Lockyer: Brisbane Broncos on verge of dynasty

[Super Freak]

IN the cut-throat world of the NRL, back-to-back titles are as difficult to win as Powerball.

But if Brisbane are victorious on Sunday night against the Cowboys, it could prove to be the bedrock for another golden era at the Broncos.

Of course, their coach Wayne Bennett will hear no mention of the word “dynasty”.

I know the mantra he will drill into his troops as they run on to ANZ Stadium.

The job is not done. There is one game to go. Don’t divert your eyes to the rear-vision mirror or the landscape ahead.

Stay in the moment. Relax. The next 80 minutes will determine if you want to pay the price for premiership glory.

But contextually, it is hard to ignore the quality of this Broncos team, the age of their spine and the vision Bennett has for his football club.

It’s safe to say that under Bennett’s guidance, Brisbane will be playing finals for many years and they will be knocking on the door of more grand finals in the next few years.

Melbourne have demonstrated that, in a tough salary-cap environment, sustained success can be cultivated by keeping your spine intact. In Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith, the Storm have their Big Three.

Now the Broncos have their Fab Four – Darius Boyd, Anthony Milford, Ben Hunt and Andrew McCullough.

The latter pair are both aged 25. Boyd has just turned 28. Milford is still only 21, giving Brisbane a nerve centre that can pull the strings until at least 2020.

On Sunday night, victory will give Brisbane’s class of 2015 the belief that their systems work, and can endure so long as their hunger meets their talent levels.

For the Cowboys, I get the feeling their premiership window is beginning to close. They must strike now.

While Brisbane’s roster is charting an upwards curve, North Queensland have been patiently building, knowing this is their death-or-glory *moment after signing Johnathan Thurston 10 years ago.

This all-Queensland grand final has some fascinating subplots and narratives.

But ultimately, I sense it will hinge on Thurston’s competitive drive and his capacity to impose his will on a Broncos side that has a psychological pillow in Wayne Bennett.

I’ve been coached by Bennett on the biggest stage, and I’ve played alongside Thurston in the code’s toughest arenas. They are enormously influential in different ways. Wayne inspires teams with calculating calm and confidence. Thurston lifts his teams with peerless energy and an unyielding mentality that tells rivals he will not be beaten.

For the Cowboys to win, Thurston must be given a platform by his bookends Matt Scott and James Tamou.

Because of Brisbane’s faith in their defensive structures, the Cowboys need to dominate the middle-third and control the tempo. The more opportunities Thurston gets in Brisbane’s red zone, the greater the Cowboys’ chance of unlocking the NRL’s hungriest defence.

In my heart, I’m a Broncos man, but my head also tells me Brisbane can win.

They have the hunger of a premiership team. The Cowboys could feel the pinch at the back end of a gruelling travel schedule in the past six weeks.

Bennett versus Thurston. The irresistible force against the immovable object. Bennett may be on the brink of a dynasty, but Thurston will truly believe this is his and the Cowboys’ time to reign supreme.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...verge-of-dynasty/story-fnp0lyn6-1227554661585

 

[gordjw]

It's interesting that it's seen as coach vs halfback. If this were 7 years ago, it'd be Thurston v Lockyer, not Bennett.

I wonder if that will change if Hunt and Milford remain on top of their game for the next few years.

 

[Morkel]

Dangerous to talk of any dynasty, success even, before a single shield has been lifted.

 

[jarro65]

Dangerous to talk of any dynasty, success even, before a single shield has been lifted.

This.

I'd rather just let it happen than go crowing about it already.

It could all end in tears yet....

 

[Battler]

It's interesting that it's seen as coach vs halfback. If this were 7 years ago, it'd be Thurston v Lockyer, not Bennett.

I wonder if that will change if Hunt and Milford remain on top of their game for the next few years.

I like how it's Bennett verses Thurston. We all know Bennett can handle the pressure (plus he's not physically playing), whereas Thurston has struggled a bit in recent times at rep level when being designated as the Messiah through Cronk's absence. Having the spotlight off our green halves will, I believe, help their nerves immensely.

It wouldn't surprise me if Bennett spun this to pan out exactly as it has.

 

[Broncoman]

Dangerous to talk of any dynasty, success even, before a single shield has been lifted.

This ^

Though it is a very good feeling that our spine still has plenty of good years ahead of them, Milford and Hunt's best years are ahead of them.

 

[ivanhungryjak]

This ^

Though it is a very good feeling that our spine still has plenty of good years ahead of them, Milford and Hunt's best years are ahead of them.

Yeah, I hate dynasty talk. Gus Gould said straight after Origin 3, 2000 that it was the start of a dynasty and we all know what happened there.

 

[morganmorgan]

Dynasty Engaged. Lock in back2back

 

[Foordy]

I hate dynasty talk as well, especially as it is so hard to go back-to-back.

it is so hard to go back to back that no-one has been able to do it in 23 years (in a full comp). we were the last to do it and that was 1992-1993

 

[Splinter]

We will do it again 2015/16

 

[LittleDavey]

Barring injuries to key players, there is no reason we can't stay at the top (ie top 4) for the next 2 years at least.

With the players we have locked in, the Bennett factor, and the demise of other powerhouse teams (Roosters losing Maloney and RTS, Souths fucked, Manly fucked without Foran, Storm definitely peaked, etc) we are on the cusp of another spell similar to the 90's, though that'll never be repeated. My golly it's exciting.