Blindside: Anthony Milford wants to stay at Broncos but pressure is mounting
Broncos playmaker Anthony Milford is technically a free agent at the end of next season and as the pressure mounts, the No.1 has made his contract position clear to the club.
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UNDER-FIRE Brisbane star Anthony Milford is prepared to dig his heels in and fight to save his career at the Broncos.
Blindside can reveal Milford has no intention of leaving the Broncos and plans to take up a 12-month option in his favour to remain at Red Hill in 2021.
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Broncos hierarchy commenced their player reviews on Wednesday in the wake of their 58-0 finals debacle against the Eels, and internally Milford is under increasing pressure to live up to his status as the club’s highest-paid player.
There is a sentiment among some Broncos insiders that Milford does not display the leadership befitting a player on a $1 million contract.
That view was reinforced following revelations Milford and David Fifita left the team hotel to play poker machines the night before the Parramatta drubbing.
Milford was highlighted as one of the chief culprits behind the worst loss in the club’s history at Bankwest Stadium.
But in fairness to Milford, he was thrown a mid-season curve ball when coach Anthony Seibold suddenly shifted him to fullback after 114 games as Brisbane’s five-eighth.
Milford was caught out of position in the No.1 jumper by the Eels and retired champion Billy Slater had warned in the lead-up to the final that the Broncos dynamo was still learning the art of fullback play.
While the Broncos want more on and off the field from Milford, the Origin utility ostensibly holds the aces.
Under the terms of his four-year contract, Milford has an option in his favour for the 2021 season. That means he is technically a free agent at the end of the next season, which gives Milford the power to explore his options on the open market.
But despite the searing criticism, Milford is happy at the Broncos. The Inala product has family nearby and is determined to prove to the Broncos next season he has a long-term future at the club.
GOT WHAT WE DESERVED
SEVERAL Broncos players have broken their silence in the aftermath of Wednesday’s end-of-season review.
Payne Haas and Joe Ofahengaue were among the players to take to social media just hours after the crisis meeting to thank the club for their support.
Haas wrote on a post to Instagram that the Broncos didn’t have the season they wanted but “got what they deserved”.
“No apologies and no excuses!” Haas wrote.
“Love my guys always no matter what, forever proud to put this jersey on didn’t get what we wanted.
“We got what we deserved and that’s just the nature of the game we play!
“Forever humbled and blessed for what I have!
“All love to you guys thanks for all your support through the good and bad.”
COWBOYS CLEAN OUT
THE finals fallout at the Broncos has overshadowed some ructions at their Queensland rivals, with the Cowboys embarking on a player cleanout following their latest failed season.
North Queensland have shown the door to five squad members with Gideon Gela-Mosby, Enari Tuala, Kurt Baptiste, Carlin Anderson and Javid Bowen told their careers at the Cowboys are over.
A sixth player, Jordan Kahu, has left the Cowboys of his accord, rejecting a 12-month offer. The former Broncos grand-final utility back is understood to be exploring options in New Zealand rugby union.
After consecutive bottom-four finishes in the past two seasons, Cowboys bosses have had enough of some lazy trainers and will demand a harder edge from their squad in pre-season.
Gela-Mosby, Tuala and Bowen are all gifted athletes but simply lack the drive to succeed in the cut-throat of the NRL.
Bowen had the size, speed and fend to be a centre powerhouse in the mould of former Broncos skipper Justin Hodges but he managed just 36 games in four seasons. The Cowboys were hoping Bowen would realise his potential but they are tired of the 22-year-old just coasting along at training.
Gela-Mosby’s 11 games in three seasons are a poor return for a man who should be one of the NRL’s tryscoring superstars with his blistering speed.
Cowboys coach Paul Green was excited about Tuala when he blooded him in 2017 but the 20-year-old has played just 18 games and gone backwards since his entry to the NRL.
A seventh player, Te Maire Martin, remains in limbo. The Cowboys cannot sign him to a new deal until he receives a full medical clearance from doctors following his brain-bleed ordeal this year.
Martin will start the 2020 pre-season on a train-and-trial contract. The Cowboys believe Martin has more to offer and are keen to retain him.
ARROW POINTS TO LEAVING
THE battle for Jai Arrow has intensified with his manager currently touring a number of Sydney clubs who are going hard for the Titans and Queensland Origin star.
The Titans face the fight of their lives to retain Arrow with the Sharks, Dragons, Newcastle and Wests Tigers among the front-runners for his signature.
While Arrow appreciates the starting opportunity the Titans have given him, the former Broncos lock is seriously weighing up two key factors in whether he remains on the glitter strip.
Firstly, Arrow has ambitions to win a premiership and wants to be with a club that can show signs of winning a title. At this stage, the Titans are miles away from premiership contention.
Secondly, the Maroons ironman wants the midfield support of playing alongside big front-rowers. Arrow is renowned for punching above his weight but physically he is not a big “middle” and his career will be cut short if he continues to take on giants like David Klemmer, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Sam Burgess and Jesse Bromwich.
Arrow, who is off-contract at the end of next year, wants his long-term future sorted by Christmas.
New Titans coach Justin Holbrook shapes as a key player. If Holbrook can sell his vision to Arrow, it could be the pitch that convinces him to stay loyal.
FLEGLER SHOWS TOUGHNESS
IT was a disastrous afternoon for Brisbane at Bankwest Stadium but one Bronco showed admirable courage.
Rookie prop Tom Flegler injured his sternum in the warm-up attempting to tackle a teammate. With few options on an extended bench, Flegler had a painkilling injection just moments before bravely running out against the Eels.
The 20-year-old missed just one tackle in the 58-0 drubbing, underlining the toughness that saw him finish a fine rookie season with 23 games.
