Broncos Roster, Signings and Rumours Discussion 2023

[Big Del]

It becomes interesting now- that 18/19 age group is so important.

The havles for U19 Origin last year- Duffy and Wilson and Gray on the bench. Broncos had 2/3 and now have none. Duffy just won a Colts premiership with Townsville and Dogs chased him too-He was the 6 in the Australian team with Weaver in 21.

New South Wales halves Weaver and Pezet- Titans and Storm.

Australian schoolboy halves Karl and Katoa one at the Dogs and Dolphins.

The Bronco have gone from Karl, Gray, Mam and Wilson to just Mam.

You'd have to start looking below that age group-16/17 now and hope Mam and Reynolds buy you some time.

Meninga Cup will throw up someone, Gray had a breakout year in 22.

Rep teams are BS .
Where I come from if you don`t play for a certain group of clubs you have fck all chance of getting selected .
There are plenty of kids who don`t get recognised because they don`t play for the right club or they don`t have a father who was a local legend .

Rep trials are very often kids playing out of position with kids they have never met before . Ability to adjust to that environment has a lot of influence in selections . Do one or two nice plays and you get rested and another kid gets a run . Not always the best players make the teams ...

 

[1910]

Rep teams are BS .
Where I come from if you don`t play for a certain group of clubs you have fck all chance of getting selected .
There are plenty of kids who don`t get recognised because they don`t play for the right club or they don`t have a father who was a local legend .

Rep trials are very often kids playing out of position with kids they have never met before . Ability to adjust to that environment has a lot of influence in selections . Do one or two nice plays and you get rested and another kid gets a run . Not always the best players make the teams ...

This isn't U12 Met East it's Under 19 and 18 Origin and Junior Kangaroos. The QRL go to huge lengths to have emerging camps and identify the players months out and bring them in around Origin mentors. 30 players went to U18 Emerging camp last season and 28 Under 19.

It's taken very seriously. The selectors watch every Mal Meninga game and SG Ball or Flegg if it's relevant.

 

[ostin86]

I would prefer we focus on signing halves who have already had atleast 2-5 years of NRL or state league experience. Not to say we should not develop our own talent. More so, that these young fellas have almost zero chance of having a meaningful impact on a premiership run.

Finding and 18-19 year old who is ready to lead In such a specialised position seems incredibly rare. Cleary is the most recent example I can think of.

The reality is that there is a new crop of young talent every year and most of them are not patient enough to bide their time until they are ready. Especially at a club like the Broncos who have good pull with juniours. These guys know they are the best of the best wishin their peer group and they are heavily targeted by rival clubs.

I would be revisiting talks with Sam Walker or Tom Deardon when the time is right, and not be so concerned about letting the young talent develop somewhere else. Unless it is obvious they are some sought of generational talent.

Apologies for the long post.

 

[BroncosFever]

Tom Deardon

Who?

 

[NSW stables]

Even when cleary came into nrl, his halves partner was maloney who largely ran the show whilst cleary adjusted to nrl.

Yes it is frustrating when our 17-18 year olds are poached, but it is not the end of the world. Most contracts are 2-3 years, so we can always try to get them back after they have a bit more experience, maturity and show if they can actually live up to the potential and meet nrl standards (I.e. walsh).

We then also know their actual value and don't overpay on potential

 

[theshed]

Even when cleary came into nrl, his halves partner was maloney who largely ran the show whilst cleary adjusted to nrl.

Yes it is frustrating when our 17-18 year olds are poached, but it is not the end of the world. Most contracts are 2-3 years, so we can always try to get them back after they have a bit more experience, maturity and show if they can actually live up to the potential and meet nrl standards (I.e. walsh).

We then also know their actual value and don't overpay on potential

It raises an interesting question, apart from Hodges and Walsh have we had other promising young players who have left and returned?

I can only think of Scotty Prince who doesn’t really count

 

[Foordy]

It raises an interesting question, apart from Hodges and Walsh have we had other promising young players who have left and returned?

I can only think of Scotty Prince who doesn’t really count

other players that i know left and came back. Darius Boyd is probably fits the bill best of those on the list. left us as a kid came back as a regular QLD/Aus player

Brad Thorn
Ben Hannant
David Staggs
Darren Smith
Tonie Carroll
Darius Boyd
Jordan Kahu
Jesse Arthars
Andrew McCullough (although IIRC he only was here for a pre-season before leaving again)
Denan Kemp
Petero Civoniceva
Ben Te'o
Karmichael Hunt
Andrew Gee
Alfie Langer

 

[theshed]

other players that i know left and came back. Darius Boyd is probably fits the bill best of those on the list. left us as a kid came back as a regular QLD/Aus player

Brad Thorn
Ben Hannant
David Staggs
Darren Smith
Tonie Carroll
Darius Boyd
Jordan Kahu
Jesse Arthars
Andrew McCullough (although IIRC he only was here for a pre-season before leaving again)
Denan Kemp
Petero Civoniceva
Ben Te'o
Karmichael Hunt
Andrew Gee
Alfie Langer

You could count meady too based on that criteria. Appreciate the effort but i more meant high rated guys that left in their first few seasons and came back while still in their prime.

