Is this the worst year ever for Queensland rugby league?
An Origin series defeat and only one team with a chance to make the finals — Queensland rugby league is at its lowest ebb in years. The Monday Bunker crew look at where it all went wrong.
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Has rugby league in Queensland ever been in worse shape? The Monday Bunker crew thinks so and it’s hard to say otherwise.
With the Maroons going down in the Origin series and all three NRL sides on the brink of missing the finals rugby league north of the border is struggling big time.
The Courier-Mail’s Robert Craddock believes the fault is with those three clubs – even the powerful Brisbane Broncos.
“In some ways it’s a very simple answer – the three Queensland teams, this century, have failed to produce a champion halfback, a champion captain and a champion playmaker,” Craddock said.
“If you haven’t got those three things you’re not going to win. People will say ‘what about Thurston’, he came through at the Bulldogs.
“People will say ‘what about Lockyer’, he started last century. Those three commodities, the hallmark of great teams, they stopped producing them up here. Why? I don’t know.
“A little explanation for the playmaker – backyard rugby league isn’t what it was. They’re just not getting those instinctive playmakers up here.”
Queensland’s three teams were outscored by a combined 116-14 across their three matches and only Brisbane are still a chance of making the finals – and even then they’ll finish no higher than eighth.
Craddock didn’t hesitate to label season 2019 as the worst in the long history of Queensland rugby league and believes for all their resources the Broncos lacklustre season is unacceptable.
“No Origin and three teams out of the eight – it is. It’s unacceptable.
“Anyone who takes a walk through the Broncos facilities, it’s like the Manchester United of rugby league, they could not have more.
“Even the contours of the training ground is sloped identically to Suncorp Stadium. That is to the nth degree. They couldn’t have more.
“You can have all the facilities you like but if you ain’t got them with you in the head and the heart, you’ve just got nothing.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley, who was one of many who tipped a big year from the Broncos especially this season, was damning in his criticism.
“I agree with Crash, it almost appears now like they’re going through a rebuild.
“But you can’t ignore the fact that last year the Broncos finished one win off the minor premiership and pretty much played the full season without Jack Bird and Matt Gillett, two of their three highest paid players.
“Everyone at the start of the year – like Crash, like Andrew Johns, like me, like many others – thought they would be a top four, if not a grand final, type team and they’re far from it.”
Originally published as Is this the worst year ever for Queensland rugby league?
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