NRL news: Tom Dearden to lean on Cowboys greats to help fulfil his potential
Kevin Walters lost the faith in Tom Dearden but the Cowboys saw someone worth saving and the rookie playmaker is keen to repay the faith.
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Tom Dearden has opened up about his turbulent stint at the Broncos as the rookie playmaker prepares to seek help from Cowboys champion Johnathan Thurston to ignite his NRL fightback in Townsville.
The Cowboys launch their 2022 pre-season on Friday and Dearden is primed for his first full campaign with North Queensland following his mid-year departure from derby rivals the Broncos in June.
The jury remains out on Dearden as a bona fide NRL playmaker.
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The 20-year-old was touted as the next big thing at the Broncos, but after 15 consecutive losses as a starting halfback at Red Hill, Brisbane coach Kevin Walters was not convinced Dearden could take the glamour club to the premiership promised land.
Dearden then lost his next 10 games at the Cowboys, but his man-of-the-match display in a 38-26 defeat of the Dragons in the penultimate game of the 2021 season was evidence of his playmaking promise.
Dearden will vie with former Cronulla premiership winner Chad Townsend for the Cowboys No. 7 jumper next season and he is adamant he can fire in the NRL. He plans to seek the counsel of retired club legends Thurston and Michael Morgan, the very halves who engineered the Cowboys’ maiden premiership win in 2015.
“I definitely know I can succeed in the NRL,” Dearden said before his return to Cowboys pre-season. “That’s my plan and I feel that’s where my potential can take me.
“I am still only a young player but that doesn’t mean anything anymore to me.
“I know that I am capable of playing at this level and I want to be in the NRL for the long haul. Up north, we have ‘JT’ (Thurston) and Mick Morgan is around the traps.
“Both of those guys are ex-players and they will be very good for my development.
“Every chance I get, I will be keen to talk to JT and ‘Morgo’ and have them at training to pick their brain and learn as much as I can from them.”
Rather than be bitter at his Broncos experience, Dearden is determined to be better from his rollercoaster ride at Red Hill.
Such was his talent, Dearden was blooded in the NRL at age 18 in 2019 by former Broncos coach Anthony Seibold, but Brisbane’s freefall as an entire club only amplified pressure on the teenage playmaker.
After winning just four of 22 games at the Broncos, Dearden admits his confidence took a hit, but he says he left Brisbane on good terms with coach Walters.
“I had been at the Broncos since I was 13 years old and I took things from a lot of people that helped me on my journey,” he said.
“Kevvie was pretty strict in the pre-season (last year) about playmakers playing their own game and being their own player on the field.
“That’s one thing I learnt from ‘Kevvie’: to be my own player out there.
“Your confidence always takes a knock when you lose so many games in a row. You go out and play to win, but I was struggling to get a win for a very long time.
“It’s been a tough start to my career, but I took some confidence moving to the Cowboys and getting that win against the Dragons.
“One thing I have taken from Kevvie is having that belief in my game. He wished me all the best when I left.
“It’s a part of football sometimes that players move clubs and that happened to me.
“I learnt a fair bit from Kevvie in the short amount of time I was working with him, so I’m grateful for the time I had with him.”
The Cowboys purchased Townsend to be their chief shot caller in 2022, but Dearden is up for the fight. He was inspired by Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary’s sublime kicking game which steered the Panthers to grand final glory.
“I’m keen to improve my kicking game and control of an NRL game and Nathan Cleary is the best halfback around at the moment,” he said.
“With Chad coming up too, I think he will be awesome for my development. I’m looking forward to working with Chad.
“I’m not really worried about the competition for the jumper from Chad. He is a very experienced halfback, he has won a premiership and that will be the bonus of having Chad at the club
“I am best suited in the No. 7 jumper, it’s where I feel most comfortable in directing the team around the park. Halfback is where I see myself in the future and that’s what I want to develop into, a dominant No.7.”
