It's too early to say just yet, but if they make the GF this year then they
have replicated what the Broncos did - spoon to GF in 3 years.
The important question is, has there been significant improvement during Kev's tenure. Let's compare average stats from season-to-date 2024 with 2022 as the nucleus of the squad is the same, but Kev's had an extra 2 years to work with them and they're 2 years more experienced (I've underlined the better stats out of the 2 seasons):
| 2022 | 2024 |
Points for | 21.42 | 23.6 |
Points against | 22.92 | 23.5 |
F/A | -1.5 | 0.1 |
Win/Loss Ratio | 1.2 | 1.8 |
Penalties Against | 5.6 | 4.8 |
Errors | 11 | 12.5 |
Missed Tackles | 36 | 34.2 |
Handling Errors | 9.1 | 10.9 |
Support Runs | 49.4 | 45.5 |
Possession | 48% | 47% |
Set Completion | 79% | 76% |
Run Metres | 1,598 | 1,629 |
Ineffective Tackles | 19.6 | 16.4 |
Offloads | 8.5 | 6.5 |
Average Tries | 3.7 | 4 |
I'm seeing some improvement there but also some regression. I'd have hoped that things would have improved more in 2 years, but that's just me.
Good on you for backing Kev and the team to the hilt, more power to you. But there will be some - myself included - who aren't satisfied with results (
and/or the manner in which we have played and won or lost) this year and want the club to do better. Maybe this year was an outlier and Kev can get that from the squad - we'll find out next year.
Maybe he can't, in which case the writing will be on the wall and I suspect how the team plays and the results achieved next year will make or break his Bronco head coaching career.