Big Pete
International Captain
- Mar 12, 2008
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THE Broncos have delivered a major body blow to the Raiders by poaching the scout who steered Queensland young guns Josh Papalii and Anthony Milford to Canberra. Souths Logan officials are considering legal action after Brisbane-based Brian Edwards resigned on Wednesday to take up a development role with the Broncos.
The move has also gone down like a lead balloon with the Raiders, who have been drip-fed Souths Logan's best emerging talent for the past decade via their links with Edwards.
But those links have now been formally severed, giving the Broncos a huge advantage in the turf war for the cream of Brisbane's rugby league grassroots talent.
Edwards is rated one of the NRL's best development officers, with the veteran scout having spotted Papalii and Milford in the Broncos' backyard before steering them to Canberra.
Canberra's Queensland under-20s winger Edrick Lee was also plucked from the Logan region, as were Raiders club legends Mal Meninga, Gary Belcher and Steve Walters.
The Raiders' fight with Brisbane for elite young talent intensified earlier this year after the Broncos unveiled plans to establish a high-performance junior academy in Logan.
Ironically, Edwards' recruitment shifts the balance of power in the Milford tug-of-war towards the Broncos.
Just six weeks ago, Edwards took aim at the Broncos after News Corp exclusively revealed Milford would exercise a get-out clause in his Canberra contract to return to his sick father in Brisbane.
But with Edwards now aligning himself with the Broncos, the highly-credentialed scout is almost certain to steer Milford towards Red Hill.
"I think it would be far too much for Anthony Milford to steer any team around from the halfback position, in any NRL team, in 2014," Edwards said in July when reports of Milford wanting out first surfaced.
"He's developing as a footballer but in terms of putting that expectation on him, I just can't believe a kid could be placed in that position.
"The Broncos are going through a tough period, but I know [coach] Anthony Griffin and he wouldn’t be bringing a kid in at that age to get an NRL side around the paddock.
"Would you want to come to Brisbane, a one-team town and be the saviour at halfback at his age?"
The Broncos have been pilloried for their recruitment decisions in recent years. Just recently, the club overlooked Queensland Cup player-of-the-year Cody Walker and rookie-of-the-year Cameron Munster, who both ended up joining Melbourne.
But the acquisition of Edwards gives the Broncos a major recruiting weapon in the quest to reprise their premiership glory years.
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The move has also gone down like a lead balloon with the Raiders, who have been drip-fed Souths Logan's best emerging talent for the past decade via their links with Edwards.
But those links have now been formally severed, giving the Broncos a huge advantage in the turf war for the cream of Brisbane's rugby league grassroots talent.
Edwards is rated one of the NRL's best development officers, with the veteran scout having spotted Papalii and Milford in the Broncos' backyard before steering them to Canberra.
Canberra's Queensland under-20s winger Edrick Lee was also plucked from the Logan region, as were Raiders club legends Mal Meninga, Gary Belcher and Steve Walters.
The Raiders' fight with Brisbane for elite young talent intensified earlier this year after the Broncos unveiled plans to establish a high-performance junior academy in Logan.
Ironically, Edwards' recruitment shifts the balance of power in the Milford tug-of-war towards the Broncos.
Just six weeks ago, Edwards took aim at the Broncos after News Corp exclusively revealed Milford would exercise a get-out clause in his Canberra contract to return to his sick father in Brisbane.
But with Edwards now aligning himself with the Broncos, the highly-credentialed scout is almost certain to steer Milford towards Red Hill.
"I think it would be far too much for Anthony Milford to steer any team around from the halfback position, in any NRL team, in 2014," Edwards said in July when reports of Milford wanting out first surfaced.
"He's developing as a footballer but in terms of putting that expectation on him, I just can't believe a kid could be placed in that position.
"The Broncos are going through a tough period, but I know [coach] Anthony Griffin and he wouldn’t be bringing a kid in at that age to get an NRL side around the paddock.
"Would you want to come to Brisbane, a one-team town and be the saviour at halfback at his age?"
The Broncos have been pilloried for their recruitment decisions in recent years. Just recently, the club overlooked Queensland Cup player-of-the-year Cody Walker and rookie-of-the-year Cameron Munster, who both ended up joining Melbourne.
But the acquisition of Edwards gives the Broncos a major recruiting weapon in the quest to reprise their premiership glory years.
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