NRL: Adam Reynolds’ Broncos form should have NSW Blues on notice

Adam Reynolds is not just the player the Dolphins should fear in the ‘River City Rumble’, writes PAUL CRAWLEY, he’s also the man who could bring down the Maroons.

The Unusual Suspects: Craig Bellamy, Todd Payten, Brad Arthur and Tim Sheens are feeling the heat.

Wayne Bennett’s toughest coaching challenge this week isn’t going head-to-head with Kevvie Walters on Friday night.

It’s taking on the Broncos’ crafty assistant coach who moonlights as the new King of Brisbane in Alfie Langer’s old No. 7 jumper.

It was hilarious watching Bennett’s former Rabbitohs halfback Adam Reynolds giggling to himself as journos peppered Walters with questions about Bennett and the Dolphins following their win over the Dragons.

While Bennett said this would be the easiest game he coaches this season because he didn’t need to provide the motivation, don’t be fooled.

Bennett knows exactly why Reynolds is the player the Dolphins should fear most.

King Reyno is NSW’s forgotten man. Picture: Boo Bailey

At 32, you could argue right now Reynolds is in the best form of his illustrious career playing maestro in what is a fabulously talented Broncos side.

The great shame is that over the years this bloke only ever got two cracks at playing for NSW way back in 2016.

Meanwhile, we’ve had the likes of Cleary play 13 Origins at No 7, Mitchell Pearce 10, Trent Hodkinson 6, and James Maloney and Mitchell Moses one each at halfback throughout the period Reynolds has been in the NRL.

But on form this year Reynolds should still be Brad Fittler’s top choice back-up plan if anything goes wrong with Cleary because the cheeky Broncos No 7 has easily been the NRL’s standout playmaker so far.

If you were choosing between Reynolds and Moses if Cleary wasn’t available, it’s not a contest.

The only other threat would be Nicho Hynes who has been named to return from injury in the Sharks’ Sunday night game against the Dragons.

COACHES IN CRISIS: SHOCK NAMES FOR SPOON SHAME

Every year a list of coaches are mapped out before the season who everyone just expects to be the front runners in the race for the wooden spoon. This year it was Anthony Griffin, Adam O’Brien and Justin Holbrook.

Well, now meet this season’s ‘Unusual Suspects’ - Craig Bellamy, Brad Arthur, Todd Payten and Tim Sheens - who have suddenly found themselves among the game’s most under pressure men heading into a crunch/crisis round 4.

BURNING ISSUE

You’d think at 72 Tim Sheens would have found something better to do with his time than trying to resurrect the NRL’s Titanic. Has he not heard of lawn bowls, or bingo?

Yet after 3 rounds where an astonishing 50 per cent of games have been won by the underdogs, unfortunately the NRL’s perennial battlers along with the Eels are the only teams still to land a kill.

It’s hard to believe the team that finished dead last in the wake of Michael Maguire’s sacking have actually got worse after a coaching and roster restructure that was supposed to bring new hope.

It’s like Sheens and Benji Marshall had the Tigers training blindfolded all pre-season and now they’ve taken them off they are still running around like strangers in the dark.

The Unusual Suspects: Craig Bellamy, Todd Payten, Brad Arthur and Tim Sheens are feeling the heat.

PLAYER MOST UNDER PRESSURE – LUKE BROOKS

Sheens and Marshall look to have completely torn up everything they worked on during pre-season for this crunch game against the Storm, restructuring their spine with bargain recruit Brandon Wakeham joining Luke Brooks in the halves, while Adam Doueihi reverts to fullback.

In respect to Brooks being the player most under pressure, it feels like bashing Bambi week after week. But how do you ignore the under fire $1m playmaker’s form given he has clearly gone backwards playing a so-called ‘eyes up’ brand of footy that was supposed to reinvent the 2018 Dally M halfback.

CONSEQUENCES

As crazy as it sounds, taking on the wounded Storm in Melbourne might be the Tigers’ best chance of getting a win in their next month which is a horror schedule. After the Storm they take on Broncos, Eels, Sea Eagles and Panthers - with a real threat of finishing their opening eight matches without a win.

BURNING ISSUE

Brad Arthur’s team have had a red-hot crack in all three games and you can certainly make excuses given Shaun Lane’s broken jaw and Ryan Matterson’s suspension coming on the back of key departures.

