Broncos Roster, Signings and Rumours Discussion 2022

[McHunt]

I think that's the carrot you'd dangle in front of him. He won't win a premiership with the Dragons and any team that would take him at 7 likely won't be challenging any time soon. But Benny playing 9 for us...

It would be an absolute masterstroke if we could land him. I don't like our chances of having the room, unless we can offload Payne. But I reckon he'll end up staying with the Dragons, anyway.

 

[Harry Sack]

It would be an absolute masterstroke if we could land him. I don't like our chances of having the room, unless we can offload Payne. But I reckon he'll end up staying with the Dragons, anyway.

It's the only way we could do it for sure IMO. I can see Payne leaving which would free up the money but as you say, I think he'll stay with the Dragons.

 

[McHunt]

It's the only way we could do it for sure IMO. I can see Payne leaving which would free up the money but as you say, I think he'll stay with the Dragons.

Do we still think Payne will leave? I have no idea. He's absolutely not worth the money he's asking. All he does is soak up some damage from opposing forwards for longer periods than other front rowers can manage. It's not nothing, but human brick walls aren't that expensive, and he offers next to nothing in attack.

 

[Harry Sack]

Do we still think Payne will leave? I have no idea. He's absolutely not worth the money he's asking. All he does is soak up some damage from opposing forwards for longer periods than other front rowers can manage. It's not nothing, but human brick walls aren't that expensive, and he offers next to nothing in attack.

No idea, but I think he will. I expect it to ramp up again during the off season. He did that much damage to his brand, maybe he finally got some decent advice and he and his team decided to put it on the back burner for now.

 

[Big Del]

Billy was supposed to be a 6, so he was more like a backup to Gamble and Kelly, with Mam the assumed boss level. Then we put two more 6's in Roberts and Martin on train and trial. That's 6 number 6's, without even mentioning Kotoni Staggs who was also promised 6. So that's 7 players at 6.

Our hooker stocks were Turpin, who was already being slagged off, and Paix who's only good for short stints. We bought no impact hooker in the mold of Segeyaro, Nikorima or Granville. Our only other addition was Blake Mozer who still looks a way off first grade. So that's one 9 and one 14. Enter Billy Walters, another makeshift hooker, like the other two, who were also halves.

Little wonder Billy is our best option. Am I really wrong for asking why we have no depth at hooker?

Billy alternated between #6 and #9 in the trials ?
So I thought he was back up for Turpin and Paix as well as Gamble / Reynolds / Kelly . Utility was the description I heard . I had never seen him play before .

 

[Jason Simmons]

Why is Billy the best option was my question.

Because our recruitment and retention team idiotically thought Andrew McCullough was a superstar hooker and gave him 13 seasons to try and prove this.

Eventually with reality staring them in the face, they incrementally upgraded (we thought) to someone already in the club - Turpin. That hasn’t worked out as well as we hoped, Paix has been okay but hasn’t been as great as we’d hoped. We’ve also tried Isaac Luke and Dani Levi in the role over that time.

Billy was signed as depth, on minimum wage and has proven to be the most consistent and probably the hardest worker / best attitude player of the lot of them.

But, the truth is we have not signed a good hooker since Mick Ennis played for us. Whether we haven’t really looked or just have been unlucky I don’t know but it has been a glaring hole in our team for a long time.

We can’t seem to find an organiser, or a runner or a kicker. All we seem to look at is tackle-bot hookers who don’t get in the way of the “important” footballers in the team…

 

[Jason Simmons]

Billy alternated between #6 and #9 in the trials ?
So I thought he was back up for Turpin and Paix as well as Gamble / Reynolds / Kelly . Utility was the description I heard . I had never seen him play before .

Watched him play at Easts a fair bit. Every time I saw him, he had no.6 on his back…

 

[Wolfie]

Watched him play at Easts a fair bit. Every time I saw him, he had no.6 on his back…

He did play 6 a fair bit. I think in the NRL, he's a decent 14 though.

 

[lynx000]

Well I apparently have for the second time managed to offend another member (this time I am not sure why as I have not posted anything to do with him for a few days) and @McHunt has put me on ignore. In reality it is probably a good thing, in fact I will treat it as a badge of honour. I will be apparently challenging you shortly @Huge.

 

[BroncsFan]

Billy was supposed to be a 6, so he was more like a backup to Gamble and Kelly, with Mam the assumed boss level. Then we put two more 6's in Roberts and Martin on train and trial. That's 6 number 6's, without even mentioning Kotoni Staggs who was also promised 6. So that's 7 players at 6.

