Robert Craddock: Allan Langer the perfect tonic for struggling Broncos

Allan Langer swapped his water bottle for a neatly pressed Broncos corporate shirt. ROBERT CRADDOCK reveals why it’s time to swap them back again.

Bring back Alfie ... bring back Alfie ... bring back Alfie.

Heard the chant? No?

That’s because no one is singing it – yet – but they should.

The time has come for the Broncos to give serious consideration to getting Allan Langer, mood-lightener extraordinaire, to swap his smartly ironed corporate shirt for his old water bottle and return as club trainer.

Who better to add humour, spirit and enjoyment to a team craving all three.

Watching Langer mix seamlessly with the Queensland State of Origin squad last week was a reminder how much his presence can add to a team under pressure, which is what the Broncos will be in the last half of the season.

The Broncos could use Allan Langer. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Daly Cherry-Evans gets a cuddle from Alfie Langer. Picture: Lachie Millard

When Michael Maguire started at the club last season, Langer was transferred from his role as team trainer to corporate duties and the whisper was he signed a long-term deal with the club to stay in that role.

But Langer, even though he can be lively company in a corporate suite, is at his best in the dressing room.

Sometimes irreverent, sometimes compassionate and at other times mixing the two, he can say things to players no one else can and get away with it because he’s Alfie Langer.

When people categorise him as quirky little Alfie, they underestimate his achievements as a four-time premiership skipper.

Two years ago when the Broncos won nearly all their away games, skipper Adam Reynolds said one of the key reasons was the entertainment factor of having Langer’s lightness and humour on tour.

Langer was Maroon State of Origin coach Billy Slater’s favourite player because he proved small players could not simply survive but dominate in the NRL.

DOLPHINS GO HARD

The Dolphins should ignore the rumour Daly Cherry-Evans is certain to sign with the Roosters and offer him a bumper deal.

A bewildered Andrew Johns said on Sunday he could not believe Cherry-Evans nor the Roosters would consider it was the right choice for him to sign a million-dollar deal to play the final two years of his career there given the club’s depth of young halves.

True, the Dolphins have Isaiya Katoa, but Cherry-Evans could play with him to form one of the competition’s best pairings.

Daly Cherry-Evans (with ball) playing for Redcliffe Dolphins in 1997.

HERO HERBIE

A day after Trevor Gillmeister told his iconic story about leaving his hospital bed to guide Queensland to victory in the 1995 State of Origin series, the Dolphins’ Herbie Farnworth did a similar thing.

Gillmeister was in fine form telling his hospital story at a lunch at the Trade Coast Hotel on Wednesday and a day later Farnworth was released from hospital and flew to Sydney on game day to help the Dolphins record an upset victory over the Bulldogs. He had been on a drip due to a leg infection.

“I made the call with the club to go to hospital and go on the IV and I didn’t really take to the IVs too well,” Farnworth said the day after the match.

“Just as I was leaving the hospital, they told me to go back in because the results came back and it wasn’t effective.

“That was a bit of a nightmare.”

WAYNE’S NOT FORGOTTEN

Ange Postecoglou has been voted the greatest Australian sports coach of all time after guiding Tottenham Hotspur to victory over Manchester Uniter in the Europa Cup final against Manchester United.

We asked readers of this masthead to pick the best coach and 40 per cent of the 1600 respondents said Ange.

Significantly, though, the closest behind him were rugby league’s Craig Bellamy (12 per cent) and Wayne Bennett (9 per cent).

It’s not a bad effort in a field which included AFL greats Norm Smith and Leigh Matthews, hockey’s Ric Charlesworth and Australian cricket mentors Bob Simpson and John Buchanan.