Broncos land ex-Maroon after guru’s defection
– Peter Badel, Travis Meyn
Former Maroons hooker Matt Ballin will join Brisbane’s coaching staff as Wayne Bennett orchestrated his first poaching raid on the Broncos by luring development guru Kurt Richards to the Dolphins.
A fortnight after being named coach of the NRL’s new expansion team the Dolphins, Bennett has struck an immediate blow on the Broncos, securing long-serving Brisbane staffer Richards.
Richards’ derby defection has opened the door for Ballin, who will fill the void as Brisbane’s development coach and start at Red Hill next week after three years with Manly, including a role as an assistant to Des Hasler.
Bennett has long-standing ties with Richards, who worked on his staff during his second stint at the Broncos between 2015-18 before the super coach’s move to South Sydney.
Now the pair are joining forces again, with Bennett headhunting Richards to oversee the Dolphins’ development-and-pathways program as the Redcliffe-backed franchise prepares for their entry to the NRL in 2023.
Richards took charge of the Broncos’ NRL Nines outfit in 2020. He is highly-respected in Queensland rugby league circles, having coached the Maroons’ under-16s side in 2015 which produced Broncos prop Tom Flegler and Titans $1 million man David Fifita.
It may not be the Dolphins’ only strike on Red Hill, with the fourth Queensland team also targeting off-contract Brisbane lock Pat Carrigan, who last week knocked back an extension offer from the Broncos.
While Richards has been lost to Brisbane’s expansion rivals, the Broncos are confident Ballin will hit the ground running at Red Hill.
The 37-year-old Ballin played 220 NRL games and won premierships with the Sea Eagles in 2008 and 2011, as well as playing a State of Origin game for the Maroons in 2010.
“I’m extremely excited to join the coaching staff of the Brisbane Broncos,” he said.
“The club has a rich history of success which I aim to add to in the near future.”
Broncos coach Kevin Walters said Ballin would be a strong addition to his coaching team, which will again include chief assistants John Cartwright and Terry Matterson for their 2022 campaign.
“We jumped at the opportunity to bring Matt into our system – he has been down at Manly for a few years working under Des Hasler, which is a great pedigree,” Walters said.
“Matt is a former player here, I coached him at the Clydesdales back in the early 2000s, and for me he is a great fit for us to work with the younger players in our NRL squad as well as those players transitioning from our Academy system into senior footy.
“He’s a younger coach who is ready to make a career for himself and he is a Queenslander as well, which fits into what we are building here at the Broncos.
“I’d also like to make special mention of the great work done by Kurt Richards over a long career with the Broncos and we wish him all the best in the future.”
Bennett confirmed the acquisition of Richards.
“I first brought Kurt to the Broncos, he worked for the club for about 13 years,” Bennett said.
“He will look after our pathways program and he is very good at what he does.
“Kurt is highly respected. He has worked with the Queensland under-16s and our Academy of Sport program so he will be very good for the Dolphins.”
The biggest bonus of all for Broncos fans
– Chris Honnery
The Broncos are preparing for their first day back of pre-season next week with a host of key players set to return ahead of their 2022 campaign.
Strike centre Kotoni Staggs will be among a core contingent to return to Red Hill next Tuesday for their first official on-field training session for the upcoming pre-season.
The 23-year-old was sidelined for the latter half of the 2021 competition after suffering a knee injury (MCL) in July during the Broncos’ 37-18 win over the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium.
The injury occurred in the same knee he ruptured his ACL in 2020, which saw him sidelined for almost 12 months.
Now back to full fitness, Staggs will join the likes of Patrick Carrigan, Tyson Gamble and new recruit Jordan Pereira at Red Hill next week.
“The injury (recovery) has been going well,” Staggs told the Broncos website on Tuesday.
“I’ve still been coming in a little bit in the off-season just trying to get my knee right for round one. I’m on track to be injury-free for pre-season so everything is going good.”
