Broncos Roster, Signings and Rumours Discussion 2021

[Sproj]

@1910 or @Smokin' Joe or @all really,

Are there any 9's in the Q Cup that Brissy should be looking at that look like they could be Grant ready and are gettable? I think this would be a great place to start building everything around.

 

[jamesqld]

Daniel Tupou from the Roosters is off contract. Turns 30 this year.

Is he the sort of buy that's worth it, at say 450k, or are we better spending elsewhere.

Once we sort out the spine and re-signings, if we have a bit of cash left he could be a good option. Altenatively a more budget option would be Ikavalu or Pereira who are both playing reserves at the moment but are easily first grade standard in my opinion. However if Mead keeps up his form he earns another 12 month contract.

 

[Wolfie]

Jackson Hastings, last I checked he was doing very well in SL too.

I watch a fair bit of super league and he is doing well, but I have this feeling their more open style of play let's him do his thing better than in the NRL. Albert Kelly looked very good for a spell over there as well. The game is a fair bit more expansive than here.

 

[NSW stables]

Yeah, but even Cleary has Koroisau helping steer the team around the park too. It all starts with having a gun Dummy Half these days and Turpin just isn't at that level ununfortunately.

True, penrith didnt really take off until api joined them.

 

[Sproj]

I watch a fair bit of super league and he is doing well, but I have this feeling their more open style of play let's him do his thing better than in the NRL. Albert Kelly looked very good for a spell over there as well. The game is a fair bit more expansive than here.

Maybe expansive would work with the way the NRL has gone here. It is a game of fatigue and stupidity now, so maybe expansive is the way to go.

 

[Financeguy]

If we had the choice (and we probably don't), I'd still go all in on SJ over Reynolds. I've always loved the thought of SJ in a Broncos jersey, Reynolds not so much.

Any thoughts on Blake Austin as an option? Not sure his current contract situation but seems any player that wants to come back to Aus from SL can make it happen easily enough...

 

[Big Pete]

I can see the appeal of Reynolds, but I think in reality this would be a reasonable chance of not working out all that well for us.

Firstly, he's likely to be fairly expensive. Halfback's always are and in Reynolds' case a move to Brisbane would definitely not come cheap given he has no history with us and would likely want great money to pack his family up and leave Sydney.

Secondly, he's probably at least two years too old to be paying good money for. I get that he comes with a wealth of experience because of his age, but the likelihood is that he's already played his best football and would probably be steadily declining throughout his next contract. Souths obviously recognise this as being likely too because they've got far more reason to retain him than we do and even they aren't willing to offer him a long term deal.

I understand that but that's the type of halfback I would be chasing and I wouldn't be against throwing a $1,000,000 per annum to make it happen. My view is that the Broncos need a short term adjustment to help settle the balance of the squad.

The priority right now should be on the current squad and seeing what's worth persevering with and who they can bring into bolster the squad.

 

[Sproj]

Any thoughts on Blake Austin as an option? Not sure his current contract situation but seems any player that wants to come back to Aus from SL can make it happen easily enough...

He'll want too much and will offer too little. Basically Milf 2.0.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Yeah no thanks to Austin. If he was worth bringing back, another club would have done it by now.

 

[Dazza 92]

Last couple of English imports into Australia have been quite good, though its Canberra who have the best scouting network over there right now when you consider the amount of succes they have enjoyed.

So perhaps not just ex-pats from ESL should be targeted.

Also, i tend to agree with the evaluation of Turps. Running halfs need a hooker who can get his forwards over the advantage line consistently plus can make 3-4 clean breaks through the ruck to make the space needed..

Staggs at 5/8th looks good on paper, but his success would be linked with the type of hooker he plays with on the field. A Dearden/Staggs half combo would be interesting for sure...

 

[Jedhead]

He'll want too much and will offer too little. Basically Milf 2.0.

What we really need is Steve Austin. Alas, only the Rorters cap would be able to make his signing sustainable.

 

[Kooly87]

I understand that but that's the type of halfback I would be chasing and I wouldn't be against throwing a $1,000,000 per annum to make it happen. My view is that the Broncos need a short term adjustment to help settle the balance of the squad.

The priority right now should be on the current squad and seeing what's worth persevering with and who they can bring into bolster the squad.

I honestly feel if we actually had a million dollars a year to throw at someone then I'd be making my biggest priority getting ourselves a top shelf Dummy Half.

It's hard to do in practice because they're a rare thing and very difficult to pry away from their current clubs but I honestly believe a smart Dummy Half who can steer the side around and hold our defence around the ruck together would change our prospects almost instantly. If Dearden and Croft were getting service from a Harry Grant or a Josh Hodgson they'd be far more effective than they are currently. I'd even take Brandon Smith if that's the only one we have a realistic chance of pulling off.

Then I'd go and get us a Fullback that is an actual point of strength instead of a huge point of weakness for a change and all of a sudden we look like a far more serious football side.

