OFFICIAL Willison Re-Signs until 2027

[Mr Fourex]

 

[Broncosgirl]

 

[Bucking Beads]

who's leaving next @Bucking Beads ?

Mozer and Staggs surely

 

[BooKhaki]

Great news, hopefully not on silly money. Ideally he spends the entire 2025 coming off the bench. Start Jensen and allow him to keep developing.

 

[Allo]

8. Willison
9. Mozer
10. Haas
13. Carrigan

Anyone?

I’d rather go

8. Carrigan
10. Haas
13. Hetherington

15. Jensen
16. Willison
17. BTK/2nd row+back hybrid cover

Carrigan can play prop like he is for Australia, he and Haas can get an early break for Jensen + Willison while Hetho stays on, Carrigan comes back on for Kobe at about the 50ish mark and plays out the rest and/or rotate with the rest of the pack where needed.

We gotta stop running Patty and Haas into the ground and we need more from our bench

 

[Fitzy]

Great news, hopefully not on silly money. Ideally he spends the entire 2025 coming off the bench. Start Jensen and allow him to keep developing.

I think he is an age and ability now where he doesn’t need holding back. I think he has to earn it most definitely but if he earns it and the bench balance is right he isn’t at a stage where you have to hold the poor think back anymore. He is a middle forward.

 

[Sproj]

I’d rather go

8. Carrigan
10. Haas
13. Hetherington

15. Jensen
16. Willison
17. BTK/2nd row+back hybrid cover

Carrigan can play prop like he is for Australia, he and Haas can get an early break for Jensen + Willison while Hetho stays on, Carrigan comes back on for Kobe at about the 50ish mark and plays out the rest and/or rotate with the rest of the pack where needed.

We gotta stop running Patty and Haas into the ground and we need more from our bench

This is a good point. As much as I defended Kevvie, his bench usage was woeful, as bad as Seesbums.

@Redfern_1980 How is your…I mean Maguire’s bench usage?

 

[Foordy]

I still personally think we need Willison off the bench. We dont have a great deal of impact and he had to have been one of the best bench impact forwards at any club last year.

couldn't agree more.

we need someone to be able to change or maintain momentum when Payne and Patty get a rest ... Willison is that player.

Jensen is better off being used as a workhorse starting prop. he isn't an impact player

 

[BroncsFan]

I still personally think we need Willison off the bench. We dont have a great deal of impact and he had to have been one of the best bench impact forwards at any club last year.

Being a bench forward doesn't get the love that it should.

They come on as a pair and are playing with the remaining fatigued middle players, typically hooker and lock, so it puts more workload on them in defence and attack to either maintain momentum or have to flip momentum... it also becomes a game within the game, because the two bench middles are coming on at pretty much the same time as the opposition's bench middles.

I remember back sometime within the 2015-2017 era there was a season when we had Offa and TPJ coming off the bench and they were the best bench in the league... their ability to come on and maintain or flip momentum was able to turn games.

Ever since then I've had a massive appreciation towards good bench middles.

To be honest I think the third middle starting with Patty and Payne should be our 4th or even 5th best middle, because I want the guys on the bench to be able to dominate the opposition.

It's just overloading having the 3 best middles start the game when everyone is fresh ... there's an entire middle portion of the game where they won't be there.

 

[MrRobot]

Being a bench forward doesn't get the love that it should.

They come on as a pair and are playing with the remaining fatigued middle players, typically hooker and lock, so it puts more workload on them in defence and attack to either maintain momentum or have to flip momentum... it also becomes a game within the game, because the two bench middles are coming on at pretty much the same time as the opposition's bench middles.

I remember back sometime within the 2015-2017 era there was a season when we had Offa and TPJ coming off the bench and they were the best bench in the league... their ability to come on and maintain or flip momentum was able to turn games.

Ever since then I've had a massive appreciation towards good bench middles.

To be honest I think the third middle starting with Patty and Payne should be our 4th or even 5th best middle, because I want the guys on the bench to be able to dominate the opposition.

It's just overloading having the 3 best middles start the game when everyone is fresh ... there's an entire middle portion of the game where they won't be there.

You make very good points. But I think you also have to consider the experience of the other bench forwards. For example, you might not start your most experienced middles (Haas, Patty and Jensen) if that means you bring Willison and Te Kura on at the same time.

Not sure what I’d do. But I think having experience on the park at all times is important. But so is impact. So, who knows what the best combo is yet?

 

[BroncsFan]

You make very good points. But I think you also have to consider the experience of the other bench forwards. For example, you might not start your most experienced middles (Haas, Patty and Jensen) if that means you bring Willison and Te Kura on at the same time.

Not sure what I’d do. But I think having experience on the park at all times is important. But so is impact. So, who knows what the best combo is yet?

True and very good points... I think in this instance it can come down to the level of maturity that the club and coaches think they have in Willison, and basically how much trust does the coaching staff have in Willison.

We've got him until 2027 now... so the risk of him seeing the bench as a demotion is lessened... because it can be part of development... if he has the maturity to really take ownership of that bench rotation and really owning that role... it becomes a massive strength to the forward pack.

NAS has basically been impact off the bench up until the last couple years.

There's been a few times where Willison has been required to basically own the middle of the field without the big guns there... Dogs Rd 20 in 2023 when the origin players were rested comes to mind and Dragons at Suncorp in 2022... he was out there with a middle of him, Gamble and Kobe... super small and he was the only genuine big on the field plus he was a baby faced rookie... he's also shown in rep games like the all stars where he just injects impact and puts it on himself to own the middle.

