Ben Ikin quits Fox League to join Brisbane Broncos as head of football
A vocal critic of Brisbane’s roster management, Ben Ikin now has the unenviable job of rebuilding the Broncos. Where must he start a massive task?
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Brisbane have scored a major coup by appointing former premiership star Ben Ikin as their head of football to preside over the rebuild of the crisis-torn Broncos.
The Courier-Mail can reveal Ikin has resigned from Fox Sports and will start at the Broncos within the week as the successor to Peter Nolan, who was sacked as Brisbane’s football chief following an internal review last Friday.
The appointment of Ikin is one of the most significant administrative moves in Brisbane’s 33-year history as Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy moves swiftly to revive the ailing powerhouse as a title force under embattled coach Kevin Walters.
Ikin’s installation comes just four months after he was overlooked for the Broncos’ CEO post in favour of Donaghy, who believes the former Queensland Origin playmaker can spearhead the reconstruction of Brisbane’s football department.
The 44-year-old has been a respected host of the NRL 360 program for the past decade, but Wednesday night’s episode will represent his Fox League swan song before he takes on one of the toughest jobs in Australian sport.
Ikin is regarded as one of the sharpest minds in rugby league and Broncos powerbrokers are adamant his football knowledge will drive Brisbane’s football department under Walters’ plan to revive the last-placed glamour club.
Ikin confirmed he has formally accepted the Brisbane post and is hellbent on helping the Broncos break their 15-year premiership drought.
“The Broncos are a great club,” he said.
“The NRL team isn’t doing so great at the moment, so this opportunity is both exciting and challenging.
“Broncos fans are desperate to see the NRL team playing finals and winning premierships again, and I’ll be doing everything I can to make that happen.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my ten years working at Fox Sports hosting NRL 360.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside some very talented people who all helped craft the show into what it’s become.
“I specifically want to thank my good mate Paul Kent (NRL 360 co-host), who gave me an education in journalism and showed me every day what fearless storytelling looks like in the flesh.”
Ikin has an intimate understanding of the Broncos. He played 55 of his 150-game NRL career for the club and was a member of the Broncos team which won the 2000 premiership, playing five-eighth in Brisbane’s 14-6 defeat of the Sydney Roosters.
The crafty playmaker remains the youngest player in State of Origin history, making his Queensland debut aged 18 years and 83 days, and went on to play 17 matches for the Maroons.
One of Ikin’s immediate tasks will be sorting out the salary-cap mess that saw the Broncos lose a bidding war for David Fifita and young gun Reece Walsh. The club has also given Tevita Pangai Jnr and Matt Lodge permission to leave to free up funds for a major rebuild.
Ikin last year slammed Brisbane’s roster management as “disgusting” and now he gets the chance to put his stamp on the Broncos’ football department and spark a seminal turnaround.
Fox Sports executive editor Luke McIlveen said Ikin would be missed but the network had big plans for the show.
“Ben Ikin has been an integral part of the success of NRL 360 since day one,” he said.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Ben to return to the club that means so much to him at a time when they need him most.
“We wish him all the best.
Ikin and Kent will co-host NRL 360 for the final time on Wednesday night, where the team is planning a special tribute episode.
Originally published as Ben Ikin quits Fox League to join Brisbane Broncos as head of football
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