Foordy
International Captain
Contributor
- Mar 4, 2008
- 34,743
- 41,409
Ikin on rebuilding the roster:
“We wanted some senior guys that could educate that big group of young talented players how to be professionals,” Ikin said on SEN’s Pat and Heals radio show.
Adam Reynolds ticks that box, Kurt Capewell ticks that box.
“Ryan James was just a really quality purchase in the sense that yes, he’s at the back end of his career, but he’s still playing good football, and with all these great, young forwards we’ve got coming through, we thought he’d be a great extension for the coaching staff to have on the shop floor.
“Not so much to show our players how to play the kind of footy that they need to realise their full potential, more how to prepare.
“There’s that old saying that ‘performance loves preparation’, and Ryan James was brought in to show the guys that being elite starts on the gym floor, starts on the training paddock, and we thought he’d be a great example of that for our young blokes.”
Ikin on development and our youth
“We are pretty happy with what we have got, we are a development club,” Ikin said.
“We want to give every opportunity for young guys that we have got coming out of the Academy to find their way into a system and being given the right coaching to develop into NRL stars.
“Our Academy is best in code. We just want to get better at educating those guys once they drop into the NRL system, valuing them appropriately and being able to keep them.
“Even in the last couple of years our Academy has developed Tom Dearden who is up at the Cowboys, Sam Walker at the Roosters and Reece Walsh at the Warriors.
“We also developed David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui from the Titans so these guys have all come out of our system and if we get it right at the top end, they should be staying.
“For us that is what we are trying to balance.
“In the past there has probably been a bit of ad hoc decision making around the roster from coach to coach and GM to GM. No one’s fault, all decisions seem good in isolation, but we ended up with a list that was somewhat out of balance.
“So for us it was about righting the ship.”
Ikin on the possibility of more 2022 signings:
“We go into next year with two spots left to fill and some cash to spend, which was very different this time last year,” Ikin said.
“Beyond that we would like to give those that we develop the chance to fill the top 30.
“But if we need to go to market then we will have names on a board like every other club and make the decision when it is the appropriate time.”
Ikin on Identifying Broncos problems
“What I was prepared for was all the problems and yes there was some things that needed to be fixed, but the pleasing thing was there is a whole lot of good people here doing a whole lot of good work,” Ikin said.
“The gaps that kind of bubbled up that impacted performance came about because of the churn through the organisation.
“There had been a whole lot of key people in key positions that had come and gone starting with Wayne Bennett and before that chairman's and CEO’s.”
“We rolled form Wayne Bennett into Anthony Seibold and he was under pressure,” Ikin said.
“In a work environment where there is not a lot of uncertainty, people start to feel insecure and they retreat to their corners and the gaps in process form.
“So things that should be getting done don’t get done not because of anyone’s fault, but just because there is so much uncertainty in the workplace.
“My job coming back in was to work with Kevin Walters to bring some stability and get everyone clear on what their job was and get them focused again.
“The back end of the year that was the goal and we went a long way to achieving that and I think it reflected in the performance.
“Once you get the staff focused and clear and certain in their roles that finds its way into the team and the team start playing for each other. They are clear and more certain and you finish the season stronger than when you started.”
Ikin on players returning to training:
“Reynolds and Capewell don’t start training until the middle of December because under the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Player’s Association these guys get nine or 10 weeks of compulsory leave,” Ikin said.
“It is based on how many pre-seasons they have had so because Reynolds and Capewell both went through to a grand final we actually only see them for about a week before Christmas.”
Ikin also revealed that some of the players that featured in the Queensland Cup after the Broncos’ last game in Round 25 will be coming back to training closer to Christmas.
“They come in now and start training,” Ikin said of the players.
“The young blokes get bored. They are fit and they have heaps of energy.
“But training doesn’t officially start until the eighth of November.
“We will have a whole chunk of guys come back and do their testing.
“Then the return to training dates are all over the shop because we had guys that finished in Round 25 in the NRL.
“Then we had a whole stack of guys who went back to play in the Queensland Cup so they went for another five weeks because Norths and Wynnum both made it through to the grand final.
“So TC Robati and Selwyn Cobbo actually come back after the full-time NRL guys.”
Ikin on a Dolphins rivalry:
“I love the fact that sport is so tribal,” Ikin said.
“We all get hysterical about the team we cheer for and our favourite payers.
“To think that Wayne Bennett the founding coach of the Brisbane Broncos is coming back to Brisbane and he is going to coach the Broncos’ arch rival is just tribalism on steroids if you ask me.
“The storylines are infinite and they have started already. I think it is really going to energise the rugby league community in Brisbane.
“It is going to be great for those Dolphins fans out there on the peninsula and as they work their way through to the north.
“It will attract new fans into the game.”
“The other thing for us is that we have got a local rival that is like an elbow in the ribs,” Ikin said.
“If we were ever thinking, which we weren’t, that we had a chance to be complacent and rest on our laurels then that is no longer.
“The Dolphins are going to be in our backyard and they are being led by one of the greatest coaches in Australian sport, so we are going to have to be better than them.
“We are going to have a really local example of who we need to beat every time we turn up to work.”
Ikin's advice to Dolphins:
“That’s exactly what they need to do,” Ikin said of the Dolphins recruiting marquee players.
“Wayne Bennett was the genius buy in the sense that he will attract players.
“I actually heard this quote from Wayne, ‘players make coaches not the other way around’.
“Players make franchises so Wayne’s job now is to get as many good players as possible signed up to the Dolphins as he can.
