NRL 2020: Brisbane Broncos stick with struggling stars for Bulldogs clash
Under fire Broncos Brodie Croft and Darius Boyd have been spared the axe, while the Brisbane pack gets a makeover. SEE EVERY TEAM LIST FOR ROUND 9.
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Anthony Seibold will deploy Queensland winger Corey Oates in the back row as the Broncos coach sweats on the fitness of Kotoni Staggs for Saturday night’s clash against the Bulldogs.
Despite suggestions Anthony Milford, Brodie Croft and Darius Boyd were facing the axe, Seibold has retained the misfiring trio for the showdown with fellow cellar dwellers Canterbury at Suncorp Stadium.
Milford and Croft will remain in the halves, while Boyd will stay at left centre, but his right-centre partner will hinge on whether strike weapon Staggs passes a fitness test on his hamstring on Thursday morning.
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Staggs has been named in jumper No.20 with Herbie Farnworth pencilled in alongside Boyd, but Seibold has his fingers crossed the NSW Origin hopeful will be cleared to face the Bulldogs after he trained strongly on Tuesday.
“We will see how Kotoni pulls up on Thursday,” Seibold said.
“He did all the skills except for the last block and he looked OK, but we will do a final check at our next training session.
“It was his first session in four weeks so we don’t want to rush things.
“If Kotoni is OK, I will make a decision on who drops out of the team on Thursday.”
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Should Staggs get the green light, Farnworth is likely to be shifted to the wing at the expense of Kiwi Test star Jamayne Isaako.
Without injured prop Matt Lodge (knee), Tevita Pangai Jr has been pitchforked into the engine room, clearing the way for Oates to start in the back row.
Oates has made it clear he wants to be chosen in the team as a winger but Seibold believes his rangy 105kg frame can worry the Bulldogs on the edges.
“Corey provides a fair bit of punch,” Seibold said.
“I am a fan of him as a back-rower. He is a big, athletic player and carries the footy strongly. It’s a good challenge for him. He did a good job against Manly and I thought he had a positive run against the Warriors (last week).
“I will give Corey another opportunity in the back row this week.”
In other selection news, Tesi Niu has been retained at fullback as the Broncos desperately try to snap a six-match losing streak.
Tongan international Pangai Jr has a key role up front this week and believes Broncos players are failing their embattled coach.
“He’s the coach, he picks the team, we have to do the job for him,” Pangai Jr said.
“As an organisation we haven’t been good enough, the 17 that run out on the weekend, we have to be better obviously and we have to represent the club and Brisbane better, we aren’t doing a good enough job.
“I hate missing the finals, my goal is to make the finals every year and I still think we can.”
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DOGS READY TO POUNCE ON BRONCOS YOUNG GUNS
By Brent Read
Canterbury have tried and failed to sign some of Brisbane’s biggest names over the past 12 months and they aren’t ready to wave the white flag just yet, having emerged as a potential solution to the Broncos’ tight salary cap ahead of their crucial meeting at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
The future of the respective coaches is likely to be the subject of most discussion this week, but behind the scenes the two clubs have been engaged in a tug of war over players for more than a year. The Bulldogs have tabled offers to Patrick Carrigan, Thomas Flegler and Jake Turpin in the past 12 months, only to watch the trio sign contract extensions to stay at the Broncos.
Their most significant move of all was to pursue boom backrower David Fifita, having made contact with the 20-year-old as recently as March in an attempt to prise him out of the Broncos. Much of the negotiation has had to be done by phone given the strict biosecurity protocols surrounding Fifita and his Brisbane teammates.
That hasn’t stopped the Bulldogs chiming in with an offer that would make Fifita the highest-paid forward in the game. For all their digging around Brisbane, the Bulldogs are yet to strike gold.
Fifita has indicated he will stay in southeast Queensland, the most likely scenario that he will sign a one-year extension with the Broncos, although the Gold Coast haven’t given up hope of convincing him to accept their million-dollar offer.
If Fifita does remain at the Broncos, it will only intensify the pressure on Brisbane’s cap and the Bulldogs are lying in wait with a $3m war chest, having made subtle inquiries in recent days about the prospect of signing any players to help their own cause and aid Brisbane through their current plight.
The likes of Corey Oates and Jamayne Isaako could be squeezed out of Brisbane as the club does their level best to hold onto young stars Tesi Niu and Herbie Farnworth, who are both off contract at the end of the year.
The Broncos also have Tom Dearden, Flegler, Kotoni Staggs, Turpin and Xavier Coates off contract in another 12 months. All will most likely demand healthy upgrades on their existing deals. Something has to give.
