OPINION Next Breakout Broncos Elite player?

[Mister Wright]

His talent is clear for all to see but he would have to be a fair way down the pecking order given how green he is and how disjointed his career has been so far.

I'd have Qld second rowers ranked like this (dependent on further injuries of course as you said):

1. Fifita
2. Nanai
3. Arrow
4. Kaufusi
5. Su'A
6. Cotter
7. Capewell
8. Loiero
9. Fermor
10. Finefeuiaki
11. Piakura

Now some of those are debatable of course but the point is, there'd have to be a lot of injuries for him to be a chance based purely on his stop start career to date, not because of his talent obviously as based on pure talent alone, he'd be above a few of these in the list.

Possibly, but I think Piakura just needs to put games together. If he does that, I think he’s better than all those options.

 

[Xzei]

Would take riki over fermor capewell and sua all day

 

[Sproj]

Would take riki over fermor capewell and sua all day

Riki? The Kiwi? In the Qld side?

I mean we all would but until the NRL changes their rules, he doesn't qualify.

 

[Manofoneway]

Mariner is already elite. Just needs a few more games to prove it.
By finals, Piakura will have surpassed Riki.
Mozer is a flight risk.

Every player is a flight risk. Mozer needs to prove something before he is valued any more than a bottom line top 30 contract. I'd like to think he is the next big thing but he isn't really belting the door down demanding selection over Smoothy or Walters.

In fairness, you're a bit fixated on this, and frankly more than a little biased.

A more objective analysis would be to compare Dally M points. How many points did Billy get in 2023?

How does he rank against other hookers this year? Do you think he's on par with Brandon Smith, for example?

2024 NRL Points Leaderboard

2024 Dally M total points tally and standings.

www.nrl.com

Dally M points is a popularity contest. There is no way KP won the medal last year. I can think of about 6 players that had a better season than he did.

 

[Xzei]

Riki? The Kiwi? In the Qld side?

I mean we all would but until the NRL changes their rules, he doesn't qualify.

fug the qld side lol kinda over origin so it didnt register with me lol

 

[mstreet]

I think the word 'elite' doesn't fit into this topic. I think immortal and elite go together.

Ive thought highly of Piakura for awhile, but I hope he can spend more time on the field than off.

Riki hasn't picked up yet where he left last year. Jenson would get the nod before any of the others at this point.

Willison is a smoky, but he's still trying to nail a regular bench gig.

 

[Manofoneway]

I think the word 'elite' doesn't fit into this topic. I think immortal and elite go together.

Ive thought highly of Piakura for awhile, but I hope he can spend more time on the field than off.

Riki hasn't picked up yet where he left last year. Jenson would get the nod before any of the others at this point.

Willison is a smoky, but he's still trying to nail a regular bench gig.

Riki recovering from shoulder surgery. Kind of like Staggs in 2022, but ginger still I reckon.

 

[1910]

The pecking order is probably:

1. Grant
2. Hunt
3. Mahoney
4. Walters
5. Smoothy

I'd have Cotter at 9 if something happened to Grant; started as a hooker in Cup and NRL and was terrific. He'd be a great first 30 of Origin hooker. He plays 80 minutes, super fit, would scrap away like crazy and defence is great. Still throws a beautiful pass.

He's the exact type of player that scores a try in the first 15 minutes of an origin.

 

[Fernando]

His talent is clear for all to see but he would have to be a fair way down the pecking order given how green he is and how disjointed his career has been so far.

I'd have Qld second rowers ranked like this (dependent on further injuries of course as you said):

1. Fifita
2. Nanai
3. Arrow
4. Kaufusi
5. Su'A
6. Cotter
7. Capewell
8. Loiero
9. Fermor
10. Finefeuiaki
11. Piakura

Now some of those are debatable of course but the point is, there'd have to be a lot of injuries for him to be a chance based purely on his stop start career to date, not because of his talent obviously as based on pure talent alone, he'd be above a few of these in the list.

Spot on list. Piakura (and Luki) could leapfrog quite a few but they are too much of an unknown without stringing games together.

 

[Broncosarethebest]

I think the word 'elite' doesn't fit into this topic. I think immortal and elite go together.

Ive thought highly of Piakura for awhile, but I hope he can spend more time on the field than off.

Riki hasn't picked up yet where he left last year. Jenson would get the nod before any of the others at this point.

Willison is a smoky, but he's still trying to nail a regular bench gig.

One of the most elite players I remember is Lockyer, how Johns is an immortal and Lockyer isn't blows my mind.

Piakura and Willison definitely in the mix at this stage if they can stay on the field.

If we're talking elite/ should be an immortal then surely Mozer, IF he lives up to expectations, otherwise hard press for anyone else IMO.

 

[Broncosarethebest]

I think the word 'elite' doesn't fit into this topic. I think immortal and elite go together.

Ive thought highly of Piakura for awhile, but I hope he can spend more time on the field than off.

Riki hasn't picked up yet where he left last year. Jenson would get the nod before any of the others at this point.

Willison is a smoky, but he's still trying to nail a regular bench gig.

