OPINION Do you think the decision from the board to Sack Kevvie was right?

[Cult]

I actually think Mam would make a pretty good fullback. Can move, pass, tackle for the most part, is a bit stronger so won't be driven back. Just wonder if he can catch a bomb.

1 Mam
6 Walsh
7 Reynolds> Black
9 Mozer

 

[Wolfie]

Everyone in the game basically being everyone in Sydney media... they also rave about Nathan Brown, but in the words of Cobbo "he's a good bloke, but not a good coach".

This is where the club needs to have good football IQ... they need to be able to evaluate talent and find the best people for the club... it also helps if you have a strong structure in the club that know where it's going.

We talk about structure on the field and one of the keys to that is everybody knowing and having a role... next man up... this is also required in the back office.

Kevvie and Ikin clashed because roles and responsibilities weren't made clear... Kevvie was criticised for lack of communication and planning, to me that sounds like people not knowing what their roles were... old mate cutting up footage only for it to not be used, then why was he doing it in the first place (note I know why he was doing it... it's about why was coach telling him to do it and then no one using it anyway... wasting time and resources).

The club needs strong leadership and a vision on what it wants to be to know what people are needed to get it there.

Chopping and changing coaches leads to chopping and changing of that vision... especially if you keep leaving all the decisions on the football dept to the coach and then jump onto the coaching merry-go-round every 3 years or so.

On the lack of communication thing, something i mentioned a few years ago with him was when he dropped Corey Oates back to Souths Logan and told him he needed to work on his game, but then didnt tell him a single thing he needed to work on. It was very similar to Seibold in some ways. He may have had good ideas on how to run a football team, but if you cant get your ideas across its not helpful.

 

[mstreet]

If that article about tantrums is correct, they really had no choice. Unfortunately, Kevvie really seemed to snap in the back end of this year, once that happens, it’s very easy to lose your players and your staff. Kevvie wanting yes men around only is probably to me the biggest red flag of them all though if it is true.

I still don’t think Maguire is the right pick and I watched that Matthew Johns video unfortunately and it sucked like everything he does. However, I wasn’t overly impressed with anything Maguire said even though I’m apparently supposed to be.

I don't see Madge as a long term solution. I think he's the best plugin and play option. His relationship with Reynolds will be the secret sauce. It's a lot easier to instill your brand on the team when your halfback lives and breathes it.

I don't see attack as a problem for us. What Madge is good at, is where we are lacking as a team. Fitness, discipline, and aggression. Instilling resolve, and earning the right to throw the ball around.

One of the most telling things for season 24 was our kick chase. Pretty Riki monstered teams in 23, but couldn't be bothered in 24. It's an effort area that turns momentum, but the broncos didn't care for it in 24. All those little things throughout the year, snowballed. Season 24 was the year of no standards.

The players didn't get Kevin fired, he did that to himself. Their assessment was honest and alarming. Ended up just like Siebold; both paranoid, controlling, full of excuses, and a lost dressing room. Ironic that Kev was hired to put pride back in the Jersey.

As I keep saying, I would like to have seen what Ikin could have achieved over a 5 year window. Fix this area, and the rest falls into place. Thanks Kevin for fucking that one up too.

 

[Cult]

I don't see Madge as a long term solution. I think he's the best plugin and play option. His relationship with Reynolds will be the secret sauce. It's a lot easier to instill your brand on the team when your halfback lives and breathes it.

I don't see attack as a problem for us. What Madge is good at, is where we are lacking as a team. Fitness, discipline, and aggression. Instilling resolve, and earning the right to throw the ball around.

One of the most telling things for season 24 was our kick chase. Pretty Riki monstered teams in 23, but couldn't be bothered in 24. It's an effort area that turns momentum, but the broncos didn't care for it in 24. All those little things throughout the year, snowballed. Season 24 was the year of no standards.

The players didn't get Kevin fired, he did that to himself. Their assessment was honest and alarming. Ended up just like Siebold; both paranoid, controlling, full of excuses, and a lost dressing room. Ironic that Kev was hired to put pride back in the Jersey.

As I keep saying, I would like to have seen what Ikin could have achieved over a 5 year window. Fix this area, and the rest falls into place. Thanks Kevin for fucking that one up too.

Attack is a huge problem for us. Everything we score is off the cuff and if it doesn’t come off we don’t have a clue what to do

 

[mstreet]

Attack is a huge problem for us. Everything we score is off the cuff and if it doesn’t come off we don’t have a clue what to do

I think defence, resilience, fitness, and discipline come before worrying about attack. It's not just about the losing, it was how we were losing. Horse up front, cart out back. If you can't control the momentum, you are likely to lose the game.

I was never a fan of the frantic attack on every play, and defend the errors. Attack will come, but we have bigger problems today.

 

[IceWorks]

The Brisbane roster seems like a mess, a couple of highly paid centres who aren't consistent, an ageing halfback who had a vintage year in 2023 but even then wasn't as good as the much younger Cleary or Hughes and is now a couple of years older with no successor in sight. A prop on record dollars, A not fully proven fullback who isn't as good as the Penrith fullback, earning an extra 300k/yr. Not able to keep our young and improving players like Herbie and Flegler. The 'value' recruits being added not value at all.

