Broncos Head of Football, Ben Ikin fires a shot across the bows. The Broncos are back, baby:
“Next year, the goal is for the Broncos to be playing finals football again. It would be great to play finals footy next year and it would be very disappointing if we missed again. More than anything, what you want to see is that the club is moving closer to the ultimate goal, and that is contending for a premiership."
“The great clubs always put themselves thereabouts and every season, they turn up. That’s what we want to keep moving towards at the Broncos. We took a big step away from that in the last few seasons, but we finished last season stronger than we started it and that is a sign we are improving. If we improve to the level I expect us to, then the Broncos will play finals football next season.”
“There is a genuine optimism about Adam Reynolds, Kurt Capewell and Ryan James coming here. Reynolds is a huge signing. Cameron Smith was the brains behind the Melbourne Storm and the Broncos had Darren Lockyer at five-eighth. Adam is among players of that ilk who can manage a game. He is one of the best brains in the game and he is an extension of the coaching staff out on the field, which is what you want out there. He knows what it takes to win footy games and beyond the things he has to do himself as an individual, he also has the capacity to get what he needs out of his teammates week to week."
“Watching Souths this year, you just knew the Rabbitohs were going to be doing most of what they needed to do because Adam Reynolds would make it happen. The side will be better managed just because of the experience in the halves that Adam Reynolds brings. It’s a better balanced squad and one that should be aiming to make the finals.”
A good energy
“Clearly it’s been a rough couple of years, but since ‘Kevvie’ has arrived, prior to me getting here, we all wanted the footy program to be better and we have accepted that responsibility. There is a good energy around the place. The guys are turning up to work excited to be here. In the past, there was an unsettled work environment. That has changed. There is more stability. The staff are energised and it’s finding its way to the playing group."
“Our young guys will be returning to a club that is more stable, has more senior players and a coach who will be better for his first year of NRL coaching. All those little improvements across the footy program will have a compounding effect on how the team plays."
“The Broncos were built on all those premierships in the 1990s and 2000s and there are some lessons from that time that can be dragged into the present. The most important thing I’m seeing here is we all want the same thing. All the players want to be better."
“There is this desire at the Broncos and the core of the club when they were at their best in the 1990s, you can talk how they played and how they did their business and how Wayne coached, but the truth of it is everybody was on the same page. Everyone at the Broncos in those premiership years wanted the same thing. And if there is one thing I am starting to see here that is slowly evolving, it’s that we are all connected and aligned."
“How we get it done in 2022 will be different from how Wayne Bennett’s Broncos got it done in 1992. Kevvie was part of that premiership team. Kevvie is different from Wayne Bennett. He coaches differently, he is a different person, but Kevvie’s authentic personal style is finding its way into this footy team.
“Adam Reynolds is different from Allan Langer and Payne Haas is different from Glenn Lazarus … but this group wants to be top of the pile, which is great to see.”
McHunt
“Next year, the goal is for the Broncos to be playing finals football again. It would be great to play finals footy next year and it would be very disappointing if we missed again. More than anything, what you want to see is that the club is moving closer to the ultimate goal, and that is contending for a premiership."
“The great clubs always put themselves thereabouts and every season, they turn up. That’s what we want to keep moving towards at the Broncos. We took a big step away from that in the last few seasons, but we finished last season stronger than we started it and that is a sign we are improving. If we improve to the level I expect us to, then the Broncos will play finals football next season.”
“There is a genuine optimism about Adam Reynolds, Kurt Capewell and Ryan James coming here. Reynolds is a huge signing. Cameron Smith was the brains behind the Melbourne Storm and the Broncos had Darren Lockyer at five-eighth. Adam is among players of that ilk who can manage a game. He is one of the best brains in the game and he is an extension of the coaching staff out on the field, which is what you want out there. He knows what it takes to win footy games and beyond the things he has to do himself as an individual, he also has the capacity to get what he needs out of his teammates week to week."
“Watching Souths this year, you just knew the Rabbitohs were going to be doing most of what they needed to do because Adam Reynolds would make it happen. The side will be better managed just because of the experience in the halves that Adam Reynolds brings. It’s a better balanced squad and one that should be aiming to make the finals.”
A good energy
“Clearly it’s been a rough couple of years, but since ‘Kevvie’ has arrived, prior to me getting here, we all wanted the footy program to be better and we have accepted that responsibility. There is a good energy around the place. The guys are turning up to work excited to be here. In the past, there was an unsettled work environment. That has changed. There is more stability. The staff are energised and it’s finding its way to the playing group."
“Our young guys will be returning to a club that is more stable, has more senior players and a coach who will be better for his first year of NRL coaching. All those little improvements across the footy program will have a compounding effect on how the team plays."
“The Broncos were built on all those premierships in the 1990s and 2000s and there are some lessons from that time that can be dragged into the present. The most important thing I’m seeing here is we all want the same thing. All the players want to be better."
“There is this desire at the Broncos and the core of the club when they were at their best in the 1990s, you can talk how they played and how they did their business and how Wayne coached, but the truth of it is everybody was on the same page. Everyone at the Broncos in those premiership years wanted the same thing. And if there is one thing I am starting to see here that is slowly evolving, it’s that we are all connected and aligned."
“How we get it done in 2022 will be different from how Wayne Bennett’s Broncos got it done in 1992. Kevvie was part of that premiership team. Kevvie is different from Wayne Bennett. He coaches differently, he is a different person, but Kevvie’s authentic personal style is finding its way into this footy team.
“Adam Reynolds is different from Allan Langer and Payne Haas is different from Glenn Lazarus … but this group wants to be top of the pile, which is great to see.”
McHunt