Our hooker stocks were Turpin, who was already being slagged off, and Paix who's only good for short stints. We bought no impact hooker in the mold of Segeyaro, Nikorima or Granville. Our only other addition was Blake Mozer who still looks a way off first grade. So that's one 9 and one 14. Enter Billy Walters, another makeshift hooker, like the other two, who were also halves.

Little wonder Billy is our best option. Am I really wrong for asking why we have no depth at hooker?

Who from the club said he was there purely as a 6 when we signed him??

He was the tigers starting hooker before he did his ACL... to me he was always signed as a chance to be the 14 off the bench.

 

[McHunt]

Who from the club said he was there purely as a 6 when we signed him??

He was the tigers starting hooker before he did his ACL... to me he was always signed as a chance to be the 14 off the bench.

He did.

 

[BroncsFan]

He did.

Yep

 

[McHunt]

Billy alternated between #6 and #9 in the trials ?
So I thought he was back up for Turpin and Paix as well as Gamble / Reynolds / Kelly . Utility was the description I heard . I had never seen him play before .

He wanted to play 6, and said so repeatedly, but wasn't good enough. Like I keep saying, we didn't buy any hookers, and even let Levi go, so competition there was lean enough that he's been the best option.

 

[McHunt]

Yep

View attachment 19454

View attachment 19455

NRL 2022: Brisbane Broncos, Billy Walters, pre-season trials, player interviews and media, Ezra Mam | NRL.com

Billy Walters says he has set his sights on the starting six jersey for the Brisbane Broncos ahead of the dummy-half role but will gladly fill a utility spot on the bench if father Kevin calls on him

www.nrl.com

Walters enters NRL race for Broncos' No.6

Billy Walters has been given time alongside star NRL halfback Adam Reynolds at Brisbane training as latest contender to wear the Broncos' No.6 next season.

7news.com.au

 

[McHunt]

Because our recruitment and retention team idiotically thought Andrew McCullough was a superstar hooker and gave him 13 seasons to try and prove this.

Eventually with reality staring them in the face, they incrementally upgraded (we thought) to someone already in the club - Turpin. That hasn’t worked out as well as we hoped, Paix has been okay but hasn’t been as great as we’d hoped. We’ve also tried Isaac Luke and Dani Levi in the role over that time.

Billy was signed as depth, on minimum wage and has proven to be the most consistent and probably the hardest worker / best attitude player of the lot of them.

But, the truth is we have not signed a good hooker since Mick Ennis played for us. Whether we haven’t really looked or just have been unlucky I don’t know but it has been a glaring hole in our team for a long time.

We can’t seem to find an organiser, or a runner or a kicker. All we seem to look at is tackle-bot hookers who don’t get in the way of the “important” footballers in the team…

We also had James Segeyaro.

 

[Dash]

We also had James Segeyaro.

James Segeyaro has drugs ban reduced to 20 months

Former NRL hooker can return to the field in June after successfully arguing his sample was contaminated by sharing a blender.

www.smh.com.au

 

[BroncsFan]

NRL 2022: Brisbane Broncos, Billy Walters, pre-season trials, player interviews and media, Ezra Mam | NRL.com

Billy Walters says he has set his sights on the starting six jersey for the Brisbane Broncos ahead of the dummy-half role but will gladly fill a utility spot on the bench if father Kevin calls on him

www.nrl.com

Walters enters NRL race for Broncos' No.6

Billy Walters has been given time alongside star NRL halfback Adam Reynolds at Brisbane training as latest contender to wear the Broncos' No.6 next season.

7news.com.au

So Billy Walters says he wants to play his preferred position of 6 when a reporter asks if he wants to play 6 (also noting the timing of those articles was after Dobbo's "sauces" informed him that Billy was going to be our 6 all this year).


Also I asked where someone in the Broncos staff said he was signed as a 6 WHEN HE SIGNED... because you suggested he was "supposed to be a 6".

When was this decision that he was signed to be a 6 considering the last time he played NRL consistently (before his ACL) he was primarily a utility or 9

 

[McHunt]

So Billy Walters says he wants to play his preferred position of 6 when a reporter asks if he wants to play 6 (also noting the timing of those articles was after Dobbo's "sauces" informed him that Billy was going to be our 6 all this year).


Also I asked where someone in the Broncos staff said he was signed as a 6 WHEN HE SIGNED... because you suggested he was "supposed to be a 6".

When was this decision that he was signed to be a 6 considering the last time he played NRL consistently (before his ACL) he was primarily a utility or 9

He's playing 9 because he was shithouse at 6 and there's no competition there. And that's only because we never bought any hookers. Everyone here groaned when the rumours went around we were going to sign him. I mean there were howls of derision. To that extent he's silenced his critics, but he still wouldn't get a starting gig in the 9 jersey at any other club. We need a number 9. A proper number 9.