Regardless of all of these issues you might expect a team to play with some structure and grit.. and that's on Kev at the end of the day, not like he tried dropping a few of the star underperformers.. so it does seem like he's not much of a coach, or leader of a coaching team.

Is it possible that the big problems come from those still on the board who offered long contracts and extensions to Pies and Kev?

 

[Big Del]

but hey, when he's announced I'll get behind him as I would whoever is made coach, this is after all my team.

Just need to get all the bitchyness out before he signs then you will turn ?
I find that hard to believe .

 

[Big Del]

Our team was so fit no one could stick with us beyond 60 minutes.

Except Penrith .
They kept the Broncos in their own half , waited for the errors and fatigued the fck out of them , then won in the last 15 minutes All Black style .

 

[Big Del]

I hope you are right, I liked the comment someone made somewhere earlier, I think it was @BroncsFan (who always posts pure gold) who mentioned this might finally have given DD the ammo he wanted to put his stamp on things that last year's GF might have postponed.

I am hoping one of the big things to come out of the review is that we need a GM and also a strong recommendation / shortlist of who that should be.

Bring in Justin Langer . LOL .

 

[Big Del]

Attack is a huge problem for us. Everything we score is off the cuff and if it doesn’t come off we don’t have a clue what to do

Lee Briers is gone .
All Hail Baz !

 

[YeahNahMate]

Is getting Ikin back a possibility at all? I mean, how great can being the QRL CEO really be. I get the feeling he'd be more aroused recruiting players , building a dynasty etc.

 

[Allo]

Is getting Ikin back a possibility at all? I mean, how great can being the QRL CEO really be. I get the feeling he'd be more aroused recruiting players , building a dynasty etc.

He can do that, albeit by a few layers of extension, for a whole state now

 

[thenry]

if maguire adds a bit of targeted violence to our defence im all for it outside staggs and the odd patty hit i cant recall a tackle last year where the attacker has got up ginger make the pricks regret having the ball ffs

Exactly this. Flegler made Warbrick rethink his life choices last year. Hit happened right in front of me and got me out of my seat.

Like someone else said, only Hetherington has done that this season, and it was on a tiny fullback.

 

[thenry]

On the lack of communication thing, something i mentioned a few years ago with him was when he dropped Corey Oates back to Souths Logan and told him he needed to work on his game, but then didnt tell him a single thing he needed to work on. It was very similar to Seibold in some ways. He may have had good ideas on how to run a football team, but if you cant get your ideas across its not helpful.

To be fair tho, Corey would need illustrations and big words for the message to be received.

 

[Big Del]

Exactly this. Flegler made Warbrick rethink his life choices last year. Hit happened right in front of me and got me out of my seat.

Like someone else said, only Hetherington has done that this season, and it was on a tiny fullback.

I think Riki helped him a bit on that hit .
But both failed to wrap their arms . Later in the season that would have been a player pinballing off them and breaking the line .

Tackling technique went off a cliff this season . At times they couldn`t stop off loads or put the attacker on the ground .

 

[Big Pete]

The issue with Walters is that he was completely out of answers. When the Broncos missed the finals in 2022, it was somewhat forgiveable because they had Reece Walsh coming in 2023 and that would instantly solve a critical issue at the club. Similar to 1991 when the Broncos missed the finals only to add Lazarus to the roster - you knew they would be thereabouts.

The entire pitch for 2025 was based around the team being healthy which is something no coach can guarantee. Especially not with 35-year old halfback who ought to be managed.

The thing is, fans act like everything was hunky dory in 2023. However the writing was on the wall when players like Robati, Oloapu, Farnworth, Flegler, Palasia, Capewell etc. were let go and the club did little to replace them. To expect a player with Piakura's injury history to play 80 minutes of football 20+ times a year was horribly irresponsible and it came as no surprise that backfired within minutes of the season kicking off.

That's on top of all the junior talent that's been allowed to leave and the lack of development from a development club. Signing the best kids of each age group is not a sustainable model and you need to supplement that talent with sufficient depth.

As it stands, I think time will be kind to Walters and his time as head coach will be remembered more fondly. I just hope it's a Royce Simmons at Penrith situation where a lot of players he brought through formed a core part of their 2003 premiership.

 

[Sproj]

The thing is, fans act like everything was hunky dory in 2023. However the writing was on the wall when players like Robati, Oloapu, Farnworth, Flegler, Palasia, Capewell etc. were let go and the club did little to replace them. To expect a player with Piakura's injury history to play 80 minutes of football 20+ times a year was horribly irresponsible and it came as no surprise that backfired within minutes of the season kicking off.

Is this on Kevvie alone though or the R&R team once again?

 

[Big Pete]

Is this on Kevvie alone though or the R&R team once again?

What does it matter? It's Kev's responsibility as well and as far as we know he seemed content with his 'team'.