NRL 2021: Tom Dearden set to be picked as pressure builds on Anthony Milford and Brodie Croft

Anthony Milford — the highest-paid player in Broncos history — is in danger of being dumped unless he delivers against Canterbury.

Anthony Milford and Brodie Croft at Broncos training. Picture: Annette Dew

Broncos coach Kevin Walters says he won’t be afraid to axe Anthony Milford if the underfire $1 million five-eighth fails to snap Brisbane’s 13-game losing streak against the Bulldogs on Saturday night.

Milford, the highest-paid player in Broncos history, is increasingly feeling the heat at Red Hill with Walters instructing the off-contract playmaker to finally deliver on his potential — starting against Canterbury at Suncorp Stadium.

The 26-year-old has been a protected species at Brisbane, having never before been dropped in his 140-game career at the club since joining the Broncos from Canberra as a whiz-kid in 2015.

But as Walters searches for Brisbane’s first win of the season, the Broncos coach has pulled no punches, saying if he had the courage to drop Billy Slater from the Queensland team in 2017, he will happily wield the axe if Milford won’t step up.

“I will make the tough calls,” Walters said ahead of the round-three clash at Suncorp.

“I’ve had to leave Billy Slater out of the State of Origin side and that was a tough call, that still haunts me.

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Tom Dearden is set to be picked. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“Anthony is a running five-eighth and Brodie (Croft) is an organising halfback, so I need them to do that.”

Milford and Croft have won just three of 12 games as a playmaking duo for a 25 per cent success rate and Walters had honest words with the pair in the wake of last week’s 28-16 derby loss to the Titans.

In Milford’s case, it wasn’t just his two missed tackles which directly led to David Fifita’s brace of tries, it was his poor option-taking and ineffective kicking which eased the pressure valve on the Titans at a crucial stage of the first.

Unsigned for next season, Milford is fighting for his future at the Broncos and Walters challenged he and Croft to stand up, especially after his decision to elevate playmaker Tom Dearden to the bench for the Bulldogs clash.

“There is pressure on both of those two (Milford and Croft) to do well as a duo,” he said.

“We have simplified their roles this week so they have clear instructions on their role within the team.

“It’s a key part of the team environment, the six and the seven, and I feel we haven’t got enough out of those two in the opening two rounds and they admit that as well.

“They are taking ownership of that, so this week is an opportunity to get their games back on track.

Anthony Milford is under the pump.

“I am looking forward to seeing how that goes together and then adding Tom into the mix on the field, it creates some good attacking opportunities for us which we didn’t have last week.”

Dearden will be applying pressure from the bench and Walters believes the 20-year-old can bring a creative touch to Brisbane’s interchange rotation.

“We just felt that John Asiata is one guy who needs a rest,” he said.

“Tom is the ideal guy to come in, he covers a few positions. It will be a good opportunity for Tom as well.

“We will get him on the field and let him be Tom. He likes running the ball and kicking the ball and is strong in defence so it’s a good opportunity for him.

“Depending on how the game unfolds and what we need from our players, we might put him in at hooker as well and give Jake Turpin a rest.

“Tom brings some good options.”

Kevvie loses patience with Croft, Milford

Walters has put Milford and Croft on notice with one of the misfiring halves to be axed if they fail to deliver in Saturday night’s clash against the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Walters has informed Milford and Croft they are on their final chance to click as a scrumbase combination after opening the season with consecutive losses to Parramatta and the Titans.

Halfback Croft is under mounting pressure to step up as a game manager and Walters will not be afraid to hand the No. 7 jumper to off-contract understudy Dearden if he can’t get the job done against the Bulldogs.

Anthony Milford is in danger of being dropped if he doesn’t deliver against the Bulldogs this Saturday night.

The selection axe is also hovering over Milford, who has never been dropped in his 140-game Broncos career, but will risk relegation to the Intrust Super Cup unless he carves up Canterbury to snap Brisbane’s 13-game losing streak.

Walters lamented Milford’s “nightmare” defensive performance after two-try David Fifita trampled him in last week’s 28-16 derby loss to the Titans and he was also concerned with the pivot’s kicking in general play which eased the pressure valve.

With Dearden waiting in the wings, Milford and Croft are effectively embroiled in a scrumbase shootout, hardly an ideal scenario for a pair who have yet to prove they can fire as a halves combination.

Former premiership-winning Broncos playmaker Ben Ikin said the jury is out on the Milford-Croft alliance as they attempt to deliver Brisbane’s first win in 259 days.

“Kevin needs to figure out very quickly who his halves are,” said Ikin, who played five-eighth in Brisbane’s 2000 premiership defeat of the Roosters.

“He needs to decide whether Milford and Croft are the future, and if they are not, then he needs to put Dearden in there and give him the support he needs.

“You would have to be tied up in a dark room to not realise it’s time for Milford and Croft to step up.

“They need to suck up the commentary, accept it as their reality and hatch a plan together about who is going to do what across the 80 minutes and make sure they are communicating on the field.

Anthony Milford and Brodie Croft need to fire for the Broncos against the Bulldogs. Picture: Annette Dew

“When the game is in the balance, that’s when the seven and six need to step up and make the smart play and the right play and do it together.

“It’s not on one of Milford and Croft ... it’s on both of them.”

As a halves union, Milford and Croft have won three of 12 matches for a success rate of 25 per cent.

There is a fear Milford will never live up to his potential until he combines with an elite game-manager who can pull the strings at halfback and give Brisbane’s $1 million five-eighth the latitude to unleash his natural running game.

In the wake of their loss to the Titans, Walters — a champion playmaker himself who won six titles — was disappointed with Milford and Croft’s inability to execute consistently.

Asked if Croft needed to dominate as a playmaker, Walters said: “They both do, ‘Milf’ and ‘Crofty’.

“There was a critical period in the first half, we came up with two poor kicks, one from Milf and one from Brodie. We had the Titans under good pressure and we released it with poor kicks. It’s on both of them.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: Tom Dearden set to be picked as pressure builds on Anthony Milford and Brodie Croft