NEWS Ikin jump puddles

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.”


Screencoreyoates   CUZuujWlk8z

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
 
Good to see some positivity coming out but man we are really putting the pressure on ourselves to make the finals. I'd rather some of that finals talk be kept in house than spruiking it all over the media.
 
I love it. The team actually has confidence and that’s all a young group need to **** some shit up. It may be very unpopular but we have a very confident happy and talented group here, my bar is at top 8 wouldn’t be surprised if we go on to achieve more.
 
I love it. The team actually has confidence and that’s all a young group need to **** some shit up. It may be very unpopular but we have a very confident happy and talented group here, my bar is at top 8 wouldn’t be surprised if we go on to achieve more.
The team kind of reminds me of the 2014 Penrith Panthers. They’d missed 3 finals in a row and finished 12th, 15th, 10th respectively

They pushed out a lot of big name players that weren’t performing. I’m pretty sure all the below left at the end of 2012 season:
- Michael Jennings
- Luke Lewis
- Michael Gordon

They also offloaded the following before the 2014 season kick off:
- Lachlan Coote
- Luke Walsh
Amongst others.

Their coach Ivan Cleary was in his second year at the club and had pretty average results in his first season.

signed
- 30 year old halfback with the best kicking game in the comp, Jamie Soward.
- 32 year old prop Brent Kite
-an aging Peter Wallace

and immediately put them all in the leadership group.

They had a group of young talented players entering their 2nd-3rd seasons of first grade, including Matt Moylan entering his sophomore year at fullback.

They would go on to finish the season at 4th place, defeating the Minor Prems (roosters) in week 1 of the finals, eventually losing in the prelims to the bulldogs (who would lose the GF the next week to Adam Reynold’s Rabbitohs).

That was my best attempt at a @Big Pete post. Maybe he can flesh it out some more with his monster knowledge.
 
The team kind of reminds me of the 2014 Penrith Panthers. They’d missed 3 finals in a row and finished 12th, 15th, 10th respectively

They pushed out a lot of big name players that weren’t performing. I’m pretty sure all the below left at the end of 2012 season:
- Michael Jennings
- Luke Lewis
- Michael Gordon

They also offloaded the following before the 2014 season kick off:
- Lachlan Coote
- Luke Walsh
Amongst others.

Their coach Ivan Cleary was in his second year at the club and had pretty average results in his first season.

signed
- 30 year old halfback with the best kicking game in the comp, Jamie Soward.
- 32 year old prop Brent Kite
-an aging Peter Wallace

and immediately put them all in the leadership group.

They had a group of young talented players entering their 2nd-3rd seasons of first grade, including Matt Moylan entering his sophomore year at fullback.

They would go on to finish the season at 4th place, defeating the Minor Prems (roosters) in week 1 of the finals, eventually losing in the prelims to the bulldogs (who would lose the GF the next week to Adam Reynold’s Rabbitohs).

That was my best attempt at a @Big Pete post. Maybe he can flesh it out some more with his monster knowledge.
Good effort. I’m sure @Big Pete will be pleased.
 
I think we are genuinely an outside chance at top 4.
The words are right, but I think we need to tweak the order a touch......I'll have a go

I think we are genuinely a chance at outside top 4

There, that's it ;)
 
The Broncos seem to project competency since Ikin and Donnaghy have entered the conversation.

In objective reality both Ikin and Walters (much less so Donaghy) are untested products and even though Ikin talks a good game, the results are still to be delivered...
 
The Broncos seem to project competency since Ikin and Donnaghy have entered the conversation.

In objective reality both Ikin and Walters (much less so Donaghy) are untested products and even though Ikin talks a good game, the results are still to be delivered...
I think it’s more about setting very public goals to hold the club to. By declaring it in the public space, there is no hiding from it, no excuses.

I really like it. It allows everyone at the club to be focussed on one objective and doing what it takes to get there.

It demonstrates that the time of mediocrity has passed. The club is a former powerhouse and anything short of that from now on will be considered failure.

It also shows we’ve finally got some big balls who are willing to bet big on their own ability and will no longer allow the club to be the meek, cowering in the corner pity-party we became. I believe that in doing so, they are trying to inspire the players to bet big on themselves as well.

Go hard or go home.
 
I think it’s more about setting very public goals to hold the club to. By declaring it in the public space, there is no hiding from it, no excuses.

I really like it. It allows everyone at the club to be focussed on one objective and doing what it takes to get there.

It demonstrates that the time of mediocrity has passed. The club is a former powerhouse and anything short of that from now on will be considered failure.

It also shows we’ve finally got some big balls who are willing to bet big on their own ability and will no longer allow the club to be the meek, cowering in the corner pity-party we became. I believe that in doing so, they are trying to inspire the players to bet big on themselves as well.

Go hard or go home.
To me, I feel it’s part of a process designed to inject some confidence into both membership and sponsorship. The whole club relies on both these commodities to perform at its peak.
Many troops still feel a tad wounded after the last few years and even the rusted on need something to believe in and look forward to.
 
I think it’s more about setting very public goals to hold the club to. By declaring it in the public space, there is no hiding from it, no excuses.

I really like it. It allows everyone at the club to be focussed on one objective and doing what it takes to get there.

It demonstrates that the time of mediocrity has passed. The club is a former powerhouse and anything short of that from now on will be considered failure.

It also shows we’ve finally got some big balls who are willing to bet big on their own ability and will no longer allow the club to be the meek, cowering in the corner pity-party we became. I believe that in doing so, they are trying to inspire the players to bet big on themselves as well.

Go hard or go home.
It's still just words... Kevvie was saying the same thing last year (ie. The Broncos goal every year is to make the top 8... he may have even said top 4)... but they are just empty words if not backed up.

I would say having significant portions of your salary cap playing elsewhere for the foreseeable future and having your coach on an open ended contract are actions that arent backing up your words. It suggests short term pain (resolving salary cap issues) and concerns about the caoching (short term contract for your coach).

Saying we want to make the 8, but having a reserve grade squad on the field is pointless.... I'm sure the dogs wanted to make the 8 last year as well.
 
It's still just words... Kevvie was saying the same thing last year (ie. The Broncos goal every year is to make the top 8... he may have even said top 4)... but they are just empty words if not backed up.

I would say having significant portions of your salary cap playing elsewhere for the foreseeable future and having your coach on an open ended contract are actions that arent backing up your words. It suggests short term pain (resolving salary cap issues) and concerns about the caoching (short term contract for your coach).

Saying we want to make the 8, but having a reserve grade squad on the field is pointless.... I'm sure the dogs wanted to make the 8 last year as well.
OK then.

Given I would confidently assume these comments were in response to questions rather than the club going on a charm offensive, how should Ikin have responded? What would you prefer he say?

He’s honestly on a hiding to nothing. If he refused to respond, he’d be criticised. If he made excuses, he’d be criticised. At least this way he’s being positive and setting clear goals with conviction. That in itself is an improvement on where we’ve been.

Professional sport is just as much about psychology as it is anything else. I’d rather he be positive and set standards and expectations than he say we are rebuilding and things will likely be worse before they’re better. That just gives the players the opportunity to deliver performances that reflect such a message.

No thanks.
 

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