It looks like he has the maturity to take on the role of being a leader in the middle... whereas I feel like being the 3rd middle to Patty and Payne doesn't require that compared to what's needed on the bench.. next to those two you just need to do a job.

In the situation you put forward consideration also has to be put on Kobe being part of the middle and whether that 17 jersey goes to BTK or a hybrid edge/middle... that 17 jersey is way up in the air with Madge coming in versus it being an afterthought in a Kevvie rotation.

But assuming it's a hybrid ... would you rather a bench of Kobe and Jensen coming on for Haas and Willison... or Kobe and Willison coming on for Jensen and Haas.

Personally I think Willison and Kobe are a good pairing to come off the bench and joining Patty...

In saying that what do we do with Patty so he's not playing near 80mins every game also has to come into it... I'm still wanting Kobe to be a hybrid, which allows BTK to be on the bench... and holy shit that is some kind of bench.

A lot of questions for Madge to answer, but I think he has the cattle there for a solution and I'm interested to see what he does with them.

 

[Sproj]

I wonder where Semu sits in all this. He’s got a decent length contract but that was also under the previous coach. I wonder if he’s seen as the Jensen or Hetherington potential replacement.

 

[BroncsFan]

I wonder where Semu sits in all this. He’s got a decent length contract but that was also under the previous coach. I wonder if he’s seen as the Jensen or Hetherington potential replacement.

True.. there was a post earlier that had Patty, Payne, Willison, BTK, Jensen and Kobe all in the same 17... it felt to me that we might have one too many middles in the same bracket... if we try to retain them all... because realistically you only need 5 middles for each game, so eventually you start paying overs for a guy that may not be in your 17 each week.

The club has made decisions on Patty being the leader... rightly so he's the gun in our pack and I'd say the most irreplaceable.

Payne is being paid the most, but on shorter contracts... I'd say that's a Payne decision to keep things flexible with the moving cap, etc., but either way broncos are committed to him.

BTK was already locked down until 2026 and is probably on the cheapest contract, but has potential on his side and broncos will be looking at 2025 to evaluate where he is actually at. He may end up pushing for one of those 5 spots in the 17 as early as next year.

Willison is now the first re-signing out of the last bunch... being him, Jensen and Kobe.

I think Semu is signed until like 2027 so he would fall into the same bracket as BTK and over the next few years he'll be playing cup with the coaches able to evaluate his potential.

If he comes along that could see him go past both Jensen and Kobe, so I would think we only need to commit to one of Jensen or Kobe... unless they both take club friendly deals, but that could leave one of them sitting in QCup in the near future.

Semu could also be like many other young forwards that come through, but are unable to create a career for themselves.

The broncos have put themselves into a position of leverage when it comes to middle forwards by locking down Willison, Patty and Payne.

 

[Sproj]

True.. there was a post earlier that had Patty, Payne, Willison, BTK, Jensen and Kobe all in the same 17... it felt to me that we might have one too many middles in the same bracket... if we try to retain them all... because realistically you only need 5 middles for each game, so eventually you start paying overs for a guy that may not be in your 17 each week.

The club has made decisions on Patty being the leader... rightly so he's the gun in our pack and I'd say the most irreplaceable.

Payne is being paid the most, but on shorter contracts... I'd say that's a Payne decision to keep things flexible with the moving cap, etc., but either way broncos are committed to him.

BTK was already locked down until 2026 and is probably on the cheapest contract, but has potential on his side and broncos will be looking at 2025 to evaluate where he is actually at. He may end up pushing for one of those 5 spots in the 17 as early as next year.

Willison is now the first re-signing out of the last bunch... being him, Jensen and Kobe.

I think Semu is signed until like 2027 so he would fall into the same bracket as BTK and over the next few years he'll be playing cup with the coaches able to evaluate his potential.

If he comes along that could see him go past both Jensen and Kobe, so I would think we only need to commit to one of Jensen or Kobe... unless they both take club friendly deals, but that could leave one of them sitting in QCup in the near future.

Semu could also be like many other young forwards that come through, but are unable to create a career for themselves.

The broncos have put themselves into a position of leverage when it comes to middle forwards by locking down Willison, Patty and Payne.

It’s really on Kobe to have a big year. He was poor this season, he won’t want to back it up with another poor one because he is suddenly a bit potentially expendable if the club wants to pursue a decent outside back.

 

[BroncsFan]

It’s really on Kobe to have a big year. He was poor this season, he won’t want to back it up with another poor one because he is suddenly a bit potentially expendable if the club wants to pursue a decent outside back.

Yep and I think that's who the club want to invest in (out of him and Jensen), but he really needs to up his game in terms of versatility.

He's only 25... I don't think he's ever going to be a guy that is looking to break the bank in terms of salary, but could always be the guy that the club can depend on to do a role.

If he can position himself as a Mr fix it across the forwards... he'll find that he can get paid well enough and be in the 17 every week.

The broncos desperately need that kind of no frills dependable player that can be called on without breaking the bank.... and that can lead to him being a 10yr 200 game bronco, which basically sets him up for life after footy, because the club usually finds a role for someone like that.

 

[Mustafur]

I still personally think we need Willison off the bench. We dont have a great deal of impact and he had to have been one of the best bench impact forwards at any club last year.

Definitely bench impqct atleast untill he can do bigger stints which he can't yet, probably a '26 starter.