Broncos Roster, Signings and Rumours Discussion 2026

Hearing that Shiba is all but done at Melbourne.
On current form I’m ok with it. His drop off from last year has been crazy.
hopefully we now see more of Verhoeven.
Yeah I'm great with this and think it would have been a mistake to spend what we would have had to. I think last season he caught lightning in a bottle and Madge squeezed every bit of juice out of him. Full credit to Shiba for that season and he will always be a Broncos legend, huge contributor to the premiership but I think his best is behind him.
 
Good on Shiba, sure he'll be getting a healthy bump at the Storm. He looks like someone who put absolutely everything into last year, achieved literally everything, and is now struggling a bit to back it up, and probably after how good he went last year has thoughts about how much he is on comparatively to others, so talks of his next deal with us or elsewhere, it's natural that is going to consume you.

Hopefully, once his future is sorted, we can start to see more of his 2025 form if he plays. I'm sure he'll be a solid player for Melbourne though.
 
I wonder he might be having a bit of a second season syndrome. I know its weird and could be completely wrong but last year was his first year really where he was consistently in first grade. He also played finals, origin and tests. He might be in a bit of a lull.
 
Just oh Shibasaki, there were reports that he reported back to preseason training out of shape. Which is what caused him to be dropped initially.

Like everyone else is, I want to give credit to him for performing above all realistic expectations last year. He was a major contributor to our premiership triumph.

As much as I hate the Storm, I hope Shiba goes well (except when he plays us 😉 ) and has received a big pay bump
 
Hearing that Shiba is all but done at Melbourne.
On current form I’m ok with it. His drop off from last year has been crazy.
hopefully we now see more of Verhoeven.
That feels ok.

Mariner now has a pathway to a centre spot and Verhoeven has a pathway to a first grade spot via the wing.

We can also use the cap space to re-sign Jesse... who's showing some increased versatility to cover multiple spots.
 
Good on Shiba, sure he'll be getting a healthy bump at the Storm. He looks like someone who put absolutely everything into last year, achieved literally everything, and is now struggling a bit to back it up, and probably after how good he went last year has thoughts about how much he is on comparatively to others, so talks of his next deal with us or elsewhere, it's natural that is going to consume you.

Hopefully, once his future is sorted, we can start to see more of his 2025 form if he plays. I'm sure he'll be a solid player for Melbourne though.
He also had a disrupted preseason given he was part of the Ashes.

For a guy that had issues staying fit to get back into first grade in the first place, not starting your preseason until January and then being back on a plane to England in Feb probably didn't help him prepare for the season either.
 
I also wonder if negotiations with the Storm have distracted him a bit, hence the drop in form.

Good luck to him. Bit of a step down.

That kind of talk baffles me .
Maybe he might not rest as easy at night thinking about contracts before bed time . But once you cross the white line the last thing on your mind would be do I sign this contract or that .
If you have the time and space to think about contracts during a game you must have an amazing mental capacity or two brains .
 
That kind of talk baffles me .
Maybe he might not rest as easy at night thinking about contracts before bed time . But once you cross the white line the last thing on your mind would be do I sign this contract or that .
If you have the time and space to think about contracts during a game you must have an amazing mental capacity or two brains .

Might be more to do with "I'm in contract negotiations and need to look as good as I can on the field" and overplaying it instead of playing your natural game.
 
Might be more to do with "I'm in contract negotiations and need to look as good as I can on the field" and overplaying it instead of playing your natural game.
Or if he's having a shit game thinking "**** this is going to cost me... I'm not even getting a contract somewhere else if I keep playing like this"... and then that compounding into more errors and more negative thoughts.

Even just through the week a poor performance on the weekend would linger with you and easily take you into a negative headspace.

Players talk about the importance of prep all the time... if your mind is elsewhere or in a negative space then that's going to impact your prep... especially for a guy that has had missteps before (being unfit, drinking last year, etc.)
 

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