NRL 2022: Brisbane Broncos team news ahead of Round 20 clash against Wests Tigers
The Broncos are set to welcome back one of the game’s most potent attacking weapons against Wests Tigers. Round 20 team news.
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Brisbane is poised to welcome back Maroons winger Selwyn Cobbo for Saturday night’s danger game against an angry Wests Tigers reeling from a controversial loss to the Cowboys at the weekend.
Cobbo has now cleared concussion protocols and has no lingering effects from the heavy knock he suffered early in the State of Origin decider on July 13, leaving him in the frame for selection this week having not played for the Broncos since round 16.
The 20 year old donned the red bib at training on Monday morning but got through the full session without a hiccup and so long as that continues through the week, will be in line for a recall come Saturday.
His return would put the Broncos at near-full strength and reignite one of the in-form finishing combinations in the NRL opposite Corey Oates.
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Comeback player of the year candidate Oates was at his brilliant best in Brisbane’s 36-14 win over the Eels at the weekend, bagging two tries for the third-straight game in Broncos colours.
Oates and Cobbo have combined for 23 tries since round 7 and the Broncos will need to lean on the deadly duo if they are to make a deep finals run come September.
Another livewire playmaker finding form at the right time is Tesi Niu; the once-forgotten fullback who has reminded the world of his potential with a scintillating month of footy.
Parachuted back into the side after Te Maire Martin went down with a rib injury, Niu went from first-team outsider to last man standing at Red Hill.
The once-capped Tongan international has hardly put a foot wrong since his Broncos return in round 17, averaging six tackle breaks and 182 metres as he eyes a possible World Cup berth come October.
“Making the World Cup side is one of my goals this year but for now playing good footy is the only way of making that side, so I’m just putting my best foot forward for the Broncos and whatever happens at the end of the year happens,” Niu said.
With the return of Reece Walsh from next season and a mooted swap to the No.1 for Cobbo suddenly the Broncos have a glut of fullbacks in the mix, but none of that phases Niu.
For now he is eager to build a playing rapport with the “freak” talent of Cobbo and lock down a top-four spot, which starts on Saturday at Suncorp against the Tigers who have won their past three meetings by an average of 20 points.
“They (Wests) will definitely come out firing this Saturday. We go into the game thinking it will be a tough game against them, after that loss (to the Cowboys).”
From family tragedy to Broncos battle
- Peter Badel
Tesi Niu knows what many NRL pundits are thinking. That he is on borrowed time as a fullback at the Broncos. That it won’t be long before young-gun recruit Reece Walsh arrives at Red Hill, all style, swagger and attacking magic, and takes over as Brisbane’s fullback kingpin for the next decade.
But Niu is up for the fight.
Having emerged from the toughest year of his young life, his world torn apart by the shock death of his father in Fanitesi, the 20-year-old is stronger in body and mind as he braces for a battle with Walsh for the Broncos’ No. 1 jumper next season.
While Warriors ace Walsh is one of the NRL’s whiz kids, Niu was, for a time, Brisbane’s forgotten man.
He finished the 2021 season as Brisbane’s first-choice fullback but two hamstring injuries this year, the second of which threatened to end his season, sidelined Niu for months, opening the door for Te Maire Martin to flourish in the backfield.
But Niu is back in business. When Martin (ribs) suffered his own injury setback three weeks ago, Niu had his golden chance. He has taken it emphatically.
In his first game back, the former Tongan Test ace destroyed the Dragons, scoring a try and amassing 157 metres, nine tackle busts, two try assists and two line breaks to headline a 32-18 romp in the finest performance of his fledgling 30-match NRL career.
Walsh will be the red-hot favourite to clinch the Broncos fullback spot next season, but coach Kevin Walters insists the jumper is up for grabs — and Niu has no desire to return to the Queensland Cup.
“I can’t wait for the competition,” he said.
“Reece is a good player, but if I have a good pre-season under my belt, hopefully I can stay at fullback.
“I will see what happens with the fullback spot. Reece is coming here and it will be good healthy competition.
“It’s great for the Broncos to have that depth.
“I remember Reece from the Broncos juniors. We came through together and I have missed having him here, so it will be good to see him back. He is a freak talent for his age. People forget just how young Reece is when you see what he is doing at that age.
“Whoever gets the jumper, gets it, but right now all I can do is play good consistent footy for the Broncos leading into the finals and if I play well, I’ll put my best foot forward.
“Fullback is my preferred position. Wherever ‘Kevvie’ (Broncos coach Kevin Walters) wants me to play, I’ll do my job for the team, but I do enjoy the space at fullback.”
Niu will never endure another pre-season as soul destroying as the summer of 2021. Just eight weeks out from the start of the premiership, he was left devastated by the sudden passing of his dad.
Fanitesi was a fitness fanatic who, at 48, had the rippling physique of an NRL player half his age. Niu never saw his dad’s death coming. It sent him into a dark spiral. When he returned to Broncos training after a period of grieving, Niu’s weight had ballooned beyond 100kg.
“I came back in pre-season a bit overweight,” he said. “With everything that happened with my dad, I didn’t have the best preparation, I was going through a lot. But I worked hard to get my weight down and play some good footy.
“My dad was my biggest fan and my biggest critic, too. He watched every game and after every game, he would message me with paragraphs on my game, what I did well and what I could work on.
