Sticking with the kids.

[Dexter]

Successful clubs think longer term than that - Why sign that established 23 year old for next season when you could have been proactive, identified what appeared to be a future shortfall in that position, and signed him years earlier?

I understand it has to happen at some points, however we still have preferable options to explore in the halves before heading onto the open market and paying well overs for a quick fix. Players such as Maloney and Sandow are evidence of why you need to think these things through carefully.

The Broncos are not Parra or Roosters who both have a track record of paying overs for shooting stars. As for Srama, no he wouldn't be earning the same if someone poached him but if the Titans wanted to keep him they would have to offer comparable $ so there is not that much difference to growing your own or buying when it comes to that stage.

So m1c who do you see as preferable options we have ?

 

[Bucking Beads]

I think us making finals or even being a premiership threat relies heavily on how Norman develops. I think Hoffman should come good once he is over his injuries. Our forward pack looks ok and we seem to have some decent prospects coming through. Overall backing our kids is the right way to go but it doesn't hurt looking outside the box sometimes.

 

[m1c]

So m1c who do you see as preferable options we have ?

We still have a few hands to play in regards to our halves. Norman with a full season under his belt you would argue will be better for the experience - 2013 is make or break for him. Hunt has yet to be given an extended go, and even Kahu hasn't had an opportunity - he was originally one of the front runners for the #6.

We were dominant with a Wallace/Norman pairing for two thirds of the season and then extremely competitive over consecutive weeks against the top three teams. They aren't on the scrap heap yet.

 

[Dexter]

Fair enough, we will get to see how that pans out next year. It will be interesting though if we get half way through the year, and are struggling, when or if they look to recruit. If they don't do it early then we can kiss 2014 goodbye as well.

 

[The Brizz]

I just don't want to see Griffin be so loyal to the Michael Hagan degree of coaching where the team could get beat by 50 and he changes nothing. On recruiting guys I don't care if it is NRL level guys or we look at kids from outside our system in either Toyota Cup or Q Cup but we seriously lack creativity and we seriously lack guys that can break the line. Our 1-7 positions are seriously all up for grabs at this point as far as I am concerned (Hodges is the one guy who has earned the right to walk in to a position) the rest of those spots are not being filled by anyone who is showing enough in attack to demand automatic selection.

 

[rod78]

I don't understand how Melbourne had one QLD feeder club, and they found Cronk, Smith, Slater and Inglis. Why can't we find a superstar in one of our 4 or 5 feeder clubs? Developing young players is great, but you need to find those special players too, not just safe ones.

We had smith, Cronk babra Cassiano all signed and then released as we didnt believe they had talent. In the past our recuitment didnt have to be perfect because if we missed a young player we would catch them later in q cup. Now every team has affiliated teams in the q cup so our **** ups other will pick up.

 

[Big Pete]

Funny enough, it was Hook who brought Cronk to Melbourne all those years ago.

 

[Mister Wright]

I don't understand what people are saying about us not recruiting big stars. It was only 4 years ago that we signed Falou, probably a mistake to only sign him for 2 years and if the AFL weren't starting a new franchise he would still be with the team. Let's not forgot we actually nabbed Inglis as well early last year before the rain set in and he couldn't catch a plane to sign a contract. I think we've decided after investing heavily in getting these two superstars to our club we've gone a bit gun shy on the recruiting comp. It's almost like the bosses have said, "we're not going to waste our time buying these players if they leave or don't sign, so let's stick with our own."

 

[rnabokov]

We do buy talent - just not a level that gets the plaudits. Buying them young is the way to go - before they debut or before their real worth has been established. The club should be given kudos for their recruitment with the retirement of Lockyer in mind. Do you think it's a coincidence Hunt, Norman and Kahu - three genuine options for the #6 jersey - are on the scene at the same time?

Someone's made some great decisions over the last 3-4 years to secure that trio - all of whom have great junior pedigrees.

My real recruitment concern is that there has been no replacement sought for Gagai. He was the man earmarked for Hodges right centre position. Using this as an example - It's far better to buy a prospective strike centre at 20 years of age rather than a 22-23 year old who's now a regular first grader and on the cusp of rep' honours.

Recruitment shouldn't be looking at short term solutions. Long term development is the gold standard..

I simply cannot see how Hunt and Norman are serious contenders for the halves. Kahu I haven't see, and Norman, maybe if someone could get through to him that there is more to 5/8 than running at the line and ignoring a 5 man overlap.

That to me shows me someone who just doesn't have enough upstairs to do the pivotal role of 5/8

The Gagai incident/accident, according to the view that this club has good logic in investing in juniors, then there should have been an option to replace him. I mean, it wasn't like suddenly Gagai became insanely un-Bronco like.

I think the argument for developing juniors is admirable, but as someone else posted, with our current roster, a periership in 2-3 seasons time looks highly unlikely.

As a passionate Bronco fan, I don't want to wait that long. To me, if that's the club's strategy, then IMO, that is not vision, it is being blind to the bleeding obvious.

 

[vertigo]

I think the argument for developing juniors is admirable, but as someone else posted, with our current roster, a periership in 2-3 seasons time looks highly unlikely.

Don't worry, idiots in the media will keep pumping us up saying we'll dominate for the next couple of years despite no evidence to support it.

