Burg
QCup Player
- Mar 4, 2008
- 565
- 20
Broncos and defensive coach agree to part ways PHIL LUTTON
February 2, 2010
The Brisbane Broncos will put the finishing touches on their NRL season preparations without defensive coach Peter Ryan, although the club has denied he was given his marching orders.
Ryan, a fearless back-rower who spent 10 seasons dishing out pain in Brisbane colours, has been a defensive consultant at the Broncos since hanging up his boots in 2002, after playing for rugby union's ACT Brumbies.
A spokesman for the club confirmed Ryan had moved on, saying he had come to a mutual agreement with management to depart Red Hill and focus on business interests, which were increasingly clashing with his coaching commitments.
It is understood Ryan has had several disagreements with head coach Ivan Henjak, leading to a decision to finish his tenure at the club before Brisbane take the field for their NRL opener against the Cowboys on Friday, March 12.
Ryan was also a defensive consultant at the Queensland Reds before leaving Ballymore to concentrate on his work with the Broncos.
In his playing days, he was one of the most feared hitmen in the game, playing 155 games for the Broncos after making his debut in 1989. He switched codes at the end of 1999, playing 35 games of Super rugby for the Brumbies before retiring. (http://www.smh.com.au)
As many of you would know I have been an open critic of the Broncos tackling style for many years with the Broncos typically among the worst performing teams in the NRL for missed and ineffectual tackles (including offloads conceded). I have pointed the finger at Ryan during his tenure because it has been his responsibility as defensive coach to work on these areas and I’ve seen little or no improvement in the statistics relating to defence. The simple fact that plays in my mind is that the more tackles you miss, the more you have to make, which not only tires out the players but creates more opportunity for the opposition to score. Good teams with good defensive patterns that make quality one on one tackles win more games then they lose because it frustrates the opposition into mistakes. My concern is that the change has been made too late and we should have had a full offseason to work on new techniques. Still I think it’s a positive change. We just need to get his replacement right.
February 2, 2010
The Brisbane Broncos will put the finishing touches on their NRL season preparations without defensive coach Peter Ryan, although the club has denied he was given his marching orders.
Ryan, a fearless back-rower who spent 10 seasons dishing out pain in Brisbane colours, has been a defensive consultant at the Broncos since hanging up his boots in 2002, after playing for rugby union's ACT Brumbies.
A spokesman for the club confirmed Ryan had moved on, saying he had come to a mutual agreement with management to depart Red Hill and focus on business interests, which were increasingly clashing with his coaching commitments.
It is understood Ryan has had several disagreements with head coach Ivan Henjak, leading to a decision to finish his tenure at the club before Brisbane take the field for their NRL opener against the Cowboys on Friday, March 12.
Ryan was also a defensive consultant at the Queensland Reds before leaving Ballymore to concentrate on his work with the Broncos.
In his playing days, he was one of the most feared hitmen in the game, playing 155 games for the Broncos after making his debut in 1989. He switched codes at the end of 1999, playing 35 games of Super rugby for the Brumbies before retiring. (http://www.smh.com.au)
As many of you would know I have been an open critic of the Broncos tackling style for many years with the Broncos typically among the worst performing teams in the NRL for missed and ineffectual tackles (including offloads conceded). I have pointed the finger at Ryan during his tenure because it has been his responsibility as defensive coach to work on these areas and I’ve seen little or no improvement in the statistics relating to defence. The simple fact that plays in my mind is that the more tackles you miss, the more you have to make, which not only tires out the players but creates more opportunity for the opposition to score. Good teams with good defensive patterns that make quality one on one tackles win more games then they lose because it frustrates the opposition into mistakes. My concern is that the change has been made too late and we should have had a full offseason to work on new techniques. Still I think it’s a positive change. We just need to get his replacement right.