The two players that can end Brisbane's Premiership drought

If the Brisbane Broncos are to win the 2025 NRL Premiership and end a 19-year Premiership drought, SEN’s Corey Parker believes it will be through their strong forward pack.

It is widely acknowledged that the Broncos possess some of the best attacking weapons in the competition with the likes of Reece Walsh, Selwyn Cobbo and Jesse Arthars among others at their disposal.

However, Parker feels the Broncos’ forward pack is often overlooked and will be crucial in determining Brisbane’s fortunes this season.

“If a team is to win a competition, it’s won or loss by the forwards and by how much is determined by the outside backs,” Parker said on SENQ Breakfast.

“The outside backs can turn half chances into full chances.

“They have some exciting, firebrand back rowers that have their best football still ahead of them.

“If you look back at the teams that have won the competition, they always have a Test front rower in the team.

“I cannot find a team in the last 10 years where that isn’t the case. You need at least one elite, world class front rower in your team to win a competition.

“Do the Broncos have that? At this point in time, they have two of them.

“Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan.”

However, Parker is cautious of the Broncos given their spectacular collapses in recent years.

In 2022, the Broncos sat fourth in Round 19 before losing five of their last six games to miss out on finals entirely.

After being moments away from the 2023 Premiership, Brisbane watched Nathan Cleary snatch the game late for Penrith and tumultuous 2024 season resulted in a 12th place finish and the dismissal of coach Kevin Walters.

“The challenge for the Brisbane Broncos will be up to the them,” Parker added.

“They have the tools. They have the recipe and they have the players to take them to the next level.

“Should they play in a Grand Final? That’s up to them.”

The Broncos begin their 2025 season at Allianz Stadium against the Sydney Roosters on March 6.

SEN

 

[Dazza 92]

I was hoping the two players needed were two new backrowers...!

 

[mitch222]

I can tell you one thing, no team has won a comp with their highest paid player being a front rower. Regardless of how good Haas is, he shouldn't be the highest paid player in the team full stop.

 

[BroncsFan]

I can tell you one thing, no team has won a comp with their highest paid player being a front rower. Regardless of how good Haas is, he shouldn't be the highest paid player in the team full stop.

He won't be when Walsh's contract fully kicks in... if it isn't already

 

[McHunt]

Also Ezra mam.

And Reece Walsh.

And Adam Reynolds.

And Ben Hunt.

 

[theshed]

I can tell you one thing, no team has won a comp with their highest paid player being a front rower. Regardless of how good Haas is, he shouldn't be the highest paid player in the team full stop.

How much was Fish on at Panthers??

 

[Fernando]

Premierships are won by the halfback lol. 9 of the last 10 comps won by Cleary, Hughes, Cronk and Thurston.

 

[Mr Fourex]

I can tell you one thing, no team has won a comp with their highest paid player being a front rower. Regardless of how good Haas is, he shouldn't be the highest paid player in the team full stop.

Still...... a forward pack = 3 + 2 + 1

6.

2 of our 6 are super stars.......

Te Kura and Willison....if injury doesn't **** them, they're next in line.

There's no excuses for McGuire if we fail.

 

[1910]

I can tell you one thing, no team has won a comp with their highest paid player being a front rower. Regardless of how good Haas is, he shouldn't be the highest paid player in the team full stop.

Lazo at Storm in 99 easily the highest paid.

Lazo at Broncos in 97 easily equal top.

 

[Sproj]

Premierships are won by the halfback lol. 9 of the last 10 comps won by Cleary, Hughes, Cronk and Thurston.

Did the tenth team run without a halfback?

 

[Fernando]

Did the tenth team run without a halfback?

Haha well it was Townsend, who isn't not in the same league as the others but was playing very well. Think it shows that unless you have an outstanding 7 you are making up the numbers.

 

[BroncsFan]

Did the tenth team run without a halfback?

The Chad when sharks definitely weren't over the cap... but they also had Barba, Maloney and Ennis filling out the spine... so the Chad wasn't needed all that much, but at least he stifled cows for a years on the back of it

 

[Mr Fourex]

The Chad had magnificent hair......that's all I'll remember.

 

[Scorchie]

I can tell you one thing, no team has won a comp with their highest paid player being a front rower. Regardless of how good Haas is, he shouldn't be the highest paid player in the team full stop.

The Storm's highest paid players were the front rowers, because they paid the backs with boats.

 

[Super Freak]

Prop being the highest paid is usually because they're that teams best player and aren't really in a position to contest for a premiership. That's not the case with us.

Bromwich was top 3 highest paid at Storm. Do they still win premierships if he was the highest paid? I think so.

 

[mitch222]

Prop being the highest paid is usually because they're that teams best player and aren't really in a position to contest for a premiership. That's not the case with us.

Bromwich was top 3 highest paid at Storm. Do they still win premierships if he was the highest paid? I think so.

There is absolutely no fucking way in blue hell Bromwich was in the top 3 highest paid at the storm ever. Slater, Cronk, Smith then you went to Munster, Papenhausen, Hughes and Grant during the transition.

 

[Morkel]

The Storm proved that fatigue is the way to get on top of your opponents. You can have the best forwards skittling defenders, but if those defenders are not fatigued they should be drilled enough in the NRL to hold their structures. Same defensively, your props can be enforcers but with enough repeat efforts and fatigue across the team, you'll eventually crack.

And the recently successful teams have proven that you need favourable calls and to rort the refs or rules to create fatigue in your opposition. Wrestling and therefore giving your defence time to set and recover. Rorting HIA rules. The Roosters introduced deliberate penalties to do the same (allow defence to reset and recover). The Panthers being off-side and giving away penalties to keep the opposition pinned. And, this is a positive aspect, respecting and holding the ball. You could have the best entire pack in the comp but it means shit if you're fatigued.

 

[BroncsFan]

The Roosters introduced deliberate penalties to do the same (allow defence to reset and recover).

The thing with this is that rorters introduced it into league, but it was already present in many other sports previously.

They're basically known as tactical penalties and you see them in basketball and soccer a lot... in soccer they will commit the foul to stop a break, but they know they're getting a yellow card. NBA they will commit to stop a fast break, but they can only have 6 fouls per player before getting ejected from the game.

There are consequences for giving away these tactical penalties in other sports.

In league there aren't really consequences... every now and then a ref will send someone to the bin for repeat infringements, but ultimately you aren't really being punished all that much... with six again rule you might be punished with 1 extra tackle... and then it's amplified even further because ref's are reluctant to blow a million penalties so teams are doing them without even being punished at all... which is fucking madness!!!... imagine in soccer if a player was deliberately brought down on a break and it was just play on... that's basically how NRL is reffed.

The issue is that tactical penalties aren't known by the general league fan, because it's not something that has been in league until rorters brought it in around 2010.

And even now it's not really analysed enough by commentators to explain to the general fan what is happening out there and why are teams doing it... instead they just point at the penalty count being 6-0 and chuck in a "jeez they're getting a rough end from the ref"... or "they need to be better disciplined"... which fans then look at and throw out #penaltybroncos... but instead reality they're probably disciplined to exactly what the coach wants them to do.