“Once he gets that sorted they need to start winning. The quicker they win, the quicker this franchise will grow.”
“We wanted some senior guys that could educate that big group of young talented players how to be professionals,” Ikin said on SEN’s Pat and Heals radio show.
Adam Reynolds ticks that box, Kurt Capewell ticks that box.
“Ryan James was just a really quality purchase in the sense that yes, he’s at the back end of his career, but he’s still playing good football, and with all these great, young forwards we’ve got coming through, we thought he’d be a great extension for the coaching staff to have on the shop floor.
“Not so much to show our players how to play the kind of footy that they need to realise their full potential, more how to prepare.
“There’s that old saying that ‘performance loves preparation’, and Ryan James was brought in to show the guys that being elite starts on the gym floor, starts on the training paddock, and we thought he’d be a great example of that for our young blokes.”
Ikin on development and our youth
“We are pretty happy with what we have got, we are a development club,” Ikin said.
“We want to give every opportunity for young guys that we have got coming out of the Academy to find their way into a system and being given the right coaching to develop into NRL stars.
“Our Academy is best in code. We just want to get better at educating those guys once they drop into the NRL system, valuing them appropriately and being able to keep them.
“Even in the last couple of years our Academy has developed Tom Dearden who is up at the Cowboys, Sam Walker at the Roosters and Reece Walsh at the Warriors.
“We also developed David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui from the Titans so these guys have all come out of our system and if we get it right at the top end, they should be staying.
“For us that is what we are trying to balance.
“In the past there has probably been a bit of ad hoc decision making around the roster from coach to coach and GM to GM. No one’s fault, all decisions seem good in isolation, but we ended up with a list that was somewhat out of balance.
“So for us it was about righting the ship.”
Ikin on the possibility of more 2022 signings:
“We go into next year with two spots left to fill and some cash to spend, which was very different this time last year,” Ikin said.
“Beyond that we would like to give those that we develop the chance to fill the top 30.
“But if we need to go to market then we will have names on a board like every other club and make the decision when it is the appropriate time.”
Ikin on Identifying Broncos problems
“What I was prepared for was all the problems and yes there was some things that needed to be fixed, but the pleasing thing was there is a whole lot of good people here doing a whole lot of good work,” Ikin said.
“The gaps that kind of bubbled up that impacted performance came about because of the churn through the organisation.
“There had been a whole lot of key people in key positions that had come and gone starting with Wayne Bennett and before that chairman's and CEO’s.”
“We rolled form Wayne Bennett into Anthony Seibold and he was under pressure,” Ikin said.
“In a work environment where there is not a lot of uncertainty, people start to feel insecure and they retreat to their corners and the gaps in process form.
“So things that should be getting done don’t get done not because of anyone’s fault, but just because there is so much uncertainty in the workplace.
“My job coming back in was to work with Kevin Walters to bring some stability and get everyone clear on what their job was and get them focused again.
“The back end of the year that was the goal and we went a long way to achieving that and I think it reflected in the performance.
“Once you get the staff focused and clear and certain in their roles that finds its way into the team and the team start playing for each other. They are clear and more certain and you finish the season stronger than when you started.”
Ikin on players returning to training:
“Reynolds and Capewell don’t start training until the middle of December because under the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Player’s Association these guys get nine or 10 weeks of compulsory leave,” Ikin said.
“It is based on how many pre-seasons they have had so because Reynolds and Capewell both went through to a grand final we actually only see them for about a week before Christmas.”
Ikin also revealed that some of the players that featured in the Queensland Cup after the Broncos’ last game in Round 25 will be coming back to training closer to Christmas.
“They come in now and start training,” Ikin said of the players.
“The young blokes get bored. They are fit and they have heaps of energy.
“But training doesn’t officially start until the eighth of November.
“We will have a whole chunk of guys come back and do their testing.
“Then the return to training dates are all over the shop because we had guys that finished in Round 25 in the NRL.
“Then we had a whole stack of guys who went back to play in the Queensland Cup so they went for another five weeks because Norths and Wynnum both made it through to the grand final.
“So TC Robati and Selwyn Cobbo actually come back after the full-time NRL guys.”
Ikin on a Dolphins rivalry:
“I love the fact that sport is so tribal,” Ikin said.
“We all get hysterical about the team we cheer for and our favourite payers.
“To think that Wayne Bennett the founding coach of the Brisbane Broncos is coming back to Brisbane and he is going to coach the Broncos’ arch rival is just tribalism on steroids if you ask me.
“The storylines are infinite and they have started already. I think it is really going to energise the rugby league community in Brisbane.
“It is going to be great for those Dolphins fans out there on the peninsula and as they work their way through to the north.
“It will attract new fans into the game.”
“The other thing for us is that we have got a local rival that is like an elbow in the ribs,” Ikin said.
“If we were ever thinking, which we weren’t, that we had a chance to be complacent and rest on our laurels then that is no longer.
“The Dolphins are going to be in our backyard and they are being led by one of the greatest coaches in Australian sport, so we are going to have to be better than them.
“We are going to have a really local example of who we need to beat every time we turn up to work.”
Ikin's advice to Dolphins:
“That’s exactly what they need to do,” Ikin said of the Dolphins recruiting marquee players.
“Wayne Bennett was the genius buy in the sense that he will attract players.
“I actually heard this quote from Wayne, ‘players make coaches not the other way around’.
“Players make franchises so Wayne’s job now is to get as many good players as possible signed up to the Dolphins as he can.
“Once he gets that sorted they need to start winning. The quicker they win, the quicker this franchise will grow.”
