O'Sullivan
8. Haas / Flegler / Bullemor
9. Turpin / McCullough / Luke
10. Lodge / Carrigan / Offahengaue
11. Glenn / Oates
12. Riki / TPJ
13. TPJ / Carrigan / Bullemor / Bird


Some players may not be here, other new faces may be... but as it stand, that's a fairly well balanced side (although short on second rowers) with alot of talent (albeit very young).

With the exception of Staggs, every single player in our squad played substantially worse this year than last (excluding Dearden, Carrigan, Farnworth, Coates due to lack of game time)... but these guys didn't simply forget how to play.

This is a top 8 (potentially top 4) side talent wise and a coaching change should see us back up where we belong before long WITHOUT having to desperately hand out retirement contracts to useless has-beens like Aiden Tolman. Penrith have a very young team too, and they seem to be doing alright. I know this year was frustrating and showed that a youth policy can be disastrous, but these kids will all be better for the run and experience, and with some good coaching, guidance and direction I anticipate we could see some special things from this group.

 

[upthebroncs]

No, you got stick about going on about a player you didn't watch, you did your usual get excited about hyping up a player based on reports in the press instead of seeing them play.

And the kids would have done a lot better with some know how behind them. Look at the likes of Tesi Niu. Came in with all this hype behind him ( and you were one of those hyping him up ) and he looked out of his depth from the start.

No... You just did your usual.. Assuming you know who I am, how I think and what I know.. Trying to degrade me..

I was not hyping Niu up.. I have expressed my enthusiasm in the prospects for his future.. But I was never calling on Niu to come in and save the day or anything like that. I think all I have ever said is that he is very talented.

I like the fact that Seibold blooded a lot of young guys at least.. Now they will be better for the experience and the past couple of years weren't a complete waste.

 

[Fitzy]

You're acting like Fogarty was Thurston this year ...

the fact is he did enough to take the pressure off Taylor to allow him to shine. Fogarty on his own wasn't anything special. Hell, if he was playing for us this year, then his career would have been over before it got started.

Fogarty finished:

24th in Try Assists (same number as Darius Boyd had)
23rd in Line Break Assists
outside the top 50 in Line Breaks
outside the top 50 for tries

His point was that Fogarty would have been a better signing than Croft so what’s your point... where does Croft sit in all those categories

 

[rnabokov]

No, you got stick about going on about a player you didn't watch, you did your usual get excited about hyping up a player based on reports in the press instead of seeing them play.

And the kids would have done a lot better with some know how behind them. Look at the likes of Tesi Niu. Came in with all this hype behind him ( and you were one of those hyping him up ) and he looked out of his depth from the start.

Just on Niu, I don't think he looked out of his depth at all. To me he looked like a talented kid trying to learn the ropes in the key position of FB and for mine he did ok in that context. I liked his positional play and his energy - he has the right instincts in support, especially coming up behind the ruck, and he covered at the back pretty well for someone with no NRL game time. I think he is definitely worth a shot at the back. I feel his baptism of fire so to speak was a positive, despite the shitty coaching that saw him at the back in the first place. Clouds and silver linings for me.

 

[Foordy]

His point was that Fogarty would have been a better signing than Croft so what’s your point... where does Croft sit in all those categories

Croft sucked (from round 3 on) ... but swap Croft with Fogarty and Fogarty would have been already been forgotten about and Croft would have had a similar season to What Fogarty did this year.

 

[BroncsFan]

Dearden has shown this armchair critic that he has to be our starting half, particularly if he is paired with Milford at 5/8. They have shown they combine well in the limited opportunities they have had together. As for his kicking game he needs a lot of work as you say based on what he showed this year. Like Milford, I don't see him as a natural kicker and he ought to go to kicking school, exactly as Milford did in '18 and '19. For starters, his positioning to get the ball for a kick is wrong. He stands to shallow and puts undue pressure on himself. Of course he needs some "protection" in this regard from someone nominated to take on that role, like standing in front of him as he gets the ball.

