Sport Confidential: Brisbane Broncos cannibalise feeder clubs for Hostplus Cup playoffs
Kevin Walters’ decision to rest 11 stars against the Storm has decimated their feeder clubs - and it could shatter Broncos legend Karmichael Hunt’s Hostplus Cup fairytale.
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Broncos coach Kevin Walters’ decision to rest 11 stars against the Storm has created chaos in the Hostplus Cup playoffs.
Queensland’s premier rugby league competition has taken a major hit, with Brisbane’s feeder clubs, Wynnum Manly and Souths Logan, decimated ahead of their sudden-death semi-final on Saturday.
Souths Logan have lost Tristan Sailor, Cory Paix, Ben Te Kura and Jordan Pereira to Broncos duties, while hooker Blake Mozer (Souths Logan) and Josh Rogers and Delouise Hoeter (Wynnum) have been named to play.
However, under QRL rules, players can only back-up for Hostplus Cup games if they have played less than 10 minutes in the NRL that weekend.
Souths Logan finished the regular season in second but coach Karmichael Hunt will be a shattered man if the depleted Magpies go out the back door.
REYNOLDS SUCCESSION
The Broncos have bolstered their scrumbase stocks by upgrading three playmakers as Brisbane construct a succession plan for life after skipper Adam Reynolds.
Sport Confidential can reveal former Wests Tigers rookie Jock Madden is being groomed to succeed Reynolds after signing a new extension to remain at Red Hill until the end of 2026.
There is a view Reece Walsh could eventually shift into the halves alongside Ezra Mam, but Broncos coach Kevin Walters has no plans to move his superstar fullback.
Madden was already contracted for the 2024 season, but Brisbane have rewarded the 23-year-old for his impressive debut campaign at the Broncos by adding another two years on top of his existing deal.
That is a sign of the esteem in which Walters holds Madden, who has proven a handy back-up this season, steering Brisbane to two key wins over the Cowboys and Canberra when Reynolds has been injured.
Madden is not the only shot-caller to win a Broncos upgrade.
Late-blooming Josh Rogers, who will make his NRL debut in Brisbane’s final-round clash against the Storm, has inked another development deal that will see him be part of the Broncos’ full-time squad in 2024.
And the Broncos will also promote teenage young gun Coby Black to their NRL squad next season on a development deal as Brisbane build a long-term scrumbase blueprint.
Black has impressed with feeder-club Wynnum Manly in the under-18s Mal Meninga Cup and hails from Marsden High, the school which produced Cameron Smith and Israel Folau.
Having secured Madden, Rogers and Black, their No. 1 playmaker – Reynolds – is next on the hit list.
Reynolds was expected to retire when his current three-year deal expires next season but the skipper’s form has been so impressive it’s convinced the 33-year-old to play on in 2025.
The Broncos have yet to table a 12-month offer for Reynolds but the parties have held preliminary talks and will formalise a new deal after the finals.
Brisbane are planning for a halves pairing of Mam and Madden in 2026 and they have a mature back-up in 27-year-old Rogers, who has six years of experience in the Queensland Cup.
The Perth-born playmaker is the Queensland Cup’s leading pointscorer this season and has secured a 12-month extension after slick form for feeder club Wynnum Manly.
“Josh is a very good player in the Queensland Cup,” Broncos recruitment chief Simon Scanlan said.
“He has had another good season with Wynnum Manly.
“He came to us this year from Burleigh on a one-year development contract and he has done such a great job we have extended him for another year.
“It’s great to see Josh get called up for his NRL debut. Sometimes younger playmakers can be a bit erratic and rush things, but Josh is very composed and his best attribute is his ability to take the right options.
“We have Jock Madden as a seven or six, but we needed another playmaker as a back-up. We monitored the Queensland and NSW Cup competitions and we felt Josh would fit in well with our system and be a handy back-up for us.”
SECRET TALKS FOR ANZAC ORIGIN
ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has declared rugby league’s $100 million showpiece - State of Origin - is set for a historic overseas blockbuster in New Zealand.
Sport Confidential can reveal NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and New Zealand tourism chiefs have held preliminary talks for Origin to debut across the ditch - possibly as early as 2027.
As revealed by this column, Kiwi political heavy-hitters last month expressed interest in luring Queensland and New South Wales to New Zealand for the first overseas interstate clash in 40 years.
State of Origin has been played offshore just once - way back in 1987 when the Blues beat Wayne Bennett’s Maroons 30-18 in Los Angeles.
Now the New Zealand government is upping the ante.