Boyd would probably count. Guys like Kahu, Arthurs and kemp were never that good to begin with. Hunt and Teo were well past it when they returned so I wouldn’t really consider them either.

 

[Big Pete]

Kurt Capewell
Ben Barbara

 

[Foordy]

You could count meady too based on that criteria. Appreciate the effort but i more meant high rated guys that left in their first few seasons and came back while still in their prime.

Boyd would probably count. Guys like Kahu, Arthurs and kemp were never that good to begin with. Hunt and Teo were well past it when they returned so I wouldn’t really consider them either.

the problem with that criteria is how many of them actually excelled once they left us.

I can't think of too many highly rated rookies who left us and actually excelled at their new clubs. Boyd and Hodges are the only two I can think of. there were a few others that showed glimpses of their potential, but never really lived up to the hype

 

[Sproj]

Ones who have left and gone on to better things that I can think of (regardless of returning or not):

Boyd
Stagg
Hodges
Hannant
Collins
Dearden
Civoniceva
Friend
Granville
S Walker
Walsh
Arrow
K Nikorima
Teo
Barba
Priddis
Ennis
Ballin
T Boyd
Tate
Winterstein
Capewell
Prince

Some of these are arguable though.

 

[Xzei]

Ones who have left and gone on to better things that I can think of (regardless of returning or not):

Boyd
Stagg
Hodges
Hannant
Collins
Dearden
Civoniceva
Friend
Granville
S Walker
Walsh
Arrow
K Nikorima
Teo
Barba
Priddis
Ennis
Ballin
T Boyd
Tate
Winterstein
Capewell
Prince

Some of these are arguable though.

yeah there are a few there that you would say have not moved onto better things

 

[Harry Sack]

You could count meady too based on that criteria. Appreciate the effort but i more meant high rated guys that left in their first few seasons and came back while still in their prime.

Boyd would probably count. Guys like Kahu, Arthurs and kemp were never that good to begin with. Hunt and Teo were well past it when they returned so I wouldn’t really consider them either.

 

[Sproj]

An interesting list would be those that clearly didn’t after leaving:

Fifita (so far)
Czilowski (not sure on spelling)
Drew
Pearson
Hoffman
J Nikorima
Kemp
Moon (arguable)
Seymour (see above)
Coates (so far)
McCullough
Isaako (so far)
Kahu
Meyers
Webb
Roberts
Joffa (very much arguable, he’s gone ok to be honest)
Bullemor (so far)
Wallace J and P

Some I should have added to left and done really well:
Tino F
Learoyd-Lahrs
Costigan
Gagai

 

[theshed]

An interesting list would be those that clearly didn’t after leaving:

Fifita (so far)
Czilowski (not sure on spelling)
Drew
Pearson
Hoffman
J Nikorima
Kemp
Moon (arguable)
Seymour (see above)
Coates (so far)
McCullough
Isaako (so far)
Kahu
Meyers
Webb
Roberts
Joffa (very much arguable, he’s gone ok to be honest)
Bullemor (so far)
Wallace J and P

Some I should have added to left and done really well:
Tino F
Learoyd-Lahrs
Costigan
Gagai

I think you’ve been a bit harsh on a few players there if “clearly didn’t” is the criteria.

Coates has been fine
Offa actually been quite good
J Wal had a respectable career
David hasn’t been as bad as people make out
Kahu was fine for the cowboys
Peter Wallace had a pretty solid end to his career after retuning to the Panthers

 

[McHunt]

An interesting list would be those that clearly didn’t after leaving:

Fifita (so far)
Coates (so far)

Coates was injured, but managed 16 tries from 17 games, still making the top ten tryscorers. One more than Selwyn Cobbo, who scored 15 from 18. Suali scored 15 from 19. These two were outside the top ten. All obviously overshadowed by Corey Oates.

Fifita scored 17 from 22 games in his first season at the Titans. Surely a passmark. But only 7 from 18 games in 2022. A disappointment to many, but still more than any Broncos forward, and most of our backs (except Oates, Cobbo, Farnworth) including our two new signings Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell.

 

[Sproj]

Coates was injured, but managed 16 tries from 17 games, still making the top ten tryscorers. One more than Selwyn Cobbo, who scored 15 from 18. Suali scored 15 from 19. These two were outside the top ten. All obviously overshadowed by Corey Oates.

Fifita scored 17 from 22 games in his first season at the Titans. Surely a passmark. But only 7 from 18 games in 2022. A disappointment to many, but still more than any Broncos forward, and most of our backs (except Oates, Cobbo, Farnworth) including our two new signings Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell.

My list is DEFINITELY debatable, I don't even know I completely agree with some of them either but I've sort of put players there who didn't improve after leaving, ones like Joffa I don't think have played origin since leaving for example but again, very very debatable.

In relation to your post though, who uses try scoring as the SOLE metric of a player, especially forwards?

 

[McHunt]

My list is DEFINITELY debatable, I don't even know I completely agree with some of them either but I've sort of put players there who didn't improve after leaving, ones like Joffa I don't think have played origin since leaving for example but again, very very debatable.

In relation to your post though, who uses try scoring as the SOLE metric of a player, especially forwards?

Scoring tries is the object of the game.
QED