NRL 2022: Big issues for Brisbane Broncos after win over Rabbitohs, analysis

Brisbane kickstarted their season with a statement win over South Sydney - but still Kevin Walters has a massive decision to make at the selection table on Tuesday.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 11: Broncos coach Kevin Walters watches on during the round one NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium, on March 11, 2022, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The Broncos made a powerful statement to the NRL with their gusty 11-4 boilover of last year’s grand finalists the Rabbitohs on Friday night. Chief league writer PETER BADEL dissects Brisbane’s first-up win and the keys to a Red Hill renaissance under coach Kevin Walters.

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The Broncos celebrate after Kurt Capwell kicked a field goal to seal the victory. Picture: NRL Images.

1. SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT

I tipped the Broncos to make the finals this season and it was based on the performance culture being driven not only by coach Kevin Walters, but head of football Ben Ikin and CEO Dave Donaghy.

This is an entirely different club to the mentally broken, dispirited rabble Walters’ predecessor Anthony Seibold left behind.

Happy workplaces are invariably performing workplaces and Walters, for all the criticism over his perceived lack of tactical knowledge, has unified the dressing room.

The roots of Brisbane’s outstanding defensive display can be traced to the simple fact Broncos players are rowing in the same direction. There is a new energy at Red Hill.

Billy Walters exceeded expectations, but Albert Kelly likely did enough to keep a starting spot when Adam Reynolds returns. Picture: Getty Images.

2. HALVES HEADACHE

Billy Walters had some lovely touches against the Bunnies but the reality is one man must go to accommodate Adam Reynolds’ return against the Bulldogs and the coach has to make the tough call on his son.

The Broncos coach has had to endure cries of nepotism after picking his son at five-eighth for the Souths clash, but any doubts will be removed if Walters junior is relegated in favour of an Albert Kelly-Reynolds alliance for the Canterbury clash.

Kelly was superb on Friday night. He threw a sublime long ball for Selwyn Cobbo’s near-try in the eighth minute and he showed true footballing nous to swoop on a Cody Walker pass and race 80 metres to score.

While Walters would feel hard done by, he deserves to stay in the team for round 2. He is the perfect option as Brisbane’s interchange Mr Fixit at No.14, with Walters easily capable of slotting into dummy-half to give Jake Turpin a rest. Tyrone Roberts can drop off the bench to keep Walters, Kelly and Reynolds in the top 17.

Kelly has some beautiful deft touches and his attacking instincts at five-eighth would complement Reynolds’ dependable, ice-cool game management.

Reynolds last week described Kelly as Brisbane’s version of his former Souths maestro Walker. Enough said.

Kelly took an incredible intercept to score the Broncos first try. Picture: Getty Images.

3. BRONCOS BRICKWALL

History shows the best defensive teams put themselves in grand-final contention.

The Broncos have found a new defensive constitution. Brisbane won’t win the premiership this season but their grunt, commitment and desperation in defence on Friday night was the stuff that underpins finals campaigns.

In the past two seasons, the Broncos conceded a whopping 1319 points. Their communication was poor, their line-speed lacked consistency and their tryline hunger, the ultimate barometer of a team’s spirit, reeked of a mentally-soft football team.

It’s only early days, but I believe Brisbane will muscle up this season. Kurt Capewell has brought his premiership-winning mentality to Brisbane’s left edge. The sight of Broncos players charging off their line like men possessed in the final 10 minutes as Souths desperately tried to claw their way back was an emphatic sign of defensive rejuvenation.

Capewell impressed in his first game for the Broncos, kicking a field goal. Picture: Getty Images.

4. PACKING A PUNCH

Too often last season, Brisbane’s pack was a one-man band. Payne Haas would punch out 200 metres, make 40 tackles and cut-up the halftime oranges while his forward cohorts were left choking on his vapour trail.

But Haas will have back-up this season. Pat Carrigan’s display on Friday night, in his first premiership hitout after a knee reconstruction, demonstrated why he should be Brisbane’s next captain.

At 24, Carrigan oozes leadership. And he has the emotional intelligence to identify, and rectify, the gaps in his game. He spent the off-season not only improving his knee, but working on his leg speed and developing a passing game before the line. The results were immediate. Carrigan’s numbers, 145 metres, 27 tackles and two tackle busts, don’t tell the full story. It was the way he tore into Souths in the opening 20 minutes, his energy and his willingness to be a link man for his halves.

Factor in the suspended Tom Flegler, off-season recruit Ryan James and the unheralded Keenan Palasia, and the Broncos have a maturing middle rotation that can consistently win the yardage battle this season.

Adam Reybolds missed the game as he recovers from Covid, but will likely be back in Round 2. Picture: Getty Images.

5. FIT AS A FIDDLE

NRL legend Cameron Smith walked out of the Channel 9 commentary box at Suncorp Stadium and uttered four words: “Geez, they look fit”.

As usual, the future NRL Immortal was bang-on with his assessment.

When former Broncos coach Seibold first put Brisbane players through a battery of tests in 2020, he found their fitness data was well below the benchmarks at his previous club South Sydney.

Mental and physical fatigue has been a problem for the Broncos. Too often over the past two years, Brisbane have started with energy, only to implode at the back end of halves.

Walters recently admitted Broncos players had raised concerns over whether they were being pushed to breaking point at training.

Perhaps it’s what the Broncos squad needed. High-performance chief David Ballard deserves kudos for injecting a harder edge. When the going got tough on Friday night, the Broncos had the fitness to stay in the contest and remain disciplined under stress.

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6. THE ONE-TWO PUNCH

Brisbane have the makings of a frightening strike-force on their right edge in centre Kotoni Staggs and boom winger Selwyn Cobbo.

Staggs was pretty well contained by the Bunnies but there is suddenly an air of expectation when the ball shifts to Brisbane’s right edge. Staggs makes defenders nervous. He is going to rip some teams apart this season.

Outside him, Cobbo is one of Brisbane’s most exciting discoveries of the past 20 years. His early in-and-away that left Josh Mansour twisted like a circus contortionist was instinctive magic that can’t be coached. The best part of Cobbo’s make-up is his toughness. He relishes the physicality of taking the tough hit-ups out of his own end.

At 19, Cobbo could be the personification of the 2022 Broncos. There is rawness, and there will be ups and downs in a gruelling season, but the upside may well sweep the Broncos to top-eight credibility.

Originally published as NRL 2022: Big issues for Brisbane Broncos after win over Rabbitohs, analysis