Darren Lockyer

[Nashy]

I think this season more than ever, the Broncos have shown that they still rely solely on Lockyer to pull them out of a tight situation.

Whether we sign him again or not, who is going to step up to the plate, and is there going to be a time while he's on the team that we see him slowly, but surely move out of the master role, and play a supporting role for our new star?

Who can do it? Hunt, Wallace? I don't think they have it in them, I mean, give Wallace some more years, and maybe he'll be upto an acceptable standard to really control the game, and pull of BS plays from no where, but we now lack the one thing that created the brilliance the Broncos have come to know. WB.

Thoughts?

 

[kyle93]

I completely agree with you. Ben Hunt is coming through the ranks and was named the U20's player of the year i think... However it may still be years before he is blooded.

Other than that, i think Wallace has a future. Still classes behind Lockyer but he has potential...

 

[ningnangnong]

I think this season more than ever, the Broncos have shown that they still rely solely on Lockyer to pull them out of a tight situation.

Whether we sign him again or not, who is going to step up to the plate, and is there going to be a time while he's on the team that we see him slowly, but surely move out of the master role, and play a supporting role for our new star?

Who can do it? Hunt, Wallace? I don't think they have it in them, I mean, give Wallace some more years, and maybe he'll be upto an acceptable standard to really control the game, and pull of BS plays from no where, but we now lack the one thing that created the brilliance the Broncos have come to know. WB.

Thoughts?

It worries me.

Wallace has the ability to be that player, but it will be a few more years yet before he reaches that level.

I don't know whether we should chase another playmaker, or bide our time and hope one of the youngsters comes through like Ben Hunt as mentioned above.

I don't want to see us have a problem in the halves for the next ten years, because we've only just solved it this year.

 

[last|soldier]

Darren'll still be playing in 5 years guys. relax..

 

[Major JW Hochstetter]

I was slowly becoming accepting of the thought that the end of his current contract would see him out, but I think we'll need him now more than ever. The club has gone through some huge changes in recent seasons and I think it all comes to a head in 2009. A complete transformation from a couple of years ago, a new coach, an abundance of youth and less of the old heads to lead us around.

Lockyer's influence will be critical in overseeing a smooth ride through the next couple seasons as we head into uncertain times.

Hopefully he will stick around. The genuine passion he's shown the club this year has really come out for all to see and its a good sign.

 

[Professor47]

We've been blessed to have a Lockyer. They don't come around too often at all. I dont mean this in a bad way, but it is the nature of the game these days, but gradually over time, the Broncos have lost quality, if I could draw a graph it would be a slow decline curve, think about it, from the late 90's to now, the past decade, it has been a slow slow decay of quality, for a number of reasons, but obviously the cap is a major one.

Anyhow my point is, we've been so lucky the decline hasn't been so dramatic because we've had a player like Lockyer, I've always said this but, once we lose him, we could possibly be a non-guaranteed top 8 team, I mean cmon, the past ten years, we know the Broncos will make top 8, we're just not worried about it at all, I must say, the further we go, the more it gets more iffy, you just can't be too sure anymore.

The Broncos eventually have to change, because superstars unearthed these days are athletes not footballers anyway, the Inglis and Gasnier types, the footballers unearthed these days don't shine as much, Pierce? players like pierce COULD be the next joey or whatever (I'm not saying he would be, I'm using a young playmaker who bursts on the scene as a star as an example) , but ball players take MUCH longer to shine to the top because they have to learn the game, yadda yadda, where as the mega stars these days are the athletes who come on and just blow the park away with their athletic ability.

Eventually unless anything drastic happens, Broncos won't be able to rely on a super star anymore. We've been doing since I've been following the Broncos for the past decade.

 

[Broncos08]

Well he didn't have a big arduous season this year, which might lengthen his career for another year or 2.

With the likes of having a backline which consists of Wallace, Hunt, Hodges, Folau and co he might consider an extension with the Broncos.

 

[m1c]

Big call, but Hunt will be a better ball player than Lockyer. He is the man the lead us into the future once Locky goes.

 

[Black Philip]

Lockyer will probably stay for another year then play a year or 2 in England IMO.

 

[serip]

Big call, but Hunt will be a better ball player than Lockyer. He is the man the lead us into the future once Locky goes.

i agree, hunt just needs to work on his kicking game..

 

[Ironbroncos]

Eventually unless anything drastic happens, Broncos won't be able to rely on a super star anymore. We've been doing since I've been following the Broncos for the past decade.

I Agree


too long we've relied on 'that one champion' to get us through, now we've lost players to other clubs who weve developed, and weve lost our super coach.. we gotta stop relying on the one, and be more accountable and standup, Canberra and the Sharks aint got no big game players, but they all work together and make it a team effort every week, not play n play and expect Lockyer to do something to save the team every couple of sets..

Harsh realities, and lastnight was one of them... :mad:

 

[Professor47]

Big call, but Hunt will be a better ball player than Lockyer. He is the man the lead us into the future once Locky goes.

naw... but he will be a player of a differnet nature if everything goes according to plan. He could be somewhat of a 'Menzies' for the eagles in years to come (not a mega star by footballing abilities, but absolutely clinical to the team - the team would not be same without him), Only time will tell.

Another Lockyer?
No.

I think if that was to happen, we would have seen something by now, or someone by now, the super stars from the young grades these days are the athletes, it's the nature of the game now I beleive, the ball players do not shine from the get go as much, I think it takes years for them to grow.
Lockyer, Joey, altough they DID set the world on fire-ish when they debut (not the actual debut game but the blooding of them or whatever) it was a subdued sort of response, more along the lines of "we've got something here". Now its the Inglis-es who come on the scene, and everyone goes "this guy is a freak" because of the line breaks and athletic ability. It's totally different. I believe a young joey hitting the scenes right now would not shine as much as an Inglis who would hit the scene. The crowd demands an instant athlete.

 

[m1c]

There will never be another Lockyer, the guy is the closest thing to God i have seen on a football field.

But Hunt is showing loads of potential, he will be the premier play maker in the game by his late 20s. You have to remember the kid is only 21 and doing things with the ball and reading plays as well as if not better than 90% of players in the game.

Sure he can't do it consistently yet, but we see glimpses of what he is capable of. V the Roosters one case in point, take him out and i dont think we win.

 

[Professor47]

^
True, but the things you cant teach are speed. Hunt isn't even fast, and he hasn't shown much natural vision when he is the main ball player.
Not convinced he will be a dominant player yet. Hence the menzies analysis, in fact I think Beaver/eagles is the perfect analogy to be honest. Absolutely crucial to the team, would be a totally different side without him. But he's not the nucleus.

 

[Nashy]

Lockyer will probably stay for another year then play a year or 2 in England IMO.

Pretty sure he ruled that out a month or so ago.

 

[guppy]

Pretty sure he ruled that out a month or so ago.

Did he rule it out though?

I know he denied signing with Huddersfield after they were going to make the "announcement of the century" or whatever it was. And I know he stated that he would not ever switch to Union but I didn't think he made a firm decision on the UK.

 

[Nashy]

I'm pretty sure he ruled it out, stating once he finishes with the Broncos, he wants to work with them in some sort of a coaching role.

 

[Russo]

We will have one more year of Locky in 2009 where he also helps the coaching team, before he moves into an assistant coach role in 2010 and then the main coach role in 2011.