Karl Morris:
“All the board cares about is two points and finals. The Broncos should perform a lot better than we have over the last 15 years or so. It’s all about winning.”
“If you look at us as an organisation the year before, we didn’t handle Covid well at all. We’ve had three CEOS and coaches in the last three years. Sometimes you’ve got to hit the bottom to realise the changes you have to make. The club’s in a terrific spot now with people who know what their jobs are and doing them very well."
“Kevvie’s got a lot of good people around him that are helping him with his position. He’s had some major changes in terms of players that suit his style of play. We’re on a strong footing for the year ahead. The tail end of last season started to show what the Broncos can really do. We have gone through a very rough trot, which very few clubs don’t go through, but a lot of the building blocks are there now. The board was very happy with the back end of the year.”
Going down, the whole lot of 'em
Ikin:
“Inside of the next three years – that’s the goal. Our goal is to play finals football this year and then you want to keep advancing the cause, every season. The view is if we are a finals team this year, then your next goal is to get to contender status, which in this competition is making the top four. The great clubs have proven that once you get back to contender status, it’s possible to stay there every year if you are doing the right things right.”
“The Broncos are a huge brand and when you look at the narrative ... fall from grace, constant scrutiny, it had a compounding effect. Suddenly people became gun shy, insecure and it leads to uncertainty and fear and fear undermines trust. All the things you don’t want from an elite sporting organisation ended up being the way of things at the Broncos. The board had to address it.
Suddenly people became gun shy, insecure and it leads to uncertainty and fear and fear undermines trust."
"Sure, there were people who made poor choices and bad decisions, which has been well documented, but eventually the club led by the board said enough is enough. We arrived at this point where we don’t want to be. The discussion was, ‘How do we chart our way out of it?’ and that’s what we have been working on for the past 12 to 18 months.”
“I have seen a shift in mood. Culture isn’t something that gets created overnight. Let me be clear – we are nowhere near where we want to be and none of us in the footy program are the finished product. The stress applied on the organisation and the poor results on the field drove a few people to retreat. By the time I arrived, I found this real willingness among the people who were still there to get the club back to where we know it can get to. That’s a good start."
“I see a head coach and a playing group who are getting better connected. We are nowhere near where we want to be and none of us in the footy program are the finished product. It’s still going to be a lumpy journey, it won’t happen in a straight line, but once you get everybody understanding that we have got a plan and they know their role in that and you are energised about coming to work, then that’s a great place to start from.”
Donuts:
“I didn’t want to have any preconceived views when I went in. I wanted to go in with a fresh set of eyes. There was a lot of really great people there who were very passionate about the club. But given the challenges over the prior 18 months, there was a need to bring the club together, and also the fanbase. We had to really focus on that connection and work collectively to set a course forward."
“Change is always hard, it doesn’t matter what it is or who it is. We were 3-12 after 15 rounds of the 2021 season and nobody was happy with being there. I’d been there for about two months and we decided to head in a different direction in a few areas. We needed a reset. There were some tough calls made and some new faces that came in and provided a different energy and voice. It was pleasing we were able to see some growth and positivity off the back of it. We want to continue that into this year.”
Walters:
“I’ve learnt to be myself. At times there last season, I went away from the person I am. I need to stay on track and stay the course and be myself. When I do that, everything else falls into place. I learnt it’s important I maintain my character win, lose or draw, that’s important for the players. The one great quality about Wayne Bennett is he has always stayed the same with his character. Every time I think of the Broncos, it’s more than just finals football. It’s a winning culture. Just making finals at this club is not enough, mate. It needs to be more than that.”
“We have a history of winning premierships. That’s my opinion and what I was a part of in our premiership years at the Broncos. It would be a good start to make the finals this year but we need to convert that into winning another premiership for the club. The group here now and the coaching staff and high-performance staff have to work together to create our own piece of history. What happened 30 years ago is not really relevant anymore. It doesn’t mean anything to the current squad. These guys have to put their own stamp on the place and forge their own legacy at the Broncos.”