State of Origin’s ‘neutral’ venue remains vacant for 2027 and beyond, but that could soon change after New Zealand officials met with Abdo to plant the seed for an inaugural Anzac Origin.
“Auckland is very interested in hosting State of Origin,” said Auckland tourism-and-events boss Nick Hill.
“It’s been a long-standing ambition.
“We would be a fantastic host - Auckland has won international awards for its event delivery.”
Abdo declined to discuss negotiations but recently told News Corp: “State of Origin in New Zealand would be such a great spectacle.
“We would have to work hard to get it over the line, but it is certainly possible.”
Auckland’s Eden Park is an ideal location for a trans-Tasman Origin. The venue has a capacity of 50,000 and has hosted numerous marquee sporting events, including the 2011 Rugby World Cup final, cricket Tests and the NRL Nines tournament from 2014-17.
One major impediment surrounds a potential kick-off time that would satisfy the NRL’s Origin broadcaster Channel 9.
Channel 9’s contract states that Origin must kick-off at 8pm. That represents a 10pm start in Auckland.
Events at Eden Park must conclude by 11pm due to noise requirements for local residents, meaning Origin could kick-off no later than 9pm in New Zealand for an estimated 10.45pm finish.
A 9pm kick-off in New Zealand means a 7pm start in Sydney and Brisbane, a time change that would require the support of Channel 9.
“There are a couple of critical hurdles,” Hill said.
“The time the game is played in Auckland and the time it is broadcast in Australia are affected by a two-hour time difference.
“That potentially affects the value of the event.
“The second issue is whether New Zealand can match the bids states in Australia can make.
“Australian state governments since Covid have been putting big money into events and tourism which is not matched over here.
“We would lose a bidding war.
“But make no mistake this is a fantastic opportunity. We will work hard to make it stack up. We don’t want to waste anyone’s time if it doesn’t.”
SONNY’S LAST HURRAH?
Sonny Bill Williams may not be finished as an athlete.
Sport Confidential understands there are plans for SBW to be enticed back into the boxing ring ... and Paul Gallen has been touted as a potential opponent.
The NRL legend-turned-boxer’s career in the fight game appeared over last November when he was sensationally stopped by Mark Hunt, slumping to a fourth-round TKO after being up on the cards after three rounds.
But there is a push for Sonny Bill, just turned 38, to don the gloves for a few more fights.
AFL great Barry Hall was gutted by his embarrassing first-round loss to SBW last year and would jump at a re-match with the ex-All Blacks star.
The big fish is Gallen. There are whispers Gallen, now 42, could be tempted for one last big-money fight - a showdown with Sonny Bill could be worth $2-3 million - but the NRL superfight appears remote.
ENEMY WITHIN FOR BILLY
Billy Walters has been one of the feel-good stories of the season for the Broncos but he faces a huge fight for the No.9 jumper.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters concedes his son will come under pressure from Blake Mozer, the 19-year-old young gun who made his NRL debut in Thursday night’s clash against the Storm at Suncorp Stadium.
Mozer captained the Queensland under-19s this season and Brisbane recruitment chief Simon Scanlan rates the hooker one of the finest products to emerge from the Broncos Academy.
Well before Billy Walters became a smash hit in the No.9 jumper this season, the Broncos had big plans for Mozer to be their next superstar hooker.
“That is the plan is for Blake to progress through,” Broncos coach Walters said.
“It is an opportune time to give him some time in the middle.
“One of the things our performance staff have tried to do is put more weight on him to handle the rigours of the NRL.
“Queensland Cup is a tough sport and a tough game, but the NRL is the next level for him.
“He has been playing good footy at Souths and one of his best assets is his passing game. Defence is an area he’s had to work hard on.”
NELSON NOT ON THE WAYNE
Storm giant Nelson Asofa-Solomona has revealed he gave serious thought to joining Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins.
Big ‘NAS’, who was rested for Thursday night’s Broncos clash at Suncorp Stadium, inked a four-year extension with the Storm in April, but not before fielding major interest from the Dolphins and Rugby Australia.
Dolphins super coach Bennett successfully poached star trio Felise Kaufusi and Kenny and Jesse Bromwich from the Storm and he was keen for the 200cm enforcer to reunite with his ex-Melbourne teammates.
It is understood the Dolphins were prepared to pay up to $900,000 a season, but Asofa-Solomona is determined to win more titles at the Storm.
“I had a phone call from Wayne Bennett and we had a chat,” said Asofa-Solomona, who will make his boxing debut on October 7 in Townsville.
