NEWS Slow news day: Steve Renouf picks his Brisbane Broncos team of the decade

[McHunt]

Steve Renouf picks his Brisbane Broncos
team of the decade​

Category: | The Courier Mail

www.couriermail.com.au

So the same players Ikin picked, but shuffled.

 

[FaithinHook]

As good/great as some of the players are in this particular team, I feel they would be absolutely annihilated by our premiership winning teams at their peak in the 1990's, early 2000's. We just have not produced the quality over the past 10 or so years that we used to. I am not sure as to the exact reasons why. Anyone?

 

[Kooly87]

As good/great as some of the players are in this particular team, I feel they would be absolutely annihilated by our premiership winning teams at their peak in the 1990's, early 2000's. We just have not produced the quality over the past 10 or so years that we used to. I am not sure as to the exact reasons why. Anyone?

We have consistently failed to identify and secure elite players during this period. We've had a decent share of good players, but realistically no absolute greats.

Queensland endured it's most successful period in Origin history but the core nucleus of that side mostly played for clubs besides the Broncos. That in my opinion really tells you everything you need to know about why we have endured our leanest decade ever.

 

[McHunt]

As good/great as some of the players are in this particular team, I feel they would be absolutely annihilated by our premiership winning teams at their peak in the 1990's, early 2000's. We just have not produced the quality over the past 10 or so years that we used to. I am not sure as to the exact reasons why. Anyone?

We have consistently failed to identify and secure elite players during this period. We've had a decent share of good players, but realistically no absolute greats.

Queensland endured it's most successful period in Origin history but the core nucleus of that side mostly played for clubs besides the Broncos. That in my opinion really tells you everything you need to know about why we have endured our leanest decade ever.

Yep, some of these names are a little underwhelming, despite having rep honours. And some we let go with barely a complaint. Did anyone care when we lost Boyd? What about Wallace? Many were pleased to see the back of Hunt. Petero and McGuire probably got shafted but at least we got their best years. Hodges went up a notch when he returned. We won there.

Sad to be reminded of what we lost in Yow Yeh. He might've been the best of all time.

 

[Kooly87]

Yep, some of these names are a little underwhelming, despite having rep honours. And some we let go with barely a complaint. Did anyone care when we lost Boyd? What about Wallace? Many were pleased to see the back of Hunt. Petero and McGuire probably got shafted but at least we got their best years. Hodges went up a notch when he returned. We won there.

Sad to be reminded of what we lost in Yow Yeh. He might've been the best of all time.

Losing Petero in the circumstances it happened was, for me personally, the day the Broncos as I knew them kind of died.

 

[mitch222]

As good/great as some of the players are in this particular team, I feel they would be absolutely annihilated by our premiership winning teams at their peak in the 1990's, early 2000's. We just have not produced the quality over the past 10 or so years that we used to. I am not sure as to the exact reasons why. Anyone?

Salary cap - next question

 

[Kooly87]

Salary cap - next question

It's not the salary cap's fault that we haven't produced a genuinely great player in over a decade now.

 

[FaithinHook]

It's not the salary cap's fault that we haven't produced a genuinely great player in over a decade now.

Exactly. The last great, boom youngster we produced was basically Lockyer back in the mid 1990s. Some people here have been creaming themselves over blokes like Dearden and Paix the last year or so and what they might potentially be over the next few years. I've not seen all that much to be excited about to be honest. Dearden might turn out to have a decent NRL career. Paix on the other hand will be nothing more than an 'normal garden variety' ISC player in my opinion.

With Lockyer and to a much lesser extent, Karmichael, you just knew they were gonna be special real early on.

 

[Kooly87]

Exactly. The last great, boom youngster we produced was basically Lockyer back in the mid 1990s. Some people here have been creaming themselves over blokes like Dearden and Paix the last year or so and what they might potentially be over the next few years. I've not seen all that much to be excited about to be honest. Dearden might turn out to have a decent NRL career. Paix on the other hand will be nothing more than an 'normal garden variety' ISC player in my opinion.

With Lockyer and to a much lesser extent, Karmichael, you just knew they were gonna be special real early on.

I think Karmichael was our last really special player. His career obviously never fulfilled its full potential and I'm not saying he would have necessarily got to Lockyer's standard, but he was definitely something pretty special and would have finished up as an all time great Bronco had he finished his career with us.

The really sobering part about just how much of his career we missed out on with Hunt is that he quite possibly could still have been playing for us today.

