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New Brisbane assistant coach Peter Ryan says Broncos must rebuild their defence if they want a premiership
FORMER Brisbane hitman Peter Ryan has pledged to instil a tougher defensive edge to the Broncos as pressure builds on Wayne Bennett to break the longest premiership drought in the club’s history.
Brisbane’s latest finals capitulation has prompted Bennett to send an SOS for his former tackling machine Ryan, who is set to return to Red Hill as the club’s defensive technical adviser.
A veteran of 147 NRL games, Ryan was one of the most feared hitters of his generation, with his aggression and technical power key pillars in Brisbane’s two premiership wins in 1993 and 1997.
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Peter Ryan gets to work on the Broncos defence. (AAP Image/Darren England)
Now Ryan is on a mission to finetune Brisbane’s defensive attitude as Bennett searches for answers following the Broncos’ woeful 48-18 finals drubbing by the Dragons last Sunday week.
The Broncos entered this year’s playoffs with the worst defensive record of the top-eight teams, having leaked a whopping 500 points in the regular season.
They finished the 2018 campaign having haemorrhaged 548 points at an average of 21.9 per game, numbers Ryan says the Broncos must fix urgently to have any hope of winning their first title since 2006.
Wayne Bennett knew where the side needed work. (AAP Image/Darren England)
“Wayne called me and asked if I would be interested in coaching at the Broncos on a part-time basis,” said Ryan, who has worked with the ACT Brumbies and the Fiji national team in rugby union.
“Wayne wants to run his own defensive systems, so I will have the role of teaching tackle technique and we’ll see where it goes.
“The Broncos have a really good young group but they aren’t defensively orientated like the best teams in the competition.
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“Teams like Melbourne and the Roosters build their success on defence.
“Given time, this Broncos team can be a genuine force, but you don’t win premierships conceding 500 points in a season.
“Historically, you can’t leak points and win premierships.
“If you aren’t under the 15 or 16 point average per game for the year, you don’t have a chance (of winning a title).
“You can talk up your attack as much as you want but if you are letting in 20 points per week, you won’t be a threat.”
We will see Ryan’s results next season. (AAP Image/Darren England)
Ryan believes Broncos young guns Tevita Pangai Jr, David Fifita and Payne Haas have the potential to be defensive demons.
“This new group of rookies can genuinely put the heat on and (Broncos’ Origin back-rower) Matt Gillett can hurt blokes,” he said.
“They just need to learn the intricacies of defending in the NRL and once they get that aspect right, they can definitely be a force.
“The biggest thing is working together as a group. You need good communication and good strong contact and if you do that, then you are a good chance of winning the ruck.
“Brisbane’s defence wasn’t great by any measure this year, but I can take things in the right direction, I am confident of that.”
