This is my short and quick response to “Brisbane Broncos season review for 2019” which was made by Clarky’s Rugby League Column and Rugby League in my opinion.
Ladder position:
I’m a Broncos fan but i was not positive about the 2019 season. In my opinion we only needed to fix one thing. We needed to buy an experienced halfback. That issue was not addressed. So I had us finishing 8th (Purely on the fact that Broncos 99 times out of 100 make the 8). But once Seibold released some of our star players i was thinking we could miss out and come 9th. Call me a negative nancy but i just like to be realistic.
Like I just said In my opinion all Broncos needed was a halfback to be safe in the top 8.It frustrated me that Wayne let go of Hunt but didn’t replace him. So many quality replacements were available while Wayne was at the club ( Pearce , Carney , Hodkinson etc ). He had many years to address the problem but never did. He is the master coach so even without a 7, i knew he’d get us into the 8. I thought Wayne needed to go but I did not think Seibold was the man to replace him. I had other coaches in mind.
Highlights:
I agreed with Oliver the Roosters game was the highlight of the season. Haas performing week in week out was awesome . I was worried he was going to turn out to be a dud signing, but so far that isn’t the case. I thought Fifita proved he could play consistent last year. So the only thing that surprised me was that he wasn’t getting huge minutes all season. Early in the season Seibold barely played him.
Lowlights:
It is sad to see Boyd like this. He has gone from a Clive Churchill Medal winning hero to a passenger on the field. It’s Heartbreaking . He should retire now. So people will remember him as the champion player he was , not the mess he has become. Although it may already be too late.
Eels game was embarrassing. Showed we didn’t deserve to be in the finals. Milf has been unfit for ages. Regardless of what happened in that game. In my eyes Milf never puts enough effort in, he can’t direct a team around the park. Never has , never will. Milf jumping between positions is on the coach. Must of been the game plan unless Milf totally ignored Seibold . Late in the season I could not understand why Boyd wasn’t kicking more. He has a great short kicking game. We could of been building more pressure in games with repeat sets.
Change Required:
It’s no secret we need a decent halfback. No star halfbacks are on the open market but a few decent ones are. I don’t agree with you saying no star half would come to Broncos. Broncos could get whoever they wanted.
Yep i agree, Croft got dropped for not being able to control the team. Lost my mind when all the news was saying Broncos were going after him.
I don’t think Broncos could get Townsend. I think sharks want to keep him and he wants to stay. But Sezer and Williams are options that are realistic. Wighton is not a controlling half. We have milf , Bird they are similar players . They are infact better players.
I would love to sign a QLD cup player and he becomes the hero . Makes for a great story but I agree with you guys. Broncos are the biggest club in Australia . They have to make safe decisions at the moment.Personally I’d go for Ash Taylor. Hopefully he signs on low money . People forget how good he is. He has only had one bad year. Put him back in a Great team I reckon he can perform again. Although it be a similar situation to signing a QLD cup half. He isn’t in the right frame of mind at the moment to deal with the pressure. Maybe sign Sezer and Taylor. Taylor builds his confidence up in QLD cup while Sezer steadies the ship. Then Taylor can come out and be a star later on. I think Ash Taylor is a better player than Dearden.
MVP: Haas
Most Improved : Turpin, Staggs. Fifita i knew was good from last year. These guys looked alright but this season showed they can do it week in week out in the NRL. They just love to compete. Showed passion and will to win.
Quick wrap up:
All Seibold needed to do was buy a half. Instead he released most of our stars and made it more difficult for himself .
Was exciting to see so many young players get a chance this season . But they only got that chance because we were struggling so much.
Disgusting season, Lucky to make finals.
Rating : D
Later on i will post my ideal Brisbane Broncos 2020 squad / Line up.