As for Croft I agree with your assessment above. Take him out of a well drilled structure as in the Storm and he struggles to cope with organising, and his defence is shit. For mine he has a lot to prove before he can be considered as a starting option, which would also entail Milf and or Dearden failing to perform. I reckon if anyone could do with time in QCup it is Croft.

I think it'll be Dearden and Milf in the halves next year with Croft in qcup.

If that is the case we need Milf to be providing more and not just sitting on his left edge waiting for it. If we go back to 2015 when Kevvie was coaching Milf, he had him supporting the ball through the middle, following offloads, etc. which is a bit more like a fullback. That approach would put more emphasis on Dearden to get the team around and do the kicking. In saying that I'm not sure Milf is able to revert to that style of play again anyway. Kevvie will be coaching a different Milf this time around so could be interesting to see how he uses him and how he gets the halves playing.

I for one hope to see the halves linking together and supporting through the ruck again.... and please god get rid of the middle forward playing as a pseudo halfback!!!

I think Croft probably ends up as a Sam Williams type half where he would show promise next to an established and functional team, but not quite enough to run it on his own. If he went to Manly, Roosters, etc. he would be quite useful, but in this current mob I'm not sure. He definitely needs some time in qcup to get some groove back into his game

 

[upthebroncs]

Just on Niu, I don't think he looked out of his depth at all. To me he looked like a talented kid trying to learn the ropes in the key position of FB and for mine he did ok in that context. I liked his positional play and his energy - he has the right instincts in support, especially coming up behind the ruck, and he covered at the back pretty well for someone with no NRL game time. I think he is definitely worth a shot at the back. I feel his baptism of fire so to speak was a positive, despite the shitty coaching that saw him at the back in the first place. Clouds and silver linings for me.

Yep, was always going to be hard for Niu to come in and make his debut in the FB position for Broncos this year. I think he did well when considering everything. He showed a lot of promise, I thought.

 

[upthebroncs]

Croft sucked (from round 3 on) ... but swap Croft with Fogarty and Fogarty would have been already been forgotten about and Croft would have had a similar season to What Fogarty did this year.

Would have already been forgotten about? Doesn't this just suggest that the Broncos don't know what they are doing..(Croft deserves to be forgotten so at least they have done that part right) Titans have stuck with Fogarty and it is paying off. He'll be even better for them next year.

 

[BroncsFan]

This 2021 depth chart is based on players currently on our books / on contract next year who have played some first grade (so no Walsh, Patterson)

1. Isaako / Niu / Bird / Milf
2. Coates / Oates
3. Staggs / Farnworth / Isaako
4. Bird / Niu / Coates
5. Farnworth / Kennar / Isaako
6. Milf / Croft / Staggs
7. Dearden / Croft / O'Sullivan
8. Haas / Flegler / Bullemor
9. Turpin / McCullough / Luke
10. Lodge / Carrigan / Offahengaue
11. Glenn / Oates
12. Riki / TPJ
13. TPJ / Carrigan / Bullemor / Bird


Some players may not be here, other new faces may be... but as it stand, that's a fairly well balanced side (although short on second rowers) with alot of talent (albeit very young).

With the exception of Staggs, every single player in our squad played substantially worse this year than last (excluding Dearden, Carrigan, Farnworth, Coates due to lack of game time)... but these guys didn't simply forget how to play.

This is a top 8 (potentially top 4) side talent wise and a coaching change should see us back up where we belong before long WITHOUT having to desperately hand out retirement contracts to useless has-beens like Aiden Tolman. Penrith have a very young team too, and they seem to be doing alright. I know this year was frustrating and showed that a youth policy can be disastrous, but these kids will all be better for the run and experience, and with some good coaching, guidance and direction I anticipate we could see some special things from this group.

My God it's lists within lists. Someone check on @Sproj