 

[Burg]

Actually I agree with the article. A great many posters in this forum and others all cry out to bring up fresh talent from our junior ranks, no doubt with the hope that these players will turn out to be the next superstar. Now on the surface this is totally logical as every superstar obviously started a young nobody. However looking deeper you start to see that if you only have one policy then you are setting yourself up to fail. Firstly the Broncos have shown over the past couple of years what a youth only policy brings, early season enthusiasm and late season fade outs. Young players run out of legs mid to late season unless they are the exception rather than the rule. For example you can have one or two young players, even in key positions if you have "old heads" around. As it's been said young men don't win marathons. Now I am not suggesting a clean out of playing roster, but to totally exclude looking at any external player is not only folly but almost arrogant. As much as a fan as I am of Normans, he doesn't appear top have the "god given talent" of vision that is mandatory for a half or 5/8. Wallace, as I have said many times before if a defensive half not an attacking one. Partner him with someone like S.Johnston, Marshall, Thurston or of course Lockyer and he'd be great, but expect him to create everything and wont happen, because it's not his style and he shouldn't be criticised for being something he is not. Sorry to say but although Hunt has possibly better "vision" than Norman, he is a fair way of being NRL standard as an attacking half. I look around at our entire squad and I'm really struggling to find the next "Club Legend" with the possible exception of Glenn, McGuire and Yow Yeh (depending on how he returns). I fear without looking outside the club to bolster our playing ranks, we have lean times ahead. In saying that, maybe sub 10th spot finish is what is required to change the policy.

 

[Mr Fourex]

The Storm also payed huge overs for much of the best junior talent in the land. It's not like they were unique in being the only ones to identify Cronk, Smith Ingliss, Hoffman, Folau, Blair, Tomane, Chambers Proctor etc. They were all junior superstars. What was unique about the Storm is they were able to throw more money around than most. Problems arose when they got greedy and wanted to retain them all as senior players...

Cameron Smith wanted to be a Bronco.........and we told him we weren't interested.

friggin criminal........

 

[Bull Shark]

I don't understand what people are saying about us not recruiting big stars. It was only 4 years ago that we signed Falou, probably a mistake to only sign him for 2 years and if the AFL weren't starting a new franchise he would still be with the team. Let's not forgot we actually nabbed Inglis as well early last year before the rain set in and he couldn't catch a plane to sign a contract. I think we've decided after investing heavily in getting these two superstars to our club we've gone a bit gun shy on the recruiting comp. It's almost like the bosses have said, "we're not going to waste our time buying these players if they leave or don't sign, so let's stick with our own."

A bit of perspective is needed in regards to those two players and their links to the Broncos ... Because to a degree both were (or at least Inglis would have been) signings by default ... Folau was desperate to be back near his family and Inglis was pretty much forced to find a new home due to the Storm's cap catastrophe + the fact his partner was working up here (?) ..

It sure wasn't anything like the good old days of John Ribot et al who would just flat out get their man because its what the team needed to be better...

 

[Ari Gold]

Another thing too, if you are going to basically try and do it all with kids, then when you get one like Gagai, you can't release them for such minor reasons and still expect to have a same level player replace him. With clubs recruiting from all over these days it's a luxury that we no longer have.

 

[Big Pete]

Agreed Ari.

Based on what was reported it just sounds like we got rid of Gagai because he was a crappy trainer & chucked a massive sook when Copley was preferred over him. Obviously there could be more to the story but given the talent of Gagai it still seems odd we got rid of him so hastily without anyone to replace him. Especially when Beale was leaving, Yow Yeh couldn't even walk & Kahu was rehabbing his knee.

Too soon to call 'sticking with the kids' a failure. It doesn't look bright but don't think our issues at the back end of this year was merely a personnel problem. Obviously Hook needs to alter the gameplan & if we receive some fortunate post-Origin we could be in with a real chance in 2013.

Also, I don't buy what White or Gee said. I reckon we'll see a few discards poke their heads up around the off-season that will catch us by surprise.

 

[Bull Shark]

Agreed Ari.

Based on what was reported it just sounds like we got rid of Gagai because he was a crappy trainer & chucked a massive sook when Copley was preferred over him. Obviously there could be more to the story but given the talent of Gagai it still seems odd we got rid of him so hastily without anyone to replace him. Especially when Beale was leaving, Yow Yeh couldn't even walk & Kahu was rehabbing his knee.

Too soon to call 'sticking with the kids' a failure. It doesn't look bright but don't think our issues at the back end of this year was merely a personnel problem. Obviously Hook needs to alter the gameplan & if we receive some fortunate post-Origin we could be in with a real chance in 2013.

Also, I don't buy what White or Gee said. I reckon we'll see a few discards poke their heads up around the off-season that will catch us by surprise.

yeah while it's been seriously frustrating to listen to as a fan, perhaps the "we're not interested in anyone from outside" quotes from Gee et al from a few weeks ago was a 'key message' they decided would be best for the squad to be hearing while the season was still in running (?).

Maybe they decided the 'you're all on notice / playing for your futures' warning wasn't the way to get the best out of the young blokes at the time (?)

 

[vertigo]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...brisbane-broncos/story-e6frep76-1226471301738

The best young rugby league talent in Queensland appears to be headed everywhere but to the Brisbane Broncos.

 

[Alec]

I think we should hire 20 more scouts.