NRL 2020: League greats savage Brisbane Broncos’ ‘utter crisis’ after week from hell
The damning losses keep piling up on and off the field for the Broncos with NRL greats pin-pointing the core issues behind it all.
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Just when the NRL world thinks the Brisbane Broncos nightmare season couldn’t get worse, the side finds a new low.
On the field, they’ve been a basket case after the return from the season suspension, but the past week has been particularly bad off the field as well.
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After the side’s 36-8 loss the Canberra Raiders, Fox League’s Yvonne Sampson laid out the horror 10 days.
The side had a sex tape scandal, biosecurity breaches between the infamous pub visit and Tevita Pangai Jr and Anthony Seibold staying in Sydney for a family issue as ugly social media rumours swirled — all of that unfolded in just the last 10 days.
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Not to mention fans hurling abuse at training and throwing jerseys at the club’s front door.
With Seibold on COVID-hold, caretaker coach Peter Gentle had to front the media, with the NRL understatement of the century, saying the preparation “wasn’t ideal”.
Sampson called it “an utter crisis”.
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“When we make an error, we’ve got to learn to defend it, it’s NRL standard, you’ve got to defend your errors,” Gentle said.
“For one reason or another, we’re letting them get to us and not defending like we were in the first half.
“In the first half we were doing everything right. As soon as that bit of adversity comes against us, we fall apart and become every man for himself. I thought they worked hard for each other in the first half … and in the second half, for some reason or another, it just falls apart. It’s been happening all year.”
Broncos co-captain Patrick Carrigan also took aim at his side after another second half capitulation.
Remarkably, in the past five losses, the Broncos have conceded 19 tries to three in the second half, an ugly indictment of the side’s farcical season.
“Disappointing, more embarrassing,” Carrigan began.
“It’s been the story of the year, we play for 40 minutes and then we choose not to show up and take short cuts and you get quality opposition in the NRL like Canberra and they are going to punish you.”
He added that it’s “not first grade standard,” and that the Broncos were “our own worst enemy”.
But Fox League commentators and rugby league greats have again turned spotlight on the Broncos’ club leadership.
Cooper Cronk said the commentators had been having the same conversations about leadership for the best part of three months now.
“The whole idea about it that someone needs to steer the ship through it,” Cronk said.
“The thing I took out of that press conference is that when the blowtorch is applied, whether it’s football or off the field, the Broncos seem to go ‘every man for himself’.
“There were examples during that game. Off the field there is an example exactly the same, Tevita Pangai Jr does the wrong thing and he wants to sue the club for breaching contract. At some point you need to galvanise and come together.”
Michael Ennis was more blunt: “The horrorshow continues.”
“There is clear psychological damage being done, particularly to the young blokes. The fact that Carrigan came out and said they were embarrassing, he’s their captain and said they didn’t show up, the coach says that their defence isn’t up to NRL standards, there is huge psychological damage that’s getting done this season.
“They are minus-251 points on that ladder. That’s outrageous, that’s horrific, absolutely horrific.”
Ennis also lamented that the Broncos’ best player Payne Haas, who is on report for a crusher tackle, is getting frustrated into mistakes and now Jake Turpin is adding to the injury toll with a broken hand.
“It’s just catastrophic, Pangai, who knows where that’s going to land, it’s disastrous,” Ennis added.
Mal Meninga said the side was “rudderless”.
“It’s quite plain to see at the moment that the head office have got to provide at the helm to steer the ship,” Meninga said.
“At the moment, where is Paul White? Where are all the guys who are meant to be leading this club? They’re the ones who should be front and centre.
“This is a very young footy side. Patrick Carrigan comes out and talks but he’s a 22-year-old captain.
“It’s a result of decisions and choices they made over the past couple of years leading up to this year. Then they need to have some direction in the front office.”
Meninga said the breach of the biosecurity standards was “what the leaders were tolerating at the moment”, while Ennis called it “a clear lack of respect for people in the organisation”.
The Immortal also suggested that the players just take the week off and turn up without a game plan “and just play football”, remembering a time when the Raiders were going through a tough time during his playing career.
Originally published as NRL 2020: League greats savage Brisbane Broncos’ ‘utter crisis’ after week from hell