NRL 2021: How Broncos’ Tom Dearden gamble backfired with rise of Sam Walker

Tom Dearden never became Allan Langer but he was serviceable. The challenge for the Broncos to snatch a big name out of a hot player market to replace him is immense.

Kevin Walters with newly signed Cowboy Tom Dearden. Picture: Liam Kidston

When the Broncos missed the signature of wonder boy Sam Walker not a solitary tear drop hit the floor … they felt they had someone better.

His name was Tom Dearden and they thought he would be a 10-year first grader, with his blonde hair and general spark even reviving memories of Allan Langer, who retired in 2002 yet somehow seems more irreplaceable by the year.

Now both youngsters are gone – Dearden to the Cowboys and Walker to the Roosters - and the Broncos head into the player market with all the trepidation of a young couple doing their best at white hot Saturday property auctions in Brisbane.

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Kevin Walters with newly signed Cowboy Tom Dearden. Picture: Liam Kidston

Whether it’s rugby league or property there is nothing quite like that vulnerable feeling of knowing you are going to pay overs for a commodity you quite like but (say it quietly) don’t really love.

That will be the case whether the Broncos land Shaun Johnson, Adam Reynolds or Mitchell Moses to hopefully partner Kotoni Staggs in the halves.

Selling before you buy is always a gamble. If the Broncos cannot land any of the above they will lament the departure of Dearden who, while never stunning, was serviceable.

The Broncos have had one of their worst weekends for years featuring four savage uppercuts … a thrashing by the Eels, standout performances by ex-Broncos David Fifita, Reece Walsh and the nearly signed Walker for rival clubs before Dearden’s defection.

The Broncos did make Walker an offer but there was no searing desperation to sign him because they initially felt Dearden was their anchorman for the future.

But time and circumstances changed this view.

Brisbane chose Tom Dearden over Sam Walker. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty

That Brisbane never made Dearden a formal offer when they knew he was slipping away meant they were not convinced about him as a player, as evidenced by the fact the Cowboys got him relatively cheaply and without a fight.

It’s true that with 15 consecutive losses Dearden has failed to own and shape a game in the way great halves do and the Broncos have obviously decided a senior halfback is their only chance.

The question must be asked whether the relentlessly corrosive forces of an 18-month Broncos form slump simply turned Dearden’s confidence to sawdust as the Broncos halves have been changed, on average, every three matches in the last 53 games.

Broncos target Adam Reynolds. Picture: Brett Hemmings/Getty

Broncos target Mitchell Moses. Picture: Matt Blyth/Getty

Great clubs develop young players in the way great painters paint – with care, precision, endless patience and the deftest of touches.

When he joined the Roosters, Walker’s talent was initially baked like a slow-cooked meal with plenty of tutoring and the feeling that when he did step out in the top grade he was surrounded by senior hardheads who had his back.

Dearden, by necessity, was more microwaved, exposed and vulnerable because that’s what happens in desperate times. Everything’s been a scramble.

Now the Broncos face the challenge of trying to show some love to Dearden - who they need for the rest of the season – despite the fact that deep down he knows their love of him waned when he needed it most.

They say rugby league is a simple game but these are complex, challenging times.

Originally published as NRL 2021: How Broncos’ Tom Dearden gamble backfired with rise of Sam Walker