But the reality is this grand final replay is now crisis time for the Eels because if they don’t beat the Panthers history says they can’t win this year’s premiership.

In the NRL era only the Cowboys in 2015 have gone all the way after losing their opening three games, and no team has ever done it from 0-4 in the compulsory grand final era dating back to 1954.

PLAYER MOST UNDER PRESSURE – DYLAN BROWN

Eels fans need to file a missing-person report for Dylan Brown who has gone AWOL since signing his eight year mega-deal in December.

Seriously, if we are going to continue to point the finger at Mitchell Moses for not owning the big moments despite being offered a $5m four-year contract extension, it’s overdue some of the heat be directed at Eels’ other playmaker who is pocketing a reported $900,000-a-season.

The other interesting thing to watch when they run out this round will be how Eels fans welcome back the polarising Matterson who took home roughly $40,000 in salary during the three weeks he was suspended for refusing to pay a $4000 fine. Can you imagine Mick Cronin doing the same during the Eels’ golden era of the 1980s?

Dylan Brown has gone AWOL. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty

CONSEQUENCES

Brown’s retention was seen as a crucial step in not only keeping Moses but potentially putting the Eels in a great position to break the game’s longest running premiership drought despite the exodus of Reed Mahoney, Isaiah Papali’i, Marata Niukore and Ray Stone.

Instead the Eels have firmed from $67 to $13 to finish this year with the most losses, while blowing from $9 to $29 in premiership betting.

BURNING ISSUE

If you reckon Craig Bellamy looked angry in the dressing shreds in recent weeks, they’ll want to make sure he doesn’t take an axe with him if they’re down at halftime against the Tigers.

Seriously, have you ever seen a Storm side play so bad?

After beating the Eels in week one to continue Bellamy’s amazing opening round record, the two games since have seen the competition’s former benchmark embarrassed by the Bulldogs and Titans.

Now they take on a team who right now are the game’s laughing stock - but some still rate a genuine chance of scoring another huge boilover given how poorly the Storm are travelling.

Bellamy would have to be regretting letting Jesse and Kenny Bromwich along with Felise Kaufusi go to the Dolphins, as well as losing Brandon Smith, while injuries to Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster and Nelson Asofa-Solomona have further eroded their depth.

Craig Bellamy has rarely been in his current situation. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty

PLAYER MOST UNDER PRESSURE – CAM MUNSTER

If Munster passes his fitness test on Thursday this will be his first game back from that awful compound fractured finger, but without Jahrome Hughes who failed in his bid on Tuesday night to get a downgrade at the judiciary.

The Storm just can’t take a trick at the minute.

But it’s the mystery that surrounds Papenhuyzen that’s still the biggest concern. If the flying fullback doesn’t get back for the back half of the season the Storm will be lucky to make the top eight in what is most likely Bellamy’s last season as head coach.

CONSEQUENCES

To suggest this is one of the most important club games in the Storm’s history is no overstatement because to lose to this current Tigers train wreck would rank up with the most embarrassing glitches on Bellamy’s coaching resume.

The TAB had Melbourne as short as $6.50 in premiership betting after the first trial and while they’re still fourth best backed to win the title, they’re also now the best backed to miss the top four.

BURNING ISSUE

The danger after last year’s shock climb up the ladder was that the Cowboys would be guilty of complacency this season, and it’s definitely been the case.

It’s actually quite concerning how Todd Payten said it was a “lack of trust” that was holding back the Cowboys following their shock loss to the Warriors.

PLAYER UNDER MOST PRESSURE – CHAD TOWNSEND

No question who needs to lead the Cowboys out of this current rut. Chad Townsend was lauded for the way he steered the Cowboys back from oblivion last year. Well, the great halfbacks also have a history of being equalling inspiring when their teams are struggling.

Can Chad Townsend inspire North Queensland? Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty

CONSEQUENCES

Have a terrific run by NRL standards in their next four games without playing any finalists from last year, so now is the time for the Cowboys to get their season back on track.

As brave as they were to get home against the Raiders in round 1 they were boosted by a 70/30 per cent split of first half possession, but still scraped home.

Yet back to back defeats puts in perspective where they are at after scoring 42 points in three games but conceding 72 (an average of 24 a game). It’s worth mentioning at this point last year the Cowboys had only conceded 24 points - a third of this year’s tally so far.

Originally published as NRL: Adam Reynolds’ Broncos form should have NSW Blues on notice