Ok enough is enough, that is for me the most embarrassing performance by a Broncos team I have ever witnessed and I have been here since day one. Yes we have had some floggings etc over the years but usually it was good opposition that was putting us away, not a second rate side ala Souths (no disrespect to Rabbit fans).
The future for our club looks very grim over the next 3 to 5 years as we are at the stage where we need to rebuild this side up from scratch. Yes we can blame Bruno, yes we can blame Henjak, by god we can even blame WB as this rot has been setting in for the last few seasons, but whoever is to be blamed a broom needs to be put through the club and it needs to be now. I actually hope, and I know others here who I respect their opinions, I actually hope we miss the eight. The mediocrity we have at present does not deserve rewarding.
Going through what we have at the moment:
We will rue the letting go of K for years to come, we should be re-signing him number one then if money left over D.Lockyer. I am afraid to say this as he is and has been favourite player for years now but Locky is on the way out and for mine this should be his last season. When was the last game that he had an actual real influence on the game, sad to say it's been a while.
On the wings we had a player who I rated very highly and he has kicked on to become a regular for Qld and Australia this year, Darius Boyd. Why waste money and pay to keep Michaels who was out injured at the time he was re-signed last season, with of all things a knee reco, we all see the results of that, and we could have got Darius for the same price I can guarantee that. Winterstein has potential, YowYeh has disappointed me after starting well but with time he might make it but have we got time, not sure. Letting Kemp go irked some but seeing what he has, or hasn't done this year maybe it was the correct decision.
In the centres we are okay with Hodgo and Izzy which is where he should be playing, but as above Michaels I’m afraid has not returned from his knee injury anywhere near what was hoped, his defence is terrible, he is a turnstile and I feel sorry for his wingers. The time has come Ivan do your duty.
And as alluded too earlier I am afraid to say this but Locky is past it. He does not have same impact one game he use to, injuries are crueling the end of his career and for a player who was and still is my favourite Bronco of all time that is hard to say. Do we have a replacement playmaker. Maybe Wallace is a five eighth not a half, but I’m not sure Ben Hunt is up to NRL yet. What happened to our playing these young fellows in Qld Cup to toughen them up, it lasted all of 8 weeks, our Toyota Cup team is down the bottom of the ladder and after playing the GF last year we decide to devote our resources to winning a Toyota Cup not looking to our NRL future. Something is wrong there.
And then to the forwards, Parker and Thiaday I am fine with provided they are used properly, they are not at present and we spoken about this adnausem on these boards. Watching David Stagg tonight in a Bulldogs jersey saddened me as we should have kept him for all money. Seeing him running angles, making hard yards and still making 50 tackles showed me how stupid a decision that was. As for other backrow talent we have none, Williams is very raw, Wapau not NRL standard, Sims for 5 minutes maybe, Teo and Setu nothing to show. We have no hurter in defence. The desperation in bringing Carroll back shows this fact out like dogs you know whats.
Hooker we are okay as Macca will make it, but we need to groom a young backup. Gorrell and PJ give us nothing and both should be cut at season end.
And then to the Pigs, I will give Clinton his due and acknowledge he is playing well finally this year, and so was Kenny, but neither strike fear into the opposition. Who is the backup, there is none. I can understand letting Taylor go as he had so many chances but never stood up, I hope he makes it but for now see ya. What we do need is an enforcer up front who demands respect, who is a leader etc etc. Yes Petero was that man but not now where do we find one, I’m not sure.
And then too the bench, well that really is only Alex Glenn, who should play in the forwards and forwards only, he is not a winger. Hoffman will do well at no. 1, so why not groom him on the wing for the rest of the year.
So all in all glum times ahead guys, how do we fix it well start at the top.
Cullen sorry Bruno time for new blood new ideas, and that also goes for the Board get some fresh people in that have a passion to return us to where we once were. Yes it is big business but it is stale at the top when you have been there so long.
Ivan I’m sorry to say is not the right man, sorry mate but you can’t see your second year we need to rebuild and do it now. Some of the support staff needs to be freshened up also, some have been around too long and take things for granted, from trainers to dieticians to game day organizers etc. Big changes but we need to regrow quickly in 3 to 5 years or it will take a decade. A new coach needs to have that Broncos winning mentality but they need come from out of the club currently. We need fresh ideas it may even be someone who has had nothing to do with our club before. For mine the man is Terry Matterson.
The recruitment area, now with sad passing of Cyril needs redevelopment, when was the last player of real standing we produced, maybe K but he’s leaving. No idea how this works but start with the support network and re-establish it. We have competition now in Qld for kids and we need to be their number one choice again.
And finally to the fans. The marketing/PR/media areas have been a revolving door of late and have a lot to answer for. Their ideas are devoid of any thought of what the fans want. I was jealous tonight watching what the Dogs do for their fans ie. The 18th man, the cheap out of town membership, even the sponsorship of players, we could learn a lot from this. The fans feel alienated and the club need to remember the fans make the club.
So sorry guys for the long rant but I have fought it for a long time now that we are in trouble and serious trouble. Yes it might be Brunos fault, yes it might be the bald gnomes, in fact it is also partly WB’s as this has been developing over the last few years.
We need to fix things now, we need to sweep the broom through and get into all those nooky corners that some hide in and start to rebuild now. We are going to see who the real fans are over the next 3 to 5 years as this rebuild takes place as we more than likely will be at the bottom end of the table.
End of rant/
