Broncos re-sign Shibasaki and Opacic

[theshed]

https://www.broncos.com.au/news/2018/08/08/broncos-sign-two-more-young-guns/



THE NRMA Insurance Broncos have nailed down another two signings after young centres Tom Opacic and Gehamat Shibasaki put pen to paper.
Both have signed fresh two-year deals with the Broncos, locking them up until the end of the 2020 season.
The 23-year-old Opacic has now played 19 NRL matches, including 10 in season 2018.
Shibasaki will make his NRL debut against the Cowboys tomorrow night, with coach Wayne Bennett revealing this morning why the Broncos had inked another contract for the 20-year-old.
"He is from the under-20s and has come through our system," said Bennett.
"We rate him highly and have just re-signed him.
"He is a big, powerful thing and is very willing."
Tomorrow night's XXXX Derby in Townsville will be a big night for Shibasaki's family as he makes his debut in the town he grew up in.

 

[Sproj]

So they are going to go toe-to-toe with Bird for the left centre spot?

 

[Chewed]

Could see Shiba maybe left wing if he has some speed and Oates goes. Big unit.

 

[theshed]

So they are going to go toe-to-toe with Bird for the left centre spot?

And Staggs, and potentially Boyd I guess.

Not sure what the plan is. Great depth though I guess. I assume this is a good indication that Oates will no longer be on that side.

1. Boyd
2. Isaako
3. Staggs
4. Roberts
5. Shibasaki
6. Bird
7. Milf

??

 

[winslow_wong]

And Staggs, and potentially Boyd I guess.

Not sure what the plan is. Great depth though I guess. I assume this is a good indication that Oates will no longer be on that side.

1. Boyd
2. Isaako
3. Staggs
4. Roberts
5. Shibasaki
6. Bird
7. Milf

??

What is going on with bird anyway? Seems to have disappeared

 

[Accept]

Happy to see Opacic offered another contract. There is a very useful footballer somewhere in there if he ever shakes the injury bug.

 

[Wolfie]

What is going on with bird anyway? Seems to have disappeared

No, just had an infection in his sternum wound and getting back to fitness. Cant see him playing this year.

Wonder why it took so long for them to announce the signings, they happened weeks ago.

 

[Alec]

I can't imagine Opacic having much of a future here. He's no winger, and we prob have 4 centres in front of him next year.

 

[Kyall]

I can't imagine Opacic having much of a future here. He's no winger, and we prob have 4 centres in front of him next year.

I was quite shocked to see him re-sign surely there was 1 club that could of offered him a spot.

 

[Wolfie]

I can't imagine Opacic having much of a future here. He's no winger, and we prob have 4 centres in front of him next year.

He turned down 4 offers to stay from what i gather. I do find it a little odd Bennett seems to want to keep him unless he has some plan for him at some point. If the Broncos didnt make him rest up he would have been playing this week apparently. Been playing for Redcliffe injured for a couple of weeks now. We put our foot down and stopped him playing against Mackay.

 

[Number6]

He turned down 4 offers to stay from what i gather. I do find it a little odd Bennett seems to want to keep him unless he has some plan for him at some point. If the Broncos didnt make him rest up he would have been playing this week apparently. Been playing for Redcliffe injured for a couple of weeks now. We put our foot down and stopped him playing against Mackay.

Why unless we are paying him overs? Not bad depth if for minimum wage but honestly where does he fit in? Agree he is 4th string centre and doesn’t cover wing really. Maybe second row depth? Kind of a waste of a top 30 slot, best let him go to super league and play some games.... like the player but doesn’t seem like Broncs standard. Maybe should have been honest and let him have a shot elsewhere.

 

[GCBRONCO]

Why unless we are paying him overs? Not bad depth if for minimum wage but honestly where does he fit in? Agree he is 4th string centre and doesn’t cover wing really. Maybe second row depth? Kind of a waste of a top 30 slot, best let him go to super league and play some games.... like the player but doesn’t seem like Broncs standard. Maybe should have been honest and let him have a shot elsewhere.

