Search titles only
By:
Forums
New posts
Search forums
Videos
Random
Playlists
Members
Registered members
Current visitors
New Posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More options
Dark Theme
View sidebar
Contact us
Close Menu
Forums
Rugby League
Rugby League Talk
Old School Footy Discussion
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
[QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 3307857, member: 1899"] Coming off of Super League, the game had entered a period of turbulence where clubs were either forced to merge or fold altogether. In order for clubs to pay their player's wages, the NRL introduced salary cap concessions that allowed clubs to field squads that far exceeded the salary cap. On top of that, extended benches and unlimited interchanges were used in-line with the earlier start to the 2000 season which had to wrap up before the Olympics. Going into 2001 the game was beginning to return some normalcy. A 12 interchange limit was introduced and the salary cap concessions were being eased so teams had to manage their rosters more carefully. It's one of the reasons why Parramatta were so dominant that season. Brian Smith had done a fantastic job of developing these younger fitter players and on top of that he identified early on the importance of a quality dummy half. That season a former Penrith Panthers player Brad Drew had this spectacular season where he would just initiate attacking wave after attacking wave allowing the likes of Brett Hodgson, Jamie Lyon, Jason Moodie etc. to take full advantage. Brisbane weren't quite as prepared. Their roster had taken a hit after losing Kevie Walters, Brad Thorn, Tonie Carroll, Kevin Campion, Harvey Howard etc.and the squad became a lot younger. There was talk early on about signing Andrew Johns for the 2001 season which would have destroyed the competition, but the Broncos had to settle for one of the best young playmakers in the competition in Scott Prince. Princey was one of those exciting players who every now and then would turn heads in an otherwise bad Cowboys outfit. At 20 years old, he had the world at his feet and was the most likely player to fill the shoes Walters had left. However it wasn't an easy transition at all for Prince and he really struggled to assert himself in the team. After a pretty ordinary start to the season, Prince found himself on the bench and later dropped. Prince never quite found the form expected of him at the club. Everytime it seemed like he was beginning to turn a corner, he'd suffer some set-back. Before Yow Yeh, one of the most horrific injuries in a Broncos jersey was Scott Prince's broken leg which echoed through out QEII Stadium in a game against the Bulldogs. Then around that time, Prince lost his father to tragic circumstances. It's a real credit to him he was able to turn it around and have the career he did. Unfortunately for the Broncos those initial struggles set the tone for what was to come. Brisbane still had a great team that year and were still well and truly in a premiership window. However as the season wore on the injuries started to pile up and it was the first season where we saw the start of an unfortunate trend, the post-Origin season slump. After Origin III, Brisbane would go on a 1-7 run into the finals and just always seemed to be playing off the back foot. Injuries certainly played their part but it just seemed like Brisbane had run their race as a team. Looking back on it, the Broncos just missed that ruggedness and starch players like Kevin Campion, Brad Thorn and Harvey Howard brought. Brad Meyers, Carl Webb, Corey Parker etc. tried hard but they just didn't have the confidence to help the team out. On top of that the salary cap started to make an impact. Dell didn't show up that year until his final two games after signing with the Reds and Luke Priddis really struggled to make the same impact as the previous year after being moved on by the club. On top of that you had the Justin Hodges drama which dominated headlines and really painted the Broncos in a bad light. So much of the run towards the finals came down to Lockyer, and while Darren would play out of his skin and play some unbelievable footy, it was just rarely enough. The only real highlight from that period was the Semi against St George where Wendell woke up and had one of the most dominant games you'll see from a winger. 2001 was one of the hardest seasons the club had been through. Not only did they have a horrific injury toll but they lost one of their founders in Paul Morgan. Still, they pushed Parramatta in the Prelim Final and ended the year with their head held high. They were no longer the dominant team in the competition, but they weren't going to go away yet. I won't go into too much depth with 2002. It was very similar to 2001 except Brisbane had more leadership with guys like Allan Langer, Andrew Gee and Gorden Tallis back from injury and stints in the UK. Their presence made the Broncos a stronger team but still in that run to the finals they were found wanting. They lost to all the other Top 4 teams on the way to the finals, with Waratahs bound Lote Tuqiri getting out-played by John Morris of all-players who found himself on the wing for Newcastle. I thought that performance typified Lote's form-slump, from one of the most destructive players in the competition to someone getting dominated by a utility. In the end they lost to Sydney by 4 points in close final marred by controversy. Putting the Harrigan performance to the side, Brisbane just didn't have the intensity or class of prior teams. Unfortunately the salary cap by this point had well and truly taken hold. On top of losing Tuqiri, one of the world's best players, the return of South Sydney saw Chris Walker and Ash Harrison depart the club. The Broncos who had built their reputation on exciting backline stars like Hancock, Renouf, Sailor, Carne etc. were beginning to look far less threatening. While you couldn't say they weren't a good team, it seemed like only a matter of time before they went through some lean years. With the premiership window winding down I'm going to look largely at 2004 and how a gamble brought the Broncos back into prominence. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Log in
Your name or email address
Password
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Log in
Don't have an account?
Register now
Active Now
Porthoz
ivanhungryjak
Forums
Rugby League
Rugby League Talk
Old School Footy Discussion
Top
AdBlock Message
Please consider adding BHQ to your Adblock Whitelist. We do our best to make sure it doesn't affect your experience on the website, and the funds help us pay server and software costs.