NRL 2022: Allan Langer hails Adam Reynolds as one of the greatest recruits in the club’s history
Broncos legend Allan Langer has hailed Adam Reynolds as one of the greatest recruits in the club’s history and believes he is the man that can deliver another Broncos premiership.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Brisbane’s greatest player Allan Langer has hailed Adam Reynolds as one of the greatest recruits in the club’s history and believes the Souths import will be the talismanic halfback that delivers another Broncos premiership.
In a rare media interview, Langer has broken a two-year silence on the state of the Broncos, describing his heartache at the shock decay of the club that ‘Alfie’ helped turn into a premiership-winning powerhouse.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now >
He also called on Broncos hierarchy to hand a new deal to off-contract coach Kevin Walters, detailing how his former halves partner has gradually chiselled away the “bloody nightmare” of the club’s first wooden spoon under former mentor Anthony Seibold.
In a week in which Reynolds was handed the Broncos captaincy, Langer can relate to the looming expectation for the new Brisbane skipper. Like Reynolds, Langer was both captain and halfback commander, expertly juggling the dual responsibility to pilot the Broncos to four of six titles - including back-to-back premierships in 1992-93.
The Broncos are mired in the worst premiership drought in their history. It has been 16 long years since Brisbane last saluted in 2006. A whole generation of players have walked through the Broncos’ corridors and left empty handed, but Langer rates Reynolds the beacon of hope who can engineer a seventh title at some point during his three-year contract.
“Adam can bring a premiership to the Broncos,” said Langer, the current Broncos assistant coach who amassed 258 games for the club as Brisbane’s pre-eminent halfback.
“I’m not getting carried away, I won’t be making bold predictions for this season but in the next couple of years, ‘Reyno’ will help get the Broncos back to where they should be.
“Reyno has been there, done that with the Rabbitohs. He was a great leader there, so it was pretty automatic that he would come here and take over the captaincy.
“I just like the qualities about him, he is not only great on the field, but off the field with the guys.
“Part of being a great leader is getting a team together and wanting to work for you. Adam has that. He is the start of the rebuilding of the Broncos.”
When Reynolds was chosen as captain by Walters, Langer was called on to formalise the appointment with a private speech in front of the entire Broncos squad and support staff at Brisbane’s $27 million high-performance centre.
It was an apt simpatico. Both pint-sized, both cheeky, both premiership playmakers who have collectively accumulated 489 top-grade games at the nerve centre of their respective clubs.
Like Reynolds at Souths, Langer says he was initially a reluctant leader, but believes the captaincy took him to another level as a player.
Within 24 months of succeeding Gene Miles, who had replaced foundation skipper Wally Lewis, Langer had taken the Broncos to the promised land, not once, but twice as Brisbane disposed of St George in successive grand finals.
“I did want the captaincy in my heart, but I wasn’t 100 per cent sure I could do it,” Langer said.
“Wayne (Bennett, then Broncos coach) decided to go with me as captain and it was a big decision for him to have to make, because ‘Kevvie’ (Walters) was there as well and he was a great leader.
“In my case, I was lucky I had a good group of guys around me that I cared for and they cared for me.
“Part of being a leader in a team environment is you have to have a good quality away from the field as well.
“You can’t be best mates with everyone but you have to learn to get on well with everyone.
“Having the respect of the group underpins everything you do as a leader and watching Reyno since he has come here, he’s got that respect.”
On one hand, Langer will always cherish being enshrined as Brisbane’s finest halfback. On the other, he admits he is pained by the crushing burden it has placed on the slew of playmakers who have succeeded him.
The Broncos have churned through more than 50 halves combinations since their last premiership in 2006. The likes of Ben Hunt, Anthony Milford, Peter Wallace, Corey Norman, Kodi Nikorima, Scott Prince, Brodie Croft and Tom Dearden have all crashed and burned in the Langer afterglow.
If there is any halfback who can handle the furnace, Langer says it’s Reynolds.
“I definitely feel for the guys who get that tag because of me. It’s awful in a way to see,” he said.
“They don’t need that pressure, but in saying that, I look back at guys like Benny Hunt and Anthony Milford and there were times where we did have success.
“’Hunty’ and ‘Milf’ got us to the grand final in 2015 and we could easily have won it that night (in the extra-time loss to the Cowboys).
“I’m confident Reyno is the one guy who can handle it.
“He is the best halfback we’ve had for a long time and he is a great player in his own right. He has the cool head to handle the pressure. He is ready to come here and pick up where he finished off last season at Souths.
“To be honest, I don’t know why Souths let him go. He is a great player who is playing well, kicking well and his leadership is first-class.
“Their loss is our gain. I’ll be training with Reyno and at games with him all the time. If he wants my help, I’m here to help him.
“He is a good person as well. He has fitted straight into the Broncos culture, his family and four kids are happy in Brisbane, so he’s in a good environment to succeed.”
As a long-serving assistant, Langer has ridden the highs and lows of Brisbane’s recent turbulence.
He was a member of Seibold’s coaching unit in 2020, when the Broncos went off the rails to finish last, with morale plummeting across the club, not helped by the bitter Red Hill civil war that led to the sacking of Bennett in 2018.
Even Langer’s endearing one-liners and happy-go-lucky, comedic streak disappeared at training during Brisbane’s slide into the cellar.
“It’s been a bloody nightmare to tell you the truth,” Langer said.
“It’s really hurt me seeing Brisbane in this state.
“I love winning and having a good time and there hasn’t been too many good times at the club over the last two years.
“The enjoyment went out of the place. We’ve been down and out and when you are losing all the time, it becomes a habit and it’s not a good place to be in.
“This is why the rebuild had to take place.”
Walters enters his second season with question marks still hovering. Four wins from Brisbane’s final nine games last season represented a ray of hope, but Walters and Langer accept Broncos bosses will not tolerate another 14th-placed finish.
Reynolds and fellow marquee recruit Kurt Capewell must spearhead a top-eight charge this season. Langer believes the Broncos have the fusion and experience, youth and playmaking measure to play finals this season, a scenario that would keep Walters safe in his quest for a premiership-winning Red Hill revolution.
“Today, there is a different feel in the club,” Langer said.
“Kevvie has done a great job bringing the fun and the confidence back and I see that in the way the players are responding. We really need to start well this season to get back to where we should be at the Broncos.
“Most sides get injuries but if we keep our best players on the field, we can play finals this season. I hope we see a consistent Kotoni Staggs and Payne Haas and the inclusion of Capewell with his communication, defence and premiership experience, I can see the Broncos building again into a finals team.
“I hope the club sticks by Kevvie. He is turning the place around. At the end of the day, we are all humans at a footy club. You need to have good times. You can’t be hammering blokes day in, day out and expecting them to perform as a team on game day. Building morale starts away from the field and the guys have put in the work in this pre-season.
“They have worked their asses off, I see more togetherness in the group and that’s what Kevvie is building.”
Like father, like son: Alfie’s surprise pick for Broncos halves
Broncos halfback legend Allan Langer has thrown his support behind Billy Walters as the son of a gun to win the No.6 jumper his father, Brisbane coach Kevin, once wore with distinction.
The Langer-Walters alliance remains the greatest scrumbase pairing in the Broncos’ history, with the dynamic duo engineering four of Brisbane’s six premierships - including back-to-back titles in 1992-93.
If anyone is qualified to appraise Brisbane’s playmaking stocks, it is Langer. ‘Alfie’ is Brisbane’s finest halfback, amassing 258 first-grade games calling the shots alongside Walters, who was the perfect five-eighth foil for Langer during a 241-match career that netted five Broncos premierships.
Now there is another Walters on the playing roster at Red Hill and Langer believes Billy’s apprenticeship at the Melbourne Storm makes him a genuine contender to partner big-name halfback recruit Adam Reynolds for Brisbane’s premiership opener.
“I like the look of Billy,” said Langer, a long-serving assistant coach at the Broncos.
“He has done a fair apprenticeship.
“He has been to different clubs, especially the Melbourne Storm who have a great system.
“Billy has also played for the Queensland Residents rep side and been around the Queensland Cup for a few years, so he has runs on the board.
“The No.6 jumper is wide open. Tyson (Gamble) and Albert Kelly are also talented guys but Billy is back at home where he belongs at the Broncos with his old man and he is a genuine consideration for the six spot.”
The five-eighth position is the most hotly-contested spot ahead of Brisbane’s round-one clash against Souths at Suncorp Stadium on Friday, March 11.
Aside from Gamble and Kelly, former Cowboys grand-final pivot Te Maire Martin is vying for the No.6 jumper, while 18-year-old young gun Ezra Mam is rated a future NRL superstar in the halves.
Coach Walters is keeping everyone guessing in the lead-up to Brisbane’s first trial against Wynnum on Saturday week.
Gamble and Martin alternated at five-eighth with the top squad at Broncos training on Wednesday alongside halfback Reynolds, while Kelly and Walters ran with the Renegades.
Walters’ signing sparked cries of nepotism given his blood ties to Brisbane’s head coach, but the 27-year-old is backing himself to win the No.6 jumper on his terms, insisting he is not merely a utility option off the bench.
“That’s why I am here (to play in the No.6 jumper),” he said.
“There’s a lot of spots up for grabs and that six jumper is the one I’m trying to get.
“It’s anyone’s game, a lot will come down to the trials and who performs best in the trials so it will be an interesting battle.
“I know Tyson and Alby did well last year and Ezra has a 20-minute highlight video from his four games of (Queensland) Cup last year, but if I can play the best out of those three, I’m a chance at five-eighth.”
Walters has played just two NRL games in 18 months after undergoing a knee reconstruction at the Wests Tigers but he is moving freely again, having buried the mental demons of the worst injury of his career.
Walters says he has come to terms with the pressures of living up to a footballing surname made famous by his father Kevin and uncles Kerrod and Steve. He has banned himself from calling out “Dad” at training.
“There’s always a bit of that pressure,” he said of the Walters surname.
“Kevvie was a good player and they are big shoes to fill, but I’ve just tried to make my own path and that’s why I left Brisbane earlier in my career. I wanted to get away to the Storm and make my own path, but it’s good to come back and play for the Broncos.
“When I got here, I thought it probably wasn’t smart to be calling him Dad at training ... it took me a week to call him Kevvie at training and Dad away from football.
“Watching Kevvie grow up, he won a lot of games and won a lot of competitions.
“I just know how close he is with his Broncos mates, he is still best friends with Alfie (Langer) and the guys he won premierships with, so to try and build that bond and those memories is something I would love to achieve.”
BENNETT’S NRL LIFELINE TO STRANDED MILFORD
Wayne Bennett has revealed he is ready to issue Anthony Milford an NRL lifeline as the super coach’s successor at Souths, Jason Demetriou, faces an uphill battle to keep the former $1 million star at Redfern.
Breaking his silence on Milford’s future, Bennett declared he wants his former Broncos protege to join the Dolphins’ foundation squad in 2023 should the NRL refuse to register the troubled pivot’s Souths contract this season.
Milford signed a 12-month deal with Souths last year, but his official move to Redfern hit a stumbling block in September when he was charged over an assault matter that will see him return to the courts in a fortnight.
With the NRL waiting on a legal verdict, there is speculation Souths could axe Milford later this month, triggering speculation Newcastle could step in and offer the former Origin utility a short-term deal.
But Milford’s longer-term future lies with the Dolphins, with Bennett confirming he is keen to reunite with the one-time attacking whizkid who spearheaded the Broncos’ charge to the 2015 grand final.
“Yes, I would love to sign Anthony, he is one of the most gifted players I have coached,” Bennett told News Corp.
“He has an off-field matter to sort out, but at the right club, with the right coach, he will be a wonderful player again.
“He played some wonderful football for the Broncos in that period when we made the grand final in 2015 and if he is available pending the NRL’s decision, I would love to have him at the Dolphins for our first season.”
Following his Broncos commitments, Milford briefly shifted to Sydney for one-on-one training with sprint coach Roger Fabri, but has since returned to Brisbane ahead of his court appearance.
There is a view Milford will never turn out for South Sydney - even if he is formally cleared and registered by the NRL - but Demetriou insists he hasn’t given up hope of having the 193-veteran on deck for the Rabbitohs’ premiership opener against the Broncos.
“I want Anthony to come and play for South Sydney,” said Demetriou, who worked with Milford as Bennett’s Broncos assistant in 2017-18.
“Up until the charges were made, he was on his way here.
“We signed him because I know what he is capable of from my time at the Broncos.
“At the moment, my main concern is about Anthony’s welfare, as a friend I want him to be able to clear his name.
“It’s disappointing we’re in this position and hopefully we can have it resolved in the next few weeks.
“We’re waiting on clarity from the NRL on where the matter sits and hopefully ‘Milf’ can clear his name.
“I’m keen to have Anthony here this year, but if it doesn’t work out, it’s next man up and we have some talented young kids who can step up and do the job.”
Milford played his best football under Bennett. He went within a whisker of winning the Clive Churchill Medal in the 2015 decider, but suffered a major form slump in recent years, prompting the Broncos not to renew his contract this season.
Expansion newcomers the Dolphins need experience for their inaugural season in 2023 and Bennett is adamant Milford is not a spent force.
“He is only 27 years old, he has played almost 200 games, so his best football is ahead of him,” he said.
“He went through a contrast from being in a grand final to being at a club that won the wooden spoon. There is more maturity in his game now.
“There’s no doubt Anthony has lost his confidence over the last few years, but I’m confident I can help Anthony turn things around.”
More Coverage
Originally published as NRL 2022: Allan Langer hails Adam Reynolds as one of the greatest recruits in the club’s history
Stars snubbed in wild Kangaroos bombshell
Mal Meninga has dropped bombs on three of the biggest stars in the game as the Kangaroos coach announced his squad.
NRL fans crash Brockmann run, told off
After fans finished up at Accor Stadium, some ventured next door to pay Nedd Brockmann a visit, with one fan being told to quiet down.