McHunt
“All the board cares about is two points and finals. The Broncos should perform a lot better than we have over the last 15 years or so. It’s all about winning.”
“If you look at us as an organisation the year before, we didn’t handle Covid well at all. We’ve had three CEOS and coaches in the last three years. Sometimes you’ve got to hit the bottom to realise the changes you have to make. The club’s in a terrific spot now with people who know what their jobs are and doing them very well."
“Kevvie’s got a lot of good people around him that are helping him with his position. He’s had some major changes in terms of players that suit his style of play. We’re on a strong footing for the year ahead. The tail end of last season started to show what the Broncos can really do. We have gone through a very rough trot, which very few clubs don’t go through, but a lot of the building blocks are there now. The board was very happy with the back end of the year.”
Going down, the whole lot of 'em
Ikin:
“Inside of the next three years – that’s the goal. Our goal is to play finals football this year and then you want to keep advancing the cause, every season. The view is if we are a finals team this year, then your next goal is to get to contender status, which in this competition is making the top four. The great clubs have proven that once you get back to contender status, it’s possible to stay there every year if you are doing the right things right.”
“The Broncos are a huge brand and when you look at the narrative ... fall from grace, constant scrutiny, it had a compounding effect. Suddenly people became gun shy, insecure and it leads to uncertainty and fear and fear undermines trust. All the things you don’t want from an elite sporting organisation ended up being the way of things at the Broncos. The board had to address it.
Suddenly people became gun shy, insecure and it leads to uncertainty and fear and fear undermines trust."
"Sure, there were people who made poor choices and bad decisions, which has been well documented, but eventually the club led by the board said enough is enough. We arrived at this point where we don’t want to be. The discussion was, ‘How do we chart our way out of it?’ and that’s what we have been working on for the past 12 to 18 months.”
“I have seen a shift in mood. Culture isn’t something that gets created overnight. Let me be clear – we are nowhere near where we want to be and none of us in the footy program are the finished product. The stress applied on the organisation and the poor results on the field drove a few people to retreat. By the time I arrived, I found this real willingness among the people who were still there to get the club back to where we know it can get to. That’s a good start."
“I see a head coach and a playing group who are getting better connected. We are nowhere near where we want to be and none of us in the footy program are the finished product. It’s still going to be a lumpy journey, it won’t happen in a straight line, but once you get everybody understanding that we have got a plan and they know their role in that and you are energised about coming to work, then that’s a great place to start from.”
Donuts:
“I didn’t want to have any preconceived views when I went in. I wanted to go in with a fresh set of eyes. There was a lot of really great people there who were very passionate about the club. But given the challenges over the prior 18 months, there was a need to bring the club together, and also the fanbase. We had to really focus on that connection and work collectively to set a course forward."
“Change is always hard, it doesn’t matter what it is or who it is. We were 3-12 after 15 rounds of the 2021 season and nobody was happy with being there. I’d been there for about two months and we decided to head in a different direction in a few areas. We needed a reset. There were some tough calls made and some new faces that came in and provided a different energy and voice. It was pleasing we were able to see some growth and positivity off the back of it. We want to continue that into this year.”
Walters:
“I’ve learnt to be myself. At times there last season, I went away from the person I am. I need to stay on track and stay the course and be myself. When I do that, everything else falls into place. I learnt it’s important I maintain my character win, lose or draw, that’s important for the players. The one great quality about Wayne Bennett is he has always stayed the same with his character. Every time I think of the Broncos, it’s more than just finals football. It’s a winning culture. Just making finals at this club is not enough, mate. It needs to be more than that.”
“We have a history of winning premierships. That’s my opinion and what I was a part of in our premiership years at the Broncos. It would be a good start to make the finals this year but we need to convert that into winning another premiership for the club. The group here now and the coaching staff and high-performance staff have to work together to create our own piece of history. What happened 30 years ago is not really relevant anymore. It doesn’t mean anything to the current squad. These guys have to put their own stamp on the place and forge their own legacy at the Broncos.”
McHunt