“Everyone says he is a people person and it was awesome to hear from someone like Wayne and what sort of role he wanted me to play at the Dolphins.
“In terms of considering it, I did think about it seriously.
“There’s definitely some advantages to being at the Dolphins.
“The warmer weather of Queensland and the beaches would have been awesome, but my family is here in Melbourne and I do love the Storm.
“I see a big future here for the Storm as well, so it was always going to be hard to leave Melbourne. I’m glad I stayed.”
JETS CRASH AND BURN
This is the most remarkable statistic in rugby league - and highlights why Queensland Cup premiership brothers Ben and Shane Walker should be coaching in the NRL.
The farcical myth perpetuated is that former Ipswich co-coaches Ben and Shane have a style that is “too risky” to work in the cutthroat world of the NRL.
But the sad demise of the Jets in the Queensland Cup in recent years, following the departure of the Walkers, is proof they should be the next cab off the rank for an NRL coaching job.
This season, under coach Ben Cross, Ipswich finished wooden spooners with a points differential of minus 529.
They lost all 20 regular-season games.
Their four competition points came from two byes.
Since the Walkers quit at the end of 2019, the Jets have won just seven of 57 games for a paltry 12 per cent success rate.
Contrast this with the manner in which the Jets soared during the wondrous Walker regime.
When Ben and Shane took over from Glenn Lazarus at the end of 2010, the Jets were, once again, wooden spooners.
In their debut season in 2011, the Walkers turned Ipswich into a finals team.
The Jets went on to play five successive finals campaigns, culminating in the Walkers co-coaching Ipswich to a fairytale title in 2015 _ their one and only Queensland Cup premiership.
During their nine-season reign, the Walkers won 119 of 217 games for a 55 per cent strike rate with one of the lowest budgets in the league.
Not a bad record for a coaching duo considered too risky for the NRL.
Interestingly, the short dropout, pioneered by the Walkers a decade ago, is now employed by every side in the NRL.
WOOD ON HER RIVALS
Mia Wood has stolen bragging rights in a well-known rugby league family.
The Roosters flyer celebrated a hat-trick on debut in last week’s 48-10 thumping of Wests Tigers in the NRLW.
The 24-year-old is the daughter of former utility back Garth Wood, who played 25 games for Balmain and Souths, and niece of super-sub Nat, who played 114 NRL matches for the Tigers, Roosters and Warriors.
Garth and Nat’s father is Barry Wood, who played 86 top-grade games in the 1970s for Newtown, Souths and North Sydney.
But Mia already has a claim to fame at the family dinner table - Nat, Garth and Barry couldn’t manage a single hat-trick in their combined 225 games.
RICHO THE RABBITOH
Amid the drama at South Sydney, the Rabbitohs have moved to ensure stability by extending Shane Richardson’s ties with the club.
The former South Sydney chief executive now operates in a consultancy capacity and has inked a two-year extension ahead of Friday night’s derby blockbuster against the Roosters.
Richardson was in charge when Souths broke their 43-year premiership drought in 2014 and he is adamant the club is in good hands in the wake of the shock departure of assistant coach Sam Burgess.
“It’s great to be helping out at South Sydney,” Richardson said.
“The club is in good shape and Jason Demetriou (coach) is the right man for the job.
“Some of the people being quoted about the club have no idea what’s going on at South Sydney.
“I do know what’s going on. I talk to Jason once a week and he is a hard-working coach who for the first time in his career is going through a hiccup. It will be good for him. You have to go through these things to be a better coach.
“Johnny Lang once said to me you only become a good coach when you start losing and you have to fight your way out.
“Jason will fight his way out of this.”
POLAR BEAR’S ATTACK
Former Queensland Origin prop Ben Hannant is returning to the ring for a blockbuster NRL heavyweight bout with Eels monster Junior Paulo.
Sport Confidential can reveal Hannant has put up his hand to go toe-to-toe with Paulo after a number of current NRL stars rejected the opportunity to trade blows with the 123kg Eels enforcer.
Hannant and Paulo will square off on Saturday, October 7 in Townsville on a star-studded NRL fight card that will also feature Cowboys superstar Jason Taumalolo and Storm giant Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Hannant made his fight debut two years ago, narrowly losing to Canberra hardman Josh Papalii, and showed an impressive engine to go four rounds in his loss to Paul Gallen last year.
Despite consecutive defeats, Hannant, nicknamed the ‘Polar Bear’, is fit for a heavyweight and will back himself to go the distance with Paulo over three, two-minute rounds.
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