NRL 2022: Kurt Capewell opens up on new life at Brisbane Broncos
Broncos recruit Kurt Capewell admitted feeling a pang of ‘guilt’ when he showed up for his first training session at Red Hill. Find out why?
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Premiership winner Kurt Capewell has revealed the moment that convinced him to sign with Brisbane for the 2022 season as he returns to Red Hill for the first time in a decade.
Capewell arrived for his first official day at the club on Thursday, driving from Sydney earlier this week after celebrating his NRL grand final win with the Panthers.
It’s a homecoming for the 28-year-old Charleville product, who played for the Broncos youth team in 2012 and 2013, and has arrived just in time for the club’s annual pre-season army camp this weekend.
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The former Panther said he was excited to return to the club, which had all the makings for success this season.
“The game we played them in Brisbane (Round 6, 2021) was so tight and after that game, I thought ‘they’re not far off here’,” Capewell said. “Once they got (South Sydney playmaker Adam) Reynolds, that was a massive signing as well. I was keen to jump on board.
“Coming home and being around some family is going to be really good for me.
“They’re a great club and definitely on the up.
“They’ve got some amazing young talent so I just want to be a part of it and be a part of the journey they’re about to go on.”
Capewell is the final member of Brisbane top 30 roster to arrive at Red Hill after star recruit Reynolds officially began on Wednesday.
However, Capewell admitted to feeling a pang of guilt when he saw Reynolds had turned up to training a month earlier than expected.
“I felt a bit guilty to be honest,” he said. “It felt like I was missing out.
“Pre-season is tough as it is. It’s sort of where you make those friendships and create that bond so I did feel like I was missing out a bit.
“Luckily enough, there’s an army camp coming up so I’m looking forward to it.
“My body will be right for it, I’m just looking forward to the mental challenge.”
The youngest of four boys, Capewell grew up knowing you had to be tough to handle the rigours of rugby league, with a number of backyard footy rivalries erupting between the brothers.
Now renowned for his toughness and hardworking attitude, the Maroons representative admitted it was those early experiences which helped guide him as a footy player.
“(My brothers) all played footy,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to play footy with Liam, my oldest brother.
“They definitely guided me along the way and there was a fair few backyard brawls.
“We’re all happily brothers, we don’t fight very often but when it comes to footy, we tend to scrap a bit.”
Reynolds vows: Broncos will make the finals in 2022
Brisbane’s star recruit Adam Reynolds has turned up the heat at Red Hill, admitting anything less than a finals appearance is a fail for the Broncos in 2022.
It was Reynolds’ first “official” day as a Bronco on Wednesday, after signing with the club in May, though it was far from being his first day at Red Hill.
The champion playmaker has already turned up to several pre-season training sessions earlier than expected as he begins his next chapter in life as a Brisbane Bronco.
All eyes will be on the 30-year-old former Rabbitoh, who admitted to being aware of the pressure resting on his shoulders to help end Brisbane’s premiership drought.
He was confident that finals was a real possibility for the Broncos this season following two underwhelming seasons at the bottom of the NRL ladder.
“Anything less than that (finals) is a fail for us,” Reynolds said.
“I look around the squad and I get some confidence out of players that I’ve been lucky enough to play against.
“I’m lucky enough now to stand beside these boys and call them my teammates.
“For us, finals is an expectation.
“We haven’t even spoken about it yet but I’m getting excited thinking about it.”
Having played alongside some of the game’s greats at South Sydney, including Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Damien Cook, Reynolds admitted to being impressed by several Broncos already.
“There’s a load of talent here,” he said.
“Jake Turpin has been outstanding. Jordan Riki, Payne Haas, TC Robati – there’s a number of blokes I could mention because they’ve all been pretty impressive.
“We’re working pretty hard this pre-season to get things right.
“We’ll continue that into the new year and build on that.”
A three-way battle appears to be brewing to partner Reynolds in the halves by Round 1 next year, with Albert Kelly, Tyson Gamble and Billy Walters each fighting it out for the No.6 jersey. Young gun Ezra Mam is also in the mix after spending time in the halves during 13-on-13 drills over the pre-season.
Despite having a new halves partner next year, Reynolds said his game style won’t change from his winning formula at South Sydney.
“I play to their (the other playmaker’s) strengths,” he said. “I’m an unselfish player.
“I like to get everyone involved and make their job a lot easier and take a bit of pressure off them. There’s a number of blokes who can certainly play a different brand of football to me so any one of those boys complement my game.
“I’m a bit of a talker and steer the boys around the park and they do the rest.
“Whatever team I’m in, my job is to call the plays, organise a team and steer them around the park. That’s simply my job.”
Wednesday’s session was Brisbane’s final day of pre-season training before the playing group head off for their annual bootcamp on Friday.
Broncos bolster team to nurture next generation
The Brisbane Broncos have moved to shore up their next generation of talent in Queensland but have hit back at suggestions they have drawn up battle lines with cross-town rivals the Dolphins.
Former Maroons and Australian representative Matt Gillett has been added to Brisbane’s game development team this week, which will see him grow the game at a grassroots level in the Brisbane region.
The 33-year-old joins the likes of Broncos legend Michael Hancock, Michael DeVere, Jack Reed and David Staggs in co-ordinating school and junior club-based rugby league across the southeast Queensland region as the club continues to seed itself at a grassroots level.
Broncos game development manager Paul Dyer admitted the club could benefit if it attracted a whole new generation of talent from the program but was adamant the focus was more on growing the game of rugby league.
Asked whether the battle lines had been drawn for incoming NRL club the Dolphins, Dyer said: “It’s not a battleground when it comes to game development.
“Game development is about getting as many coaches educated as possible so that when they’re working with those kids, they all have a great experience.
“It’s also about educating young players to try and help them for when they take the field so that it’s safe and an environment that they enjoy.
“If what goes with that is that the boys, or coaches, teachers or schools that we’re associated with become fans of the Broncos, then that’s fantastic and we love that.”
Dyer said more needed to be done at the grassroots level in rugby league and hoped the introduction of the Dolphins would help with that.
“This program was started way back in the late 80s, early 90s, by our then coach Wayne Bennett, so I know how passionate he is about this space,” he said.
“The thing that really excites me (with the introduction of the Dolphins) is that we potentially see more guys like Matt (Gillett) running around in Queensland, representing an NRL club brand, which one day hopefully those kids will want to be a part of.
“While we’re the Broncos here, and we have a strong and proud history here in Queensland and we’ll continue to do what we do in this space, I would love to see all the clubs as heavily involved as we are in this space.
“It’s only going to benefit the game.”
Gillett said he was excited to join the program and hoped to foster the next generation of rugby league talent.
“We’re one of the biggest development clubs in the NRL and it’s something we pride ourselves on,” Gillett said. “We’re making sure we’re getting out there to schools and clubs.
“It’s all about the kids at the end of the day and getting them involved in rugby league and keep them enjoying the game.
“I’m a big kid at heart and doing my part to path the way for a few future Broncos players.”
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