Big name signings Adam Reynolds, Kurt Capewell and Ryan James aren’t scheduled back for another couple of weeks but Staggs said the excitement was already building to see them in Broncos colours.
“Two blokes out of those three … were just in a grand final, and Capewell won it,” he said. “Just bringing the experience to the team is what we’re looking for as well.
“We’re a young group and just to bring some older, more experienced players into the team will help us younger players and be better on the field.”
Meanwhile, the Gold Coast’s train-and-trial contracted players hit the paddock at Parkwood on Monday before the main squad joins them next week.
The Cowboys are wasting no time this year with their pre-season training to begin on Friday as they look to turn around a disappointing 2021 campaign.
Broncos give old Devils a chance
The Broncos are set to throw an NRL lifeline to veteran playmaker Tyrone Roberts ahead of the 2022 season as more than $10 million worth of talent hits the open market this week.
It’s understood Brisbane are considering offering Roberts a train-and-trial contract as the former Titans skipper eyes a return to the NRL.
Roberts, 30, has played 156 NRL games with Newcastle and the Gold Coast and a 33-game stint with the Warrington Wolves in the English Super League in 2018.
An injury-marred 2020 season saw him released from his Titans contract before linking up with Brisbane feeder club Norths Devils during the 2021 Intrust Super Cup competition.
Roberts proved pivotal for the Devils this year, helping them to their first premiership win since 1998 with his elusive playmaking ability.
The veteran scored a try and kicked a goal in the Devils’ 16-10 grand final win over Wynnum Manly last month.
The Broncos have kept an eye on their affiliate Intrust Super Cup clubs this season, with Devils teammate Nene Macdonald also poised to secure a train-and-trial contract with Brisbane.
“We have some train and trial contracts to give out, so Kevvie meets with each of the affiliate clubs just to talk through who they are looking at for a train and trial contracts,” Broncos football boss Ben Ikin said last month.
“Norths have put forward Nene’s name for a train and trial contract, so Kevvie was keen to catch up with him.
“We have multiple train and trial contracts across the three affiliates, so guys like Nene will be hungry for an opportunity.”
It comes as the rest of the competition enters the NRL silly season with players off contract at the end of 2022 able to sign with a rival club for 2023 and beyond.
With the inclusion of the new Dolphins side, it is set to be one of the most frenzied negotiation periods the game has experienced in years.
Premiership injection: Bronco’s huge Covid call
– Peter Badel
Brisbane’s best player Payne Haas has agreed to have the Covid injection as Broncos bosses declared their entire squad will be fully vaccinated to spearhead the club’s premiership fightback next season.
Brisbane chief executive Dave Donaghy and football boss Ben Ikin have given all 30 of Brisbane’s full-time players a directive to undergo dual Covid injections to ensure the club is firing on all cylinders in 2022.
There were fears Haas could rebel against the NRL’s code-wide Covid vaccination push after the star prop recently endorsed some anti-vaccination messages on his social-media account.
But News Corp can reveal Haas has assured Broncos hierarchy he has no issue with Covid vaccination as Brisbane bosses ramp-up their injection edict ahead of the club’s return to pre-season on Monday week.
ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys insists he will not force NRL players to have the jab, although teams face the risk of star players being banned from interstate travel under government laws if they are not fully vaccinated.
There was speculation a number of Broncos stars, including Haas, were reluctant to have Covid shots, but Ikin is adamant Brisbane will not face the threat of standing down players over anti-vax concerns.
“That’s not accurate … we won’t have a problem,” Ikin said of suggestions some Brisbane players are anti-vaxxers.
“We want everyone fully vaxxed by the time the season starts.
“There won’t be an issue at the Broncos.
“Since the Broncos have gone on a break, there was a bit of complacency (towards Covid shots) because the players were disconnected from the club, but as we edge back closer to training, the communications we’ve had with them have all been positive.