GAMBLING WITH FORM
BRONCOS coach Anthony Seibold is facing some real headaches during Brisbane’s club-wide review.
One of his major tasks is harmonising the squad.
Blindside has been told a number of Broncos players are unhappy over the poker-machine saga.
It is apparently not the first time select Broncos have left the team hotel on away trips to gamble the night before a game.
Brisbane’s record in Sydney this year has been horrendous, losing five of six games and leaking 222 points at a woeful average of 37. That suggests Brisbane’s preparation on the road is a problem.
Broncos players will never speak out publicly to avoid rocking the bottom but internally, the more professional members of the squad are not impressed with the habits of other teammates.
PAT’S MATURITY SHINES
BRONCOS young gun Pat Carrigan is a class act.
Less than 24 hours after Brisbane’s 58-0 loss to the Eels, Carrigan drove in to Red Hill on Monday morning to do recovery work alone. The Broncos only arrived back in Brisbane at 11.30pm after flying home straight after the game. Carrigan’s attitude and maturity for a 21-year-old is why he is rated a future Broncos captain.
CAR SMASHED UP
WHICH NRL club is seething after one of its leading players returned a sponsored car seriously damaged, leaving a $10,000 repair bill?
Incredibly, the player had passed on the car to his father who ran it into the ground. It’s fair to say the player in question won’t be getting another car.
DCE BACKS REDCLIFFE
DALY Cherry-Evans is the latest big-name NRL star to weigh into the NRL expansion debate, with the Queensland Origin skipper backing calls for a second Brisbane team at Redcliffe.
Cherry-Evans has an intimate understanding of Redcliffe’s potential as an NRL team.
The Maroons captain attended Redcliffe State High and played junior football on the Peninsula before moving to Mackay as a 12-year-old.
His father Troy also played for Redcliffe and Cherry-Evans has no doubt the Dolphins should be Brisbane’s second team to one day rival the Broncos.
“I would be genuinely happy to see my first junior rugby league club elevated to the NRL,” he said.
“I probably don’t have too many ambitions to play for them based on how happy I am at Manly and the length of my deal, but for the game and for the area, Redcliffe would be fantastic.
“I am one of the believers who thinks that Brisbane could certainly hold two NRL teams and Redcliffe is the perfect destination.”
HOFF THE BOIL
FORMER Broncos fullback Josh Hoffman is on the lookout for a new club. Hoffman has spent the past three seasons at Parramatta but the Eels have slashed an offer for him for next season which he has declined.
The 31-year-old has played 189 NRL games and remains in good shape, having had few injuries in his career. Hoffman would ideally like to return to Queensland where he started his NRL career but the Broncos, Titans and Cowboys may struggle for funds under the salary cap.
WALKER’S NRL DREAM
FORMER Ipswich co-coach Ben Walker dropped a mid-season bombshell with his recent decision to quit the Jets but the premiership-winning Intrust Super Cup mentor still has dreams of working in the NRL.
After a decade with the Jets, Ben and his brother Shane have severed ties with Ipswich. They famously steered the Jets to the 2015 Intrust Super Cup title but after narrowly missing out on the Titans NRL post two years ago, Walker feels the need to evolve in other walks of life. The former Broncos playmaker is doing consultancy work with an NBA team, but insists he is not giving up hope of coaching in the NRL.
“I just felt I’d given enough to the Jets,” Ben said. “I either had to move forward to the NRL and if I can’t do that at this point, then you have to look at other opportunities.
“It’s like finishing school - you either move on to university or go and get a job.
“I’m hopeful that one day an opportunity might present itself in the NRL but for now, I’m very happy with the chance to work with an NBA club.”
BOOT-IFUL MOMENT
STAR Broncos NRLW winger Meg Ward had to make an emergency dash into Rebel Sport to buy a new pair of footy boots this week after giving away her lucky pair to a young fan.
Ward told Blindside she fell for her young fans’ “puppy-dog eyes” following the Broncos 14-4 win over the Dragons at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday and had to give her boots away.
“I just hope my new ones are just as lucky,” Ward said.
PLAYER STOCKS
RISING
MITCHELL MOSES - Turned 25 on Tuesday and celebrated in style with his play-making masterclass to destroy the Broncos. Moses has been inconsistent throughout his career but his finals have been awesome.
MOSES SULI - The Manly powerhouse is finally living up to his potential as a teenage prodigy. Suli was sacked by the Bulldogs and Tigers but under Des Hasler, Suli is developing into one of the game’s best centres. He terrorised the Sharks.
LUKE KEARY - Some of his touches in the Roosters’ thumping of the Rabbitohs were pure class. With Keary in fine form, the Roosters are odds-on to go back-to-back. Life after Cooper Cronk is safe at Bondi.
JOHN BATEMAN - The English Super League is building a fine record of developing superb British NRL forwards, and Bateman is the latest to roll off the Pommy production line. His match-winner to shock the Storm was sweet reward for a boom season.
FALLING
PAUL GALLEN - The Sharks veteran’s magnificent NRL career is finally over. Never the most adored figure but to play 348 NRL games and soldier on at age 38 is a remarkable effort.
WAYNE BENNETT - The Souths super coach is under pressure to stabilise the Rabbitohs after last week’s finals flogging against the Roosters. If the Bunnies go out in straight sets, it will be a huge disappointment.
THE BRONCOS - Their 58-0 loss to the Eels to record the worst loss in their history defied belief. Throw in the poker-machine saga, and coach Anthony Seibold faces a massive rebuilding task.
DARIUS BOYD - The Broncos skipper is still a superb trainer but he has to ask himself whether his body can keep up with his mind. His experiment at five-eighth has to end if he wants to play on next season.
Originally published as Blindside: Anthony Milford wants to stay at Broncos but pressure is mounting