Story behind Alex Glenn’s incredible rise to Brisbane Broncos captain
Alex Glenn is the ideal man to help the Broncos prepare for the future, but his captaincy never seemed like a possibility before now, writes Travis Meyn.
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Alex Glenn’s rise to the Brisbane Broncos captaincy is a remarkable story which nearly never eventuated.
When Wayne Bennett handed Darius Boyd the Broncos leadership duties in 2017, it was clear he wouldn’t be the club’s captain for more than five years.
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The Broncos had a healthy stock of potential future leaders at the time.
Matt Gillett was one of the best forwards in the world. Andrew McCullough was as reliable as they come. Ben Hunt had played in a grand final.
The Broncos were about to make Anthony Milford a $1 million-a-season player and Jai Arrow had just made his NRL debut.
Fast forward three years and the Broncos were left with few genuine options to lead the club in 2020.
Glenn, 31, is as good a person as they come.
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You will struggle to find someone that has a bad word to say about the New Zealand international. Broncos staff packed the room for yesterday’s announcement.
He is polite, well spoken and positive. A sponsor’s dream. The members’ favourite. A coach’s ideal player, as evidenced by his five most consistent player awards in 11 seasons, including the past three.
With a diamond earring, model looks and beautiful family, Glenn has the perfect image to lead a club.
He will be a great captain for the Broncos and won’t let them down.
But Glenn was also the only real option to captain the Broncos following Boyd’s axing and that’s a concern for a club that should be brimming with talent every year.
The Broncos, a club that believes anything less than a top four finish every year is a failure, should have more senior leaders in their ranks.
Glenn’s legacy at the Broncos won’t be that of Queensland legends Darren Lockyer, Allan Langer and Kevin Walters.
His job over the next two years will be to guide a group of emerging players and help Brisbane find a skipper that can lead the club into the future.
Coach Anthony Seibold has assembled a leadership group stacked with young talent this year.
Boyd (317) and Glenn (259) are the only two members to have played more than 100 NRL games.
Halfback Brodie Croft (39 games for Melbourne) is in the leadership group without having ever pulled on a Broncos jersey.
Forwards Matt Lodge (59) and Tevita Pangai Jr (72) are starting to find their feet, but Pat Carrigan (19) and Payne Haas (24) are in the infancy of their careers.
Milford, the Broncos’ highest paid player, didn’t make the cut for the group and neither did McCullough given he is no longer guaranteed an NRL berth.
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The injury-forced retirement of Gillett late last year may have cruelled the Broncos’ succession planning and it would have been a public relations disaster to give Lodge the role.
Glenn was shopped to the Gold Coast Titans a year ago as his future at Red Hill became uncertain. He tossed up a move to Penrith this year but opted to take a pay-cut to remain at the Broncos.
Glenn is now the captain of one of the NRL’s most successful clubs and his rise to the role is a great lesson in persistence and dedication.
But the Broncos must also learn from their decisions and ensure they are better prepared for what the future holds. Glenn is the ideal man to help them do that.
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