What makes you think his not Broncos standard? Not every player in the history of the Broncos has been an international/SOO level player to contribute strongly to the clubs history in their own fashion at some point or time(and on the flipside not every big name player at the club has delivered either). Players like John Plath, Phillip Lee, Brett Plowman, John Driscoll, Shane Perry, Nick Kenny etc Not superstars but certainly a welcome addition to the side and had their place there.

 

[Cult]

Why unless we are paying him overs? Not bad depth if for minimum wage but honestly where does he fit in? Agree he is 4th string centre and doesn’t cover wing really. Maybe second row depth? Kind of a waste of a top 30 slot, best let him go to super league and play some games.... like the player but doesn’t seem like Broncs standard. Maybe should have been honest and let him have a shot elsewhere.

He would have been offered 4 minimum wage offers and took the one where he already lived.

 

[Wolfie]

He would have been offered 4 minimum wage offers and took the one where he already lived.

Wrong. He took less to stay here.

 

[Wolfie]

Why unless we are paying him overs? Not bad depth if for minimum wage but honestly where does he fit in? Agree he is 4th string centre and doesn’t cover wing really. Maybe second row depth? Kind of a waste of a top 30 slot, best let him go to super league and play some games.... like the player but doesn’t seem like Broncs standard. Maybe should have been honest and let him have a shot elsewhere.

Thing is, without players like him in the top 30 we are struggling for depth in some positions. I really rate Shibasaki quite honestly as the pick of our young centers, but we dont know how he will go. Staggs again, long term we dont know how he will kick on. Plus when these younger players arent flavour of the month anymore, who knows how fans opinions of them will change. Apart from that, we have only got Roberts and maybe Bird or Boyd, and Roberts has an ongoing achillies complaint that could sideline him at some point.

As for not being Broncs standard, he isnt if you compare him with our best players in history, but we havent got a squad full of quality players like we used to have either. I dont think he is a world beater and ideally i dont think i'd have him as a starter in a Broncos side aiming to be a real top side, but we just arent that anymore. He always does a decent job when he plays imo.

 

[Chewed]

Thing is, without players like him in the top 30 we are struggling for depth in some positions. I really rate Shibasaki quite honestly as the pick of our young centers, but we dont know how he will go. Staggs again, long term we dont know how he will kick on. Plus when these younger players arent flavour of the month anymore, who knows how fans opinions of them will change. Apart from that, we have only got Roberts and maybe Bird or Boyd, and Roberts has an ongoing achillies complaint that could sideline him at some point.

As for not being Broncs standard, he isnt if you compare him with our best players in history, but we havent got a squad full of quality players like we used to have either. I dont think he is a world beater and ideally i dont think i'd have him as a starter in a Broncos side aiming to be a real top side, but we just arent that anymore. He always does a decent job when he plays imo.

Staggs will be a gun, McCullough was asked who his top pick was out of the young forwards. So between Fifita, Haas, TPJ etc he picked Staggs. He hadn't forced his way into the team for nothing. He'll probably be our Munster.

 

[Wolfie]

Staggs will be a gun, McCullough was asked who his top pick was out of the young forwards. So between Fifita, Haas, TPJ etc he picked Staggs. He hadn't forced his way into the team for nothing. He'll probably be our Munster.

He might be a gun, he has the tools to be, but he still has to actually do it. There have been plenty of young players who were going to be guns, then for whatever reason just didnt make it. People can be way to quick quick to both write off players and praise them to high heaven. I can remember Leon Bott was going to be a world beater ( didnt he get beaten by another highly rated flop in Tim Smith for Rookie of the year? ) then look what happened. The NRL is littered with players who were going to be the next big thing only for them to fade into oblivion.

 

[Super Freak]

With Bird at the club and the likes of Staggs and Shibasaki, I don't see why we would re-sign Opacic.