 

[Battler]

Thaiday should be in the second row over Glenn. Thaiday was crap in the middle outside of the odd good game.

 

[McHunt]

It's not the salary cap's fault that we haven't produced a genuinely great player in over a decade now.

Haas, Fifita and maybe even Dearden are already looking good for that category.

 

[FaithinHook]

Haas, Fifita and maybe even Dearden are already looking good for that category.

You're right McHunt, I forgot about Fifita and Haas. It is more the backs I'm thinking about though. I am not at all convinced Dearden will be anything special. As far as an elite 5/8 is concerned, Locky and Karmichael (to a lesser extent) were our last really. That was a loooong time ago now.

Young fellas these days are in my opinion spending far, far too much time on social media posting selfie photos of themselves/their abs. Back in the day, Locky et al were spending this time in the backyard honing their skills.

 

[Kooly87]

Haas, Fifita and maybe even Dearden are already looking good for that category.

Yep that's certainly possible with the first two. Still far too early to call Dearden. But that still puts almost 15 years between our last really special player in Karmichael Hunt and our next two in Fifita and Haas. That's just not really good enough given this is Brisbane we're talking about.

 

[McHunt]

Yep that's certainly possible with the first two. Still far too early to call Dearden. But that still puts almost 15 years between our last really special player in Karmichael Hunt and our next two in Fifita and Haas. That's just not really good enough given this is Brisbane we're talking about.

You're right McHunt, I forgot about Fifita and Haas. It is more the backs I'm thinking about though. I am not at all convinced Dearden will be anything special. As far as an elite 5/8 is concerned, Locky and Karmichael (to a lesser extent) were our last really. That was a loooong time ago now.

Young fellas these days are in my opinion spending far, far too much time on social media posting selfie photos of themselves/their abs. Back in the day, Locky et al were spending this time in the backyard honing their skills.

Yow Yeh was definitely something special.

 

[FaithinHook]

Yow Yeh was definitely something special.

For sure. But as far as halves go, we have been severely deficient over the past 10 years or more. Since Locky and KHunt, there has been a virtual vacuum of talent there. I was going to nominate BHunt, but then I remembered how that all finished, so yeh, no.

 

[Locky’s Left Boot]

As good/great as some of the players are in this particular team, I feel they would be absolutely annihilated by our premiership winning teams at their peak in the 1990's, early 2000's. We just have not produced the quality over the past 10 or so years that we used to. I am not sure as to the exact reasons why. Anyone?

Much like the younger generation coming through in society, we as a club have adopted a core group of players with a ‘there is more to life than football’ attitude and mentality. This isn’t just a Broncos problem by the way.

We currently have the talent at our disposal to do the damage, we just lack the creativity and more importantly the do or die mentality. In other words we have gone soft.

Years gone by you’d have blokes like Alfie, Webcke, Civoniceva, Lockyer, Kevvy and practically most members of the squad in the 90’s and early 2000’s who would die on the field for the Broncos jersey and leave no stone unturned for a victory.

How many players could you say that about now with our squad? I’d argue that a core group of our squad wouldn’t even be hurting after a loss. From the outside looking in I’d say losing affects Lodge more than anyone else. Alfie Langer quit the NRL because of a run of losses he felt he contributed largely to and it hurt him badly. Now we have captain Boyd who puts his head in the sand and vows to keep playing on with no repercussions to continue to collect his pay check despite his downhill spiral and basically put the club at ransom. Paul Morgan would turn in his grave with the current state of our playing stocks.

Reason why Storm and Roosters are always up there is not just because of the talent in their squad, but they are scared to lose and it actually means something to them which is why they continue to get the best out of themselves. We have accepted certain standards for far too long. When was the last team we actually put a team to the sword for 80 mins?

 

[Locky’s Left Boot]

Further to my post above a great example of this is Milford.

I’d argue that on sheer talent alone, Milford is far more talented than Cooper Cronk. Cronk’s mentality, his work ethic, his sheer determination and the way he trains has made him the player he is today and an retire knowing he got the absolute best out of himself.

Give Milford Cronk’s mindset/brain and you could have the next immortal

 

[Kooly87]

Yow Yeh was definitely something special.

Close. I'd put him the same category as Gillett, Parker and Hodges. Outstanding players in their own right, but just shy of being an out and out superstar.

To put it in context for the standard I'm talking about, I think the list of truly special, truly elite players that have worn our jersey is actually pretty small:

Wally
Miles
Lazarus
Renouf
Langer
Lockyer
Tallis
Webcke
K.Hunt