“I am doing all this for him and I hope he is up there watching, proud of me.”
If Niu has inherited anything from his old man, it is his dedication to training. As a 13-year-old, Niu, his dream to be an NRL star, would stretch every night in the lounge room. As he picked up the pieces from his father’s death, he stripped 5kg in no time.
Mindful of the view he has troubles under the high ball, Niu is one of the last Broncos to leave the training paddock. It’s a relentless, monk-like monotony driving a pursuit to get better: Kick. Catch. Kick. Catch. Kick. Catch.
“I can tell you — no-one at this club does extras like Tesi Niu does extras,” says Broncos trainer Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess, a three-time Australian amateur heavyweight champion who does weekly boxing sessions with the players.
“He wants that No. 1 jumper and he will do anything to keep it.
“People talk about Tesi under the high ball. At training the other day, he stayed back an extra hour catching bomb after bomb after bomb. I have a massive wrap on him as a person.
“He came back to pre-season a bit overweight, but with his day dying, that’s understandable. His dad was a fitness fanatic and Tesi idolised him. He was crying in front of me saying: ‘Chop, my best friend is gone’.
“Losing his dad was devastating but I have a saying, ‘Hard work works’. I can’t fault his attitude. Tesi is busting his guts to be the best player he can be.”
Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds lauded Niu’s character.
“Tesi has been great since his return,” he said. “He had a nasty hamstring injury and to see him work hard to get better and perform the way he has since he has come back, it’s a sign of his professionalism.
“With Reece Walsh coming here, it’s a good headache to have at fullback. I’m not sure what Kevvie is going to do.”
Niu admits he was drained by the frustration of two hamstring tears in eight weeks, but the rehabilitation gave him ample time to study footage of the code’s best fullbacks.
“I used to love watching Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (ex-Warriors fullback) and I also like James Tedesco,” he says.
“They are two guys who are always involved and I want to build my game on that effort.
“I work pretty hard on my fitness because if you want to be a long-term fullback, you can’t get comfortable in the NRL.
“You have to keep improving yourself and one thing dad drilled into me is don’t get complacent … because there is always someone else wanting your jersey.”
Someone like a prodigy named Reece Walsh, enough to keep the fire burning inside Niu.
Golden Oates: Veteran on track to be Bronco for life
By Peter Badel and Travis Meyn
Brisbane’s man-of-the-moment Corey Oates is poised to sign a new contract as part of the rejuvenated Queensland Origin star’s plan to be a Bronco for life.
News Corp can reveal the off-contract Oates is staying at Red Hill with the veteran winger to shun a possible move to expansion rivals the Dolphins as he chases a maiden premiership ring at his beloved Broncos.
Oates has been one of the success stories of the NRL season. Axed to the Queensland Cup last season, Oates has hit back in sensational style this year, posting two tries for the third consecutive game in Brisbane’s 36-14 drubbing of the Eels on Thursday night.
The 27-year-old has 16 tries from as many games this season and his career-best average of 172 metres per match underpinned his return to the Queensland Origin side for the Suncorp decider last week.
At rock-bottom last season, there were fears Oates wanted out of Brisbane to seek a fresh start under Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins, but the revitalised winger is going nowhere.
It is understood the Broncos have ramped-up talks on a two-year extension to keep Oates at Red Hill until the end of 2024.
His manager George Mimis confirmed the parties are closing in on a new deal for Oates in another signing coup for the Broncos, who have secured Selwyn Cobbo and Reece Walsh in the past three weeks.
“Corey has spent a decade with the Broncos and would like to be a one-club player,” Mimis said. “We are in ongoing discussions with the Broncos as we speak and hope to have a mutually acceptable outcome soon.”
Fan-favourite Oates has carved out a brilliant career at Brisbane. The lanky winger is the greatest tryscorer at Suncorp Stadium and he is ranked fourth on the Broncos’ all-time tryscoring list with 114 four-pointers from 186 games.
The veteran of nine Origin games has roared back to form this season with his bruising kick returns and finishing prowess, but just 12 months ago, Oates admits he feared for his career.
“I thought I was nearly done, not just with the Broncos but footy in general,” said Oates, reflecting on his demotion to reserve grade last year.
“That’s how I was feeling and it’s not a good feeling to have.
“A lot of hard work went into getting back.
“I wasn’t enjoying the game. It’s been a long few years.
“When nothing works, your body starts to ache, click and crack every day … it’s not enjoyable. I wasn’t doing the extras and work I should have been doing.
“I just wanted to get back to enjoying footy again and it was good to get the reward of that Queensland jumper.”
Oates was linked with the Dolphins by virtue of his long-time association with Bennett, but he revealed he wants to be in Broncos colours next season.
“I’ve always said I wanted to stay,” he said.
“This is my 10th year at the Broncos but I feel really good about myself and the body,
“I need to keep looking after myself and hopefully I can last a lot longer.
“I am enjoying my footy again.”
Broncos recruit Adam Reynolds has built a strong bond with Oates and the skipper lauded his renaissance on Brisbane’s left flank.
“Corey has been awesome for us,” Reynolds said. “I hate to admit it but he has probably become my best mate at the Broncos.
“We chew each other’s ears off and he is a bit of a pest like myself.
“When I signed with the Broncos, I knew what Corey was capable of. He wasn’t playing his best last year but he has worked his butt off and it’s great to see him fight his way back.”
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