NRL 2022: Wayne Bennett insists Adam Reynolds can’t save the Brisbane Broncos on his own
Wayne Bennett has urged the Broncos’ pack, headed by Payne Haas, to stand up for their star halfback Adam Reynolds on his debut for the club.
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Former Souths coach Wayne Bennett has warned Adam Reynolds cannot single-handedly save the Broncos and urged Brisbane’s pack to protect their star halfback recruit — or risk their season “falling apart”.
Months of hype surrounding Reynolds’ acquisition will reach a crescendo on Sunday when the $2.4 million playmaker makes his Broncos debut in their round 2 clash against the Bulldogs at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
Reynolds has been hailed as one of the most important signings in Brisbane’s 34-year history and the Broncos are banking on his scrumbase nous to haul the ailing glamour club out of NRL cellar.
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But Reynolds’ coach at the Rabbitohs, Bennett, has delivered a sobering reality check, insisting the 31-year-old will not be the Red Hill messiah if Brisbane’s band of forwards fail to play the platform for a finals resurgence.
“Adam alone is not the saviour,” said Bennett, who mentored Reynolds in Souths’ charge to last year’s grand final against Penrith.
“If the Broncos don’t play well as a team, he won’t save them single-handedly.
“Adam will make a difference, but he won’t make the difference the Broncos think he will if his forwards don’t muscle up and stand up for him.
“He will do his job, he is the last guy on the team you have to worry about. But Adam can’t worry about everyone else. His teammates need to protect him and give him some help and I hope the Broncos recognise that.”
The pint-sized Reynolds played behind a quality pack at South Sydney headlined by the size of Tom Burgess, the toughness of Cameron Murray and Jaydn Su’A, and the sizzling speed of hooker Damien Cook.
At the Broncos, the pressure is on NSW Origin hulk Payne Haas, Queensland bookend Tom Flegler, the industrious Pat Carrigan and premiership-winning back-rower Kurt Capewell to provide latitude for Reynolds to work his magic.
“Adam had a wonderful team of blokes around him at South Sydney and we looked after him,” Bennett said.
“We all saw the results, Souths made the grand final and Adam played so well last year because the forwards did the job for him.
“He is a small halfback and he needs guys like Payne Haas to play well for him in the forwards and other guys in the backline to get themselves in the right shapes and the right positions for them to attack properly.
“The Broncos have some good players there, no question, but they have to play to their ability. There’s no point being a good player if your form doesn’t match your ability.
“It all starts in the middle for the Broncos. That’s the bottom line.
“When you aren’t doing your job and Adam has to pick up the pieces for others, that’s when it will start falling apart.
“Adam will deliver beautiful service and make good decisions for them, but if the Broncos don’t play with enthusiasm and passion, then Reynolds won’t strike a blow for them.
“They need to remember that.”
Reynolds finds love at Broncos after heartbreaking split
New Brisbane skipper Adam Reynolds says his embryonic months at the Broncos have opened his eyes to the lack of “love” he felt in his final season at South Sydney.
As he prepares for his much-hyped Broncos debut in Sunday’s clash against the Bulldogs, Reynolds opened up about his painful exit at Redfern — and why he is already relishing life as the playmaking top dog at Red Hill.
The eyes of the NRL world will be on Reynolds when the pint-sized halfback wears the Broncos’ No.7 jumper made famous by Allan Langer for the first time in Brisbane’s round 2 clash at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
Reynolds knows every blade of glass at the Homebush venue. It was the scene of his Souths debut against the Roosters 10 years ago; the field of dreams at which he celebrated his finest moment as he steered the Bunnies to their 2014 premiership win over the Bulldogs.
Now Reynolds is back to haunt Canterbury in Broncos colours, his spirit surprisingly bolstered by his shock departure from the Rabbitohs, who wanted to keep the 31-year-old, but only on a year-by-year basis.
A Souths junior, Reynolds seemed destined to be a Rabbitoh for life. But the 231-game stalwart says the $2.4 million shift from Redfern to Red Hill has been a blessing in disguise.
“I think it’s the change I needed,” said Reynolds, who missed Brisbane’s epic 11-4 defeat of Souths last week due to Covid.
“If anything, I was in a bit of a comfort zone at Souths. I was in one spot for so long and when that happens, you can go through the motions at times.
“If I’m honest, coming to Brisbane and seeing the way I’ve been treated by everybody here ... the Broncos showed the love and I probably haven’t felt that for a while at South Sydney.
“Going to a new club and a new city, things are exciting and it’s given me a new energy.
“I’m honestly loving life here and loving the Broncos so much that I can’t see myself going back (to Sydney).”
But Reynolds knows the Broncos haven’t paid big bucks for him to enjoy life in the Sunshine State with his partner and four kids in a sprawling Brisbane mansion.
He is Brisbane’s great white hope. The club’s most decorated playmaker since Darren Lockyer skippered the Broncos to their last premiership 16 years ago.
There is a view Reynolds is a risky buy whose ageing body could struggle to see out his three-year Brisbane deal. Those fears were heightened after Reynolds missed Brisbane’s three pre-season trials due to “general soreness”.
But Reynolds, as ice-cool as an Alaskan winter, assured Broncos fans he isn’t feeling any heat.
“I don’t see the pressure or the expectations,” he said. “For me, it’s just turning up and doing my job. I have done that for 11 years in the NRL and nothing will change.
“My job as a seven is to lead the guys around the park, play some footy and make sure my ‘D’ (defence) is strong. It’s a pretty simple game when you break it down like that.
“It will be a proud moment to lead the club out. I already love this club.
“I know I’ve only been here a short time but I feel like I have been here for a few years, everyone has made me feel that welcome.
“The fans have been fantastic, so it will be a great honour to wear the Broncos jumper this week. The body is feeling good. I want the challenge of making Brisbane successful again.”
Brisbane’s storied history greets Reynolds every day when he arrives at the club’s $27 million Clive Berghofer Centre.
It lives and breathes in the form of Brisbane’s greatest halfback Langer, the long-serving assistant who engineered four of the Broncos’ six premierships.
‘Alfie’ sees Reynolds in himself and vice-versa. They are kindred spirits: tough, pint-sized and with a disarming cheekiness that belies their fierce competitive streak.
“He is someone I looked up to,” Reynolds says of Langer. “Alf is an icon of the game, not only of the Broncos but rugby league.
“I was inspired by his small stature and being a smaller bloke myself, people said Alf couldn’t do this or that and he proved them wrong. If anything, his jersey would be retired if it was the NBA and I wouldn’t be wearing it, but I’m so grateful to be involved with him.
“We bounce ideas off each other at training to see what his thought process is. We talk about certain plays at certain parts of the field. He is great for morale. We get on well.
“Everyone knows what I bring on the field but it’s just as important to deliver off the field as well. I want to be someone who can be trusted and the boys enjoy playing with.
“We can play finals for sure. Not making the top eight this year would be a huge disappointment and a wasted season because there are so many talented players at this club.
“The results haven’t been there in recent years but I can’t see any reason why we don’t play finals this year. I’m as hungry as ever.”
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