Crash Tackle: Adam Reynolds to fill major hole missing at Broncos since retirement of Darius Boyd

The Broncos crave a leader on and off the field. In Adam Reynolds, they have found someone who will tackle the unique pressures of playing in Brisbane head-on next winter.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 01: In this handout image provided by NRL Photos Adam Reynolds of the Rabbitohs looks on during the round 20 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Browne Park, on August 01, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Handout/NRL Photos via Getty Images )

Adam Reynolds will absorb rather than abscond from the spotlight when he arrives as the Broncos prized recruit next season.

For the first time in Reynolds career, his management are exploring contracted media work in radio and print throughout his new three-year deal with the Broncos.

If Reynolds can fire, the likely elevation of his profile in the media could be a significant plus for a club needing a fresh public face.

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Adam Reynolds is going into his Brisbane adventure full of optimism.

In previous eras, Wally Lewis, Allan Langer, Darren Lockyer, Justin Hodges, Gorden Tallis and Sam Thaiday were seen as high-profile faces and leaders, but since Darius Boyd retired, there is no-one with the presence and profile every club needs.

The Broncos crave a leader on and off the field.

It will be something of a role change for Reynolds who has tended to blend into the scenery at Souths despite leadership duties and his newly crowned status as the most prolific points scorer in Souths history.

“We want to stress that Adam’s football is his priority but given Brisbane is a one-team town, I am looking into other opportunities that may come up,’’ Reynolds’ manager Steve Gillis said.

Reynolds has already landed a third-party car deal with Motorama and the club is very much looking forward to benefiting from his organisational skills and kicking game.

In an age when children would rather flick a phone than kick a football, Reynolds is among the last of the backyard – or should we say backstreet – footballers.

He grew up in Evan Lane, a narrow thoroughfare 500m from Redfern Oval, and perfected his kicking game around the streets with his brother and cousins, targeting telegraph poles, stop signs and fence posts in the area, making him an inner city boy with country-style skills.

The halfback is sure to help with Brisbane’s kicking game.

His three winters at the Broncos will, of course, bring special challenges.

When coach Anthony Seibold, the last big name to join the Broncos from the Rabbitohs, headed north, he said the experience of coaching a big-name club like Souths had conditioned him for the Broncos role.

But after his first year in the job, Seibold conceded the one thing he underestimated was the relentless forces of the publicity which follows every move he made as Broncos coach.

Reynolds, who has a reputation for being cool and undemonstrative, is likely to be appointed club captain in his first season and, if so, will share the spotlight and all of its pressures, with coach Kevin Walters.

Reynolds, who has four children, is looking to buy a house in Brisbane but Covid restrictions have slowed down the search.

The Broncos have assembled some solid signings around Reynolds, such as State of Origin centre Brenko Lee, who Walters has admired for years, and experienced utility Kurt Capewell.

The club’s next move is an important one, with some believing they should target an experienced forward – the Broncos have been in talks with Ryan James – to take some of the pressure off Payne Haas.

Tesi Nui would be best suited to the No.14 role, says Trevor Gillmeister.

Former State of Origin warhorse Trevor Gillmeister, however, believes fullback is the spot they should be shoring up.

“I know Tesi Niu is a good player but I could see him doing really well as a No 14 in the role Johnny Plath did in our era,’’ Gillmeister said.

“The best teams these days have great fullbacks, not just good ones. Look at what Tom Trbojevic does for Manly and then you have Ryan Papenhuyzen for the Storm and James Tedesco for the Roosters.’’

Does Queensland really want NRL grand final?

Before the venue for the NRL grand final is chosen, there is a fascinating question that must be answered behind closed doors.

Who is doing whom a favour?

Is Queensland doing the NRL a favour by giving it a ground and a crowd on the back of saving its competition? Or would the NRL be doing Queensland a favour by choosing Suncorp Stadium ahead of Covid-ravaged Sydney, Melbourne or the latest option, Auckland?

It has become like one of those real estate inspections where the buyer is trying not to look too keen and the seller not so desperate that he would accept any old price.

It’s a fascinating issue because on one side of the debate you have a cash-poor NRL desperate to milk as many dollars out of the event as it can.

And on the other side is a cash-poor Queensland government feeling quite comfortable with the fact it saved the NRL from financial oblivion and which doesn’t really feel any major obligation to host the game.

A packed Suncorp Stadium for game two of the State of Origin series.

Given Queensland hosted three State of Origin matches this year and a truckload of live sport, and the state is highly unlikely to have a dog in the grand final fight, you could understand it if they were reluctant to stump up a major payment to host the grand final.

You would love to be a fly on the wall in negotiations between the NRL and the Queensland government when it comes down to talking turkey.

With Sydney almost certainly out of play, the NRL would love Queensland to host the game … but it cannot just give it away.

But Queensland, knowing that the game is likely to feature teams from Melbourne and Sydney, is aware that local interest will hardly be hysterical and interstate crowds may well be banned from heading north.

The likely tip is that the game is Suncorp-bound – and it would be well worth hosting – but I’m yet to meet a fan who is sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for the result.

SOMETHING BRONCOS CAN CROWE ABOUT

The Broncos’ signing of Ash Barty’s mind coach, Ben Crowe, is a significant coup for the club.

You only have to listen to Crowe’s excellent podcasts to realise what a thoughtful, incisive character he is and how he can translate a motivational world full of gobbledygook into layman’s language and common sense.

Ashleigh Barty has worked with new Brisbane Broncos signing Ben Crowe. Picture: Getty Images)

Barty admits Crowe unlocked something deep insider her and he performed similar deeds with Richmond and many others.

He could be invaluable for the Broncos and just the fact Brisbane has signed him suggests it is heading down the right path.

TRUE HEROES EMERGE FROM OLYMPICS

It’s not fair to compare Olympic athletes to footballers but sometimes you just do.

Olympic decathlete Ash Moloney somehow won a bronze medal despite living on modest means to the point where he needed to auction a State of Origin jersey from Trevor Gillmeister to sustain his journey to Tokyo.

Ashley Moloney won a bronze medal in the decathlon. Picture: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Sprinter Riley Day worked at Woolworths yet, like Moloney, turned out for the Games in pristine, rock-hard condition.

My mind kept on flashing back to two big-name Queensland rugby league players who earn as much in a fortnight as many Olympians do in a year but are traditionally overweight, when they have no excuse to be that way.