NRL 2024: Brisbane Broncos admit to poor training standards amid season capitulation

The Broncos have crashed out of the NRL premiership race, with their players making a concerning admission on a part of their preparation that desperately needs improvement if they want to turn things around.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 03: Adam Reynolds of the Broncos looks dejected during the round 22 NRL match between Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium, on August 03, 2024, in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

The Broncos have conceded they must lift training standards following a string of sloppy sessions amid the club’s dramatic crash.

Brisbane’s slim finals hopes are on the line heading into Saturday’s Queensland derby against the Cowboys in Townsville.

A loss will certainly bring an end to Brisbane’s chances of finishing in the top eight of this year’s NRL premiership – a dramatic fall following last year’s grand final appearance.

Currently 14th, the Broncos have lost eight of their past nine games and the most recent two of those defeats have been shocking performances against the Bulldogs (41-16) and Titans (46-18).

Coinciding with the sub-par efforts have been far from ideal training sessions littered with poor execution and dropped balls.

Seasoned onlookers at Red Hill have been stunned by the low quality hit-outs which have reflected Brisbane’s performances on the weekend.

The Broncos admit training has been of a poor standard lately. Picture: Josh Woning

The Broncos are seemingly low on confidence and winger Jesse Arthars said they had to improve their training to turn things around.

“It’s not ideal having the errors at training but that happens throughout the year,” he said.

“We’ve got to move on to the next job and try not to make as many errors as we have at training. We’ll be better for it if we make less errors.

“The onus is on the player (to not make mistakes).

“You need to prepare for each training session and game. You have to make sure you have a clear head when you go to training.

“If someone makes an error, they don’t mean to do it but they’ve got to focus a bit more at training.”

The Broncos are trying to lift morale. Picture: Liam Kidston

If the old adage “you play how you train” is true then that could be one of the factors in Brisbane’s shocking form this year which has thrust the spotlight on coach Kevin Walters.

The Broncos have crashed into the NRL’s bottom four with four games (and one bye) to play and can finish with a 12-12 record at best.

That may not be enough to make the finals, with a 13-11 record likely to be the cut-off depending on results over the next five rounds.

It would take a stunning form reversal for the Broncos to be any sort of premiership threat and utility Tristan Sailor accepted that training standards were not high enough.

“That is something we are working on,” he said.

Adam Reynolds and Reece Walsh in discussion. Picture: Liam Kidston

“With the type of players we have – me and (Reece Walsh) in particular – stuff comes off and stuff doesn’t.

“We can live with that but it is the basics of clear dropped balls and missing our effort areas and stuff like that is something that can be lifted.

“That is something we are working on at the moment, bringing in blocks of fundamentals and dialling that back before we advance.

“Personal responsibility has come to a head this week and that is where everyone needs to be better at training. It is about holding each other accountable.

“When you are telling your mate next to you that they have got to be better hopefully there is more attention paid.

“We have a lot of competitors in the team and they are very passionate boys. If we work on the fundamentals there is extra energy.”

Originally published as NRL 2024: Brisbane Broncos admit to poor training standards amid season capitulation