Sorry, need to point out I agree with elite not fitting and should go with immortal status/ or close to

 

[Broncosarethebest]

When I say Elite they have to make Rep level and this is for players in our top 30 who haven't reached that yet, not counting the early season Māori vs Indigenous, has to be Origin or Tier 1 level rep team atleast.

From my perspective it's between Mariner, Piakura, Riki and Willison mostly.

But for me Willison will be the one to make the biggest gains in rep this year, if he doesn't get injured he makes the Kiwi team for me.

Riki and Mariner might make it as well but Willison is something special from what I see, the boy is a beast.

Te kura will make the rep teams later but he is a few years behind atm being much younger, imo he will have the highest peak of every player here eventually(outside maybe Mozer), him and Mozer are still a few years away from showing their stuff on the mainstage properly.

Just read OP, sorry.

Willison for sure

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

Slightly off topic but on theme. Something I have thought about in the past is...
"Who out of the current team will make our greatest ever 13 by the time they retire?".

Walsh, cobbo, mam, haas and carrigan look like candidates of their careers keep going the way they are. But walsh would have to unseat kevvie Walters by getting lockyer moved to 5/8th, mam would have to unseat kevvie Walters or lockyer ffs, haas might already be in it tbf but damn what a field he would beat in Lazarus, webcke and ciovoniceva, and carrigan will unseat Parker (thank **** given his bs anti-broncos media career) by the end of this year

 

[Johnny92]

Slightly off topic but on theme. Something I have thought about in the past is...
"Who out of the current team will make our greatest ever 13 by the time they retire?".

Walsh, cobbo, mam, haas and carrigan look like candidates of their careers keep going the way they are. But walsh would have to unseat kevvie Walters by getting lockyer moved to 5/8th, mam would have to unseat kevvie Walters or lockyer ffs, haas might already be in it tbf but damn what a field he would beat in Lazarus, webcke and ciovoniceva, and carrigan will unseat Parker (thank **** given his bs anti-broncos media career) by the end of this year

I was thinking something similar about which of our current crop would be worthy of a statue in 20 years.

But to your question Walsh and Carrigan are probably the strongest chances maybe Haas on the bench if your doing 17.
If Cobbo or Mam break Renoufs try scoring record or get up there, they come into contention.
How many Premierships as coach would Kevvie have to win to take Wayne's spot? If he loses his spot to Lockyer at 5/8 he's gotta be in the team somewhere.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

I was thinking something similar about which of our current crop would be worthy of a statue in 20 years.

But to your question Walsh and Carrigan are probably the strongest chances maybe Haas on the bench if your doing 17.
If Cobbo or Mam break Renoufs try scoring record or get up there, they come into contention.
How many Premierships as coach would Kevvie have to win to take Wayne's spot? If he loses his spot to Lockyer at 5/8 he's gotta be in the team somewhere.

I think it'd take 3 or 4 premierships minimum to make it a serious conversation about Walters given its a very different scenario he's won them in (harder tbh) and he's also a favourite son of the club, but bennett ws our inaugural and most games coached as well. Top 17 he'd be on the bench no matter what.

I think haas would definitely be in the top 17 now, given he's won 5 lub player of the year awards and 3 dally m prop of the year awards. The rest of his career decided whether he's starting over the other 3. 1 premiership will lock it in, and he'd just have to not do a taumololo to finish his career with us and play most of his career with us.

 

[McHunt]

I don’t even need to look at it to know he isn’t going to tally many points, it’s a broken system.

Ponga is the only elite spine player in his team and tallys high every time they win, as an example. There are 3 or 4 elite players in our side who will tally before Billy does. If Billy were playing like he was towards the back end of last season at a team like the Titans, he’d get 3 points every time they win a game. We have too many good players for anyone in our team to feature in a Dally M count.

Brandon Smith is a great player but he will end up being a lock, at some stage. He’s one of the key reasons they’ve been struggling, his service is horrible. So with that, I have Billy ahead of him.

Okay, take the popularity contest out of it. Take away the competition with your team mates, and look purely at your peers in other clubs.

Even Macca and Turpin regularly led competition statistics in defence - and playing long minutes. I think everyone agrees Billy's been an upgrade on them at passing the ball to the player beside him. But how does he compare to other hookers statistically?

Here's one that's almost all hookers. Dummy Half runs:

Players

Players

www.nrl.com

 

[McHunt]

Every player is a flight risk. Mozer needs to prove something before he is valued any more than a bottom line top 30 contract. I'd like to think he is the next big thing but he isn't really belting the door down demanding selection over Smoothy or Walters.

Dally M points is a popularity contest. There is no way KP won the medal last year. I can think of about 6 players that had a better season than he did.

Mozer hasn't proven anything at NRL level. He's never been given the chance. And the way things are going he may not get the chance this year. He hits the market this November. The worry is he might join his housemate at the Titans. He's a coast boy.

 

[Sproj]

Mozer hasn't proven anything at NRL level. He's never been given the chance. And the way things are going he may not get the chance this year. He hits the market this November. The worry is he might join his housemate at the Titans. He's a coast boy.

The GC have their own Mozer already in Bryant.