Anthony Milford has changed his mindset to deal with NRL pressure
Anthony Milford has always been the hunted. Being on big money at the Broncos, the pressure has always been on. But this off-season, the Origin half has changed. He has become the hunter.
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There has been a change in Anthony Milford.
He may not see it, for the shift is so slight, almost imperceptible, but the change has been detected.
There is improvement. A new attitude. Milford was once so paranoid he felt like the hunted. Now he is increasingly more comfortable being the hunter.
Ever since he signed the richest contract in Brisbane’s history 22 months ago – a mega $4 million deal worth $1 million a season which catapulted him onto the NRL’s centre stage – Milford has never felt comfortable residing in the spotlight.
Shy and quiet by nature, Milford would rather visit the dentist than confront a voracious media pack. He could do without the incessant inquisitions: are you worth $1 million? Can you deliver a premiership? What’s it like wearing Darren Lockyer’s No.6 jumper? Are you and Kodi Nikorima the halves to make Brisbane great again?
So many external questions, not enough internal answers, the Polynesian kid from blue-collar Inala found solace in retreating.
But over summer, Broncos hierarchy were candid with Milford. Turning 25 in July, and now the father of a newborn child, it was time for Brisbane’s whizkid to emerge from his cocoon and embrace more responsibility at Red Hill.
“I’ve gotten better at handling the pressure now,” says Milford, who helped the Broncos to a 29-10 derby defeat of the Cowboys on Friday night.
“A couple of years ago, I would have handled things a lot differently to what I do now.
“I enjoy everything that comes with playing with the Broncos. It’s a dream club and I’ve always wanted to play for them.
“To be honest, I didn’t know the expectations on me would be this big, but that’s what comes with playing at such a successful club.”
For all his natural talent, the knock on Milford is that he doesn’t deliver consistently. He can be incredibly brilliant, then downright diabolical ... sometimes in the space of 40 minutes at Suncorp Stadium.
But after 145 NRL games, Milford accepts his apprenticeship is well and truly over. New Broncos coach Anthony Seibold, determined to plane the rough edges, has moved to educate Milford.
In pre-season, Seibold flew his playmaking spine, including Milford and Nikorima, to Sydney to work with former NSW and Test pivot Matthew Johns.
Milford has always had instinct but he needed to refine the strategic vision that made Johns and his brother Andrew the greatest halves pairing in Newcastle’s history.
After a short walk to a park on NSW’s northern beaches, Johns laid out witches hats.
Milford and Nikorima watched as Johns broke down the 100-metre zone into small segments.
Suddenly, the footy field morphed into a chess board. Johns began his mentoring. If an offload happens here, you do this. If a teammate runs there, you do that. A set-up on play three can lead to an attacking shape on play four.
The lessons have opened Milford’s eyes to the art of game management.
“I have definitely learned a lot from Matty Johns, so has Kodi,” Milford said.
“The key thing is staying ahead of the game. Matt said if a tackle happens in a certain part of the field, you have to know what’s going on with the next play ... and the next play after that.
“It was pretty cool to sit there and hear him talk.
“It might take some time for me and Kodi, but we are trying to bring what Matt taught us to our game plans.”
Even Johns admits he under-estimated Milford.
“I saw Anthony as this laidback bloke who possibly didn’t care enough, but, boy, he has knowledge and desire,” he said.
“Because of the 10-metre rule, the art of ball-playing and subtlety has gone out of the game.
“I have spoken to ‘Milf’ and Kodi about how to build a set of six. Game awareness. How to manufacture a hole for your ball runner.
“I took them to specific areas of the field and said right, if this or that happens, you can still control the set of six because you will do A, B or C.
“It’s been fantastic to watch their progress. Milford and Nikorima are learning and improving.”
Broncos legend Lockyer was the last playmaker to steer Brisbane to a premiership, their sixth, in 2006. The 355-game icon was renowned for his cool head in a crisis.
Once consumed by pressure, Milford now wants to eat it up like Lockyer.
“The boys here who played with ‘Locky’ talk about how calm he was,” Milford said.
“Whether Brisbane was up by six or down by six, it didn’t bother Locky. He was calm and focused on the process.
“That’s the big thing I’ve learned. I’m trying to put it in my game at the moment – being calm in every situation, staying in that good mindset and knowing it will pay off in the end.
“It all starts at training. I’m doing everything I can to make myself the best player I know I can be.”
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