“We have communicated what is potentially coming and what is happening in other sports around the world. We don’t want any issues by the time we get back to football next year so let’s get this done now.
“It’s been very conciliatory. It’s been about framing-up what is potentially coming our way in our industry and reinforcing to the players where to get the vaccinations done, when to do it and why it’s important.
“There’s been no big stick that has been waved, but our message has been really strong and clear as we get back towards players returning to training.”
It is understood more than 70 per cent of Broncos players have had at least one Covid injection in recent weeks.
Ikin and Donaghy are confident they will have 100 per cent Covid compliance across the entire football department by the 2022 premiership kick-off in March as the Broncos look to hit back as a finals force after two consecutive bottom-four finishes.
Because the Broncos train in private at their $27 million Clive Berghofer base, they are not subjected to the strict Covid conditions applied to some Sydney rivals who use public facilities.
“Our numbers in terms of players fully vaccinated are growing and we are heading in exactly the direction we need to be,” Ikin said.
“If I’m being honest, our living conditions for all Queenslanders have made us a bit slower to act because unlike our southern neighbours, we haven’t been living in lockdown.
“From the club’s perspective, we’ve seen what’s happened in other sports around the world and we expect the same thing in some way, shape or form to find its way into the NRL.”
Brisbane CEO Donaghy said the Broncos cannot afford to have key players sidelined due to Covid red tape next season.
“I’m expecting all our players and staff to be fully vaxxed by the start of the season,” he said.
“It’s the reality of everything I’m hearing and seeing with government protocols … it’s going to be very challenging to operate in the NRL industry without vaccination.
“We have had constant two-way dialogue with our playing group and the medical experts we have on staff. Everyone in society has been challenged over the last 18 months and sport and the Broncos are no different.
“I’ve been very impressed at the level of maturity and the challenges our players and staff have had and their understanding of the Covid situation.
“They have taken in the education that has been provided around vaccinations.
“I don’t believe we will have any issues.”
Boom rejects new contract offer
– Peter Badel
Pat Carrigan is embroiled in an expansion tug of war with the boom Brisbane forward rejecting an extension offer from the Broncos after attracting interest from new derby rivals the Dolphins.
News Corp can reveal contract extension talks between the Broncos and Carrigan have hit a hurdle after the Queensland Origin hopeful knocked back a two-year upgrade from Brisbane recruitment chiefs.
That has opened the door for newly-minted expansion rivals the Dolphins, who have expressed interest in Carrigan being one of their foundation signings for the 17th NRL’s team debut season in 2023.
Dolphins powerbrokers contacted Carrigan’s management in the wake of their expansion licence win last week to reveal the Broncos young gun is one of their primary targets.
Carrigan is off-contract at the end of next season, meaning can field formal offers from this Monday, when the new November 1 contracting period allows free agents to negotiate with rival clubs for the 2023 season.
Carrigan is happy at the Broncos — and his preference is to remain at Red Hill — but Brisbane’s most recent offer did not meet his asking price.
The 23-year-old is rated a future captain of the Broncos and club hierarchy cannot afford to lose Carrigan to a Dolphins franchise craving born-and-bred Queensland talent to bring local legitimacy to a second Brisbane team.
Carrigan’s management will hold a fresh round of talks with the Broncos this week as Brisbane football boss Ben Ikin looks to keep the emerging middle-forward at Red Hill until the end of 2024.
“We’re still in negotiations,” Ikin said. “We would love to keep Pat.
“It’s hard to make an assessment (on what he will do), it’s a decision for Pat to make.
“I understand there will be offers, probably beyond the two Brisbane clubs, because he is not only a quality player, he is a quality human being and we see him as a big part of our future.
“We will fight hard to keep him.”
Carrigan has previously shown his loyalty, rejecting a $1 million package from the Bulldogs in 2018 to sign a three-year contract which kept him at the Broncos until the end of 2022.
