Broncos most influential figures in club history: 30-25
SINCE the Broncos entered the NRL 30 years ago, no other team has won as many premierships or had as many rep players. Our countdown of the club’s most influential figures begins today.
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THEY began as a club that made the heads of players spin by offering them a $1500-a-game win bonus and are now worth $135 million a year to the state’s economy.
No other club has won as many as the six premierships the Broncos have won since they entered the competition 30 years ago, or had as many as their 55 international representatives.
We can take it as read, as well, that no club has sparked as many arguments and debates either.
The Brisbane entry into the 1988 NSWRL competition came at a time when Queensland as a state had become more ambitious.
“Queensland was getting its own identity commercially and Expo in 1988 helped that, coming as it did after the super job with the (1982) Commonwealth Games,’’ foundation Broncos chairman Barry Maranta remembers.
“But I worked in the business community in that era and we were certainly an outskirt of Sydney or Melbourne.
“I think Expo and the Broncos starting up became a catharsis that gave rise to a whole new emotion — that Queenslanders could hold our head up.’’
Playing a freewheeling style that importantly for a privately owned club brought spectators through the gates, the Broncos won five premierships in nine years between 1992-2000.
It was a run of success that became, towards the end taken for granted, especially in a hindsight coloured by 12 seasons since the most recent premiership.
But it was historic — South Sydney won four in five years (1967-71) but didn’t make another grand final until 2014. Manly won five in 16 years (1972-87). Parramatta won four in six years (1981-86) but didn’t make another grand final until 2001.
The Broncos were worth $135 million a year to the state’s economy, research in 2015 by consulting group Futures Sport and Entertainment found.
The report said $67.5 million a year came from tourism spin-offs through accommodation, restaurants, transport and shopping while spectators were in Brisbane for games.
The Courier-Mail this week continues to mark the 30-year anniversary of the Broncos compiling a list of the 30 most influential figures in the club’s history, starting today with the first six on the list. Tomorrow, we publish the next six.
30. BERNIE DAWSON
Dawson, the ANZ Bank’s state manager, advanced the Broncos consortium a loan in April, 1988, to complete the purchase of the Wests Old Boys licensed club and Gilbert Park field when the club had just started playing.
“We thought we would be training and based at Lang Park, but then (QRL boss) Ron McAuliffe told us there’d be no lease for us to train,’’ Barry Maranta said.
“So we needed a bank loan to help us towards buying at Red Hill. Bernie was a guy to positively help the Broncos.
“Then in getting for the ANZ the naming rights (in 1993) for QEII Stadium for $5 million, Bernie allowed us to raise half of the $10 million we needed (to get it ready as a home stadium). It was known as ANZ Stadium and it was the first naming rights sponsorship of a stadium in Australia.’’
The Broncos owners put up the next largest amount and the Brisbane City Council the smallest of the three contributions.
29. ANTHONY GRIFFIN
The third Broncos coach retained the confidence of more of the Broncos first graders than the second coach, Ivan Henjak, but Griffin lasted four years in the role, two more than Henjak.
Wayne Bennett’s final season in his first 20-year stint at the Broncos, 2008, was a year in which Griffin was in charge of an under-20s team that reached the national youth grand final and was influential towards the clubs’ future. It included Ben Hunt, Alex Glenn, Josh McGuire and Andrew McCullough, all regulars in Brisbane’s 2015 grand final.
“He was exceptional. I always enjoyed playing under him and I’m very grateful for everything he did for me — he gave me my opportunity,” Hunt said.
After serving as an assistant for Henjak, Griffin was drafted as head NRL coach three weeks before the start of the 2011 season.
Griffin’s best year was the 2011 preliminary-final season, but a 12th-placed finish in 2013, Brisbane’s worst result, set in train Bennett’s signing by the Broncos in mid-2014 and Griffin’s exit.
28. ANDREW GEE
Only five Broncos have played more than Gee’s 255 first-grade games for the club. A teenage debutant who became a tenacious prop, Gee set standards for many of his teammates — and did it all despite a horrendous 1991 foot injury that would have terminated the career of a less determined man.
He became football general manager, resigning in May 2014, ending a 25-year association with the club.
“Andrew epitomised what giving 100 per cent as a player was all about,’’ Wayne Bennett said.
“What he lacked in natural talent he made up for with sheer determination.’’
Packmate Mark Hohn said: “You knew you’d never beat Gee Gee. Not everyone would have battled through that foot injury.
“He’d keep coming at you. He’s as solid as a rock as a bloke.’’
27. PETERO CIVONICEVA
The Fijian-born forward had four of the best years of his career away from the Broncos, at Penrith, after a contract negotiation with the club went spectacularly and acrimoniously wrong.
But he still played 235 of his 309 NRL games for the Broncos, including their 1998, 2000 and 2006 premierships, after being able to return home to finish his career at Red Hill.
“He was one of the toughest players we’ve seen at the Broncos, physical and mental toughness,’’ Kevin Walters said.
“Our forwards had size through that era and Petero was one there.’’
In retirement, Civoniceva has had several roles in NRL ambassadorships and also helped mobilise Fiji’s improvements in the game.
“Petero’s the most gentlemanly footballer I ever played with, but for all his kindness I’ve seen him get angry on the field and it was a sight to behold,’’ said his prop mate from the era, Shane Webcke.
26. ROSS JOHNSTON
A leading Brisbane accountant he was trusted implicitly by the Broncos owners, acting for the club or Broncos Leagues Club for 25 years through his company Johnston Rorke.
“Ross was the financial guy behind us to make the business financially sound. He told us what we could spend and couldn’t spend,’’ Maranta said.
“He did it for 10 years and they were the auditors for the Leagues Club for years.’’
Johnston was a leading figure in the Thoroughbreds group of sponsors, alongside men such as motor industry figure Ron McConnell and engineer Max Winders.
“They were willing to give the players business advice where wanted and it was important we were able to show players we could help them prepare for life after football — that was one of our points of difference with the other clubs,’’ Maranta said.
In 1989, Johnston and Broncos co-owner Paul Morgan took the ball up at a meeting with taxation department officials about what should be allowable for a businesses wanting to claim deductions for amounts paid to hire corporate boxes at sport.
The meeting went well, as evidenced by the fact there were 160 boxes bought at ANZ Stadium in 1993.
“We got a substantially better deal than we thought,’’ Johnston said.
“It was a euphoric moment. We got out into the lift after the meeting, it was just us, and he picked me up and slung me over his shoulder.’’
25. WENDELL SAILOR
Sailor assured Bennett he would be a first grader without a shadow of a doubt when he first came across the teenage recruit and the athletic winger from north Queensland became a larger than life Bronco.
Sailor scored 110 tries in 189 games before defecting for the international stage of the Reds and Wallabies.
The Broncos were so strong in 1993 that Sailor scored two tries in each of his first two first-grade finals appearances and then had to make way for a fit-again Steve Renouf, but the charismatic winger soon became a fixture.
The biggest name in Australian rugby league to change to rugby union after decades of defections in the opposite direction, Sailor’s code swap in late 2001 redefined the thinking among players that a career at the Broncos was not necessarily the be-all and end-all.
“Wendell brought a real swagger and confidence to the team. You do need some swagger,’’ Chris Johns said.
“In the early days of Wendell’s career, Wayne once said that Wendell fell in love with himself at an early age and was the most loyal of partners ever since,’’ Johns said.
OUR COUNTDOWN OF THE 30 MOST INFLUENTIAL BRONCOS CONTINUES ON TUESDAY
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