 

[Wolfie]

Maybe expansive would work with the way the NRL has gone here. It is a game of fatigue and stupidity now, so maybe expansive is the way to go.

The big difference is the lack of wrestle. Its in the game there, but not like it is here. They don't have the kind of defensive structures. I do feel Hastings potentially could go alright, but I've just got this nagging doubt in my mind. On top of that, I just think our players are just generally bigger athletes than over there. There are some terrific footballers in super league, but they look like midgets compared to some NRL players.

Running halves actually go really well over there. I actually reckon if Milf went there he would probably become one of the best imports they have had in England. The whole game in England is just far less structured than in the NRL.

 

[Sproj]

I honestly feel if we actually had a million dollars a year to throw at someone then I'd be making my biggest priority getting ourselves a top shelf Dummy Half.

It's hard to do in practice because they're a rare thing and very difficult to pry away from their current clubs but I honestly believe a smart Dummy Half who can steer the side around and hold our defence around the ruck together would change our prospects almost instantly. If Dearden and Croft were getting service from a Harry Grant or a Josh Hodgson they'd be far more effective than they are currently. I'd even take Brandon Smith if that's the only one we have a realistic chance of pulling off.

Then I'd go and get us a Fullback that is an actual point of strength instead of a huge point of weakness for a change and all of a sudden we look like a far more serious football side.

Paix did look considerably improved, albeit only one game and in the wet, yesterday. He also needs considerably more development but who knows, maybe there is something there long-term yet.

 

[Wolfie]

Paix did look considerably improved, albeit only one game and in the wet, yesterday. He also needs considerably more development but who knows, maybe there is something there long-term yet.

Like a lot of our young blokes, he needs to develop his game in ISC for a year or two. The big stumbling bloke now for us is these stupidly large contracts that these kids are getting offered. I think the time is going to have to come where we just have to go all in on 3 or 4 stand out youngsters and hope they make it. We are probably going to still lose a lot of players who will go on to be good NRL players.

 

[Sproj]

Like a lot of our young blokes, he needs to develop his game in ISC for a year or two. The big stumbling bloke now for us is these stupidly large contracts that these kids are getting offered. I think the time is going to have to come where we just have to go all in on 3 or 4 stand out youngsters and hope they make it. We are probably going to still lose a lot of players who will go on to be good NRL players.

Totally agree. As the Storm showed with Smith, Slater and Cronk as well, if you get it right, you set yourself up for the next 15-20 years.

 

[Big Pete]

I honestly feel if we actually had a million dollars a year to throw at someone then I'd be making my biggest priority getting ourselves a top shelf Dummy Half.

It's hard to do in practice because they're a rare thing and very difficult to pry away from their current clubs but I honestly believe a smart Dummy Half who can steer the side around and hold our defence around the ruck together would change our prospects almost instantly. If Dearden and Croft were getting service from a Harry Grant or a Josh Hodgson they'd be far more effective than they are currently. I'd even take Brandon Smith if that's the only one we have a realistic chance of pulling off.

Then I'd go and get us a Fullback that is an actual point of strength instead of a huge point of weakness for a change and all of a sudden we look like a far more serious football side.

I don't mind that line of thinking, my only issue with spending big on dummy halves is that you really don't know what you're going to get. Especially given the current state of the game - is it better to go for a playmaker or for a running dummy half? I still think a lot of clubs are unsure in club land and won't get a proper idea until the season settles into a groove.

Even then with a player like Josh Hodgson, I don't think he's like a Cameron Smith type dummy half. What made Smithy so good is that he could really organise the troops and knew where to send the ball and to help get his teams into the right formations. With Hodgson, he's a bit of a Michael Ennis type where he's a maverick - he can come up with some great individual plays and keep the A defenders honest but he's also selfish and will often overrule his halves. That worked out OK in 2019 when he was still largely making his tackles but last year the Raiders actually improved when he missed the year because the dummy halves complimented their style of play.

I'd say the closest thing to a Cameron Smith is Harry Grant and even then he's coming off a rookie season. A great season all told, but he's still learning his craft so he'd struggle to meet the expectations of being one of the highest paid dummy halves in the competition.

We'll have a clearer picture in the coming weeks. I'd certainly be looking at both positions, but Brisbane might be best off sticking with Turpin for a year and signing Josh Cook or somebody of that ilk to put pressure on him for that top spot. Paix is one of those players that could go either way, I still wouldn't rule him out as the back-up option in the halves.

 

[Wolfie]

Thinking about Super League players i think there are quite a few who would do a good job for us. I know there are a fair few who have failed despite them being good players, but imo there are some worth looking at. Darryl Clark for hooker , Jake Connor for fullback, MarkPercival and Oliver Gildart for centres. Even somebody like Alex Walmsley would size and power as well as experience to our pack. I think those are probably the most NRL ready of the English players. I even think Zak Hardaker would do a lot better this time around if he came back to the NRL.