Now that deal is reaching its expiry date, during which time Carrigan made his NRL debut in 2019, was chosen in Queensland’s extended Origin squad last year and has compiled 46 top-grade games.
The former Queensland under-20s captain has also impressed with the work ethic, university education and off-field development that has seen Carrigan touted as a future leader at the Broncos.
Carrigan is on the comeback trail after snapping his ACL in round nine against the Cowboys last season.
The Dolphins, armed with a blank $9.5 million salary-cap chequebook, could theoretically win a bidding war, but Ikin remains hopeful Carrigan will buy into Brisbane’s blueprint to hit back as a title force.
“Pat has great leadership qualities,” Ikin said.
“As Pat continues to grow in his body and builds out his football, he has a bit of Dale Finucane (ex-Storm premiership veteran and NSW Origin lock) about him.
“Pat is highly intelligent and he can see the game is evolving and he wants to add some other tools to his game.
“Because of his work ethic, he will do whatever it takes to acquire those extra tools.
“The 17th franchise is not just a threat to us, they will put pressure on everyone else to make sure they are running a good business.
“Pat ticks so many boxes. He is one of those guys you don’t need to motivate. You don’t have to explain things twice. He gets it. He works hard, he wants to get better and he wants to be here driving a winning culture at the Broncos.
“Those are the kind of guys you want to keep around.”
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett said he is keeping his player-recruitment plans close to his chest.
“I’m not going to comment on individual players but there’s 16 clubs out there with 30 players in their squad and we need to sign 30 players,” he said.
“We’ll be in the market for any player who becomes available.”
Star recruit to avoid surgery
– Travis Meyn
Broncos star recruit Adam Reynolds has been cleared to lead Brisbane’s 2022 revival after avoiding off-season shoulder surgery.
Reynolds will report for his first pre-season as a Bronco in mid-December with a clean bill of health following South Sydney’s grand final campaign.
There were fears Reynolds may have required surgery after carrying a shoulder injury late in the season.
A reconstruction would have sidelined him for six months and been a hammer blow to Broncos coach Kevin Walters in his quest to make Brisbane great again after this year’s 14th-placed finish.
But scans this week cleared Brisbane’s marquee man of surgery and he will link up with the Broncos following his 10-week veteran player’s break.
Broncos football chief Ben Ikin confirmed the positive news for Reynolds and the club.
“Adam had a scan at the end of the season and it came back positive – no surgery required,” he said. “He had an exit medical at Souths and the reports were sent to our club to be reviewed. He’s now on his 10-week break and not due at training until mid-December.”
Reynolds, 31, is Brisbane’s No. 1 recruit for 2022, with the former NSW Origin halfback tasked with helping the Broncos fight back from consecutive bottom four finishes.
Given he has already played 10 seasons in the NRL, Reynolds is entitled to a longer break than less experienced players.
He is not due to report for training until shortly before Christmas and has been holidaying in the Whitsundays with his soon-to-be former Rabbitohs teammates.
Fellow high-profile Broncos recruit Kurt Capewell is also not due to begin training with his new club until December after featuring in Penrith’s premiership season.
Capewell, 28, was spotted at Red Hill this week collecting his training gear and meeting Broncos staff but he is entitled to a later pre-season start given he played in the last game of the 2021 season.
A number of Broncos players will have delayed starts to the pre-season after undergoing operations. Backrower Jordan Riki (shoulder) and young prop Xavier Willison (knee) underwent reconstructions and will be sidelined for extended periods.
Prop Payne Haas will only miss the start of the pre-season after undergoing ankle surgery and Ikin said all of Brisbane’s recovering players were tracking well.
“Everyone is tracking nicely,” he said.
“There’s been no issues with the recovery for any of those guys like Payne, Kobe Hetherington, Jordan Riki, Tyson Gamble, Keenan Palasia and Xavier Willison.
“The guys that have had surgery are all on track.”
The first group of Broncos players are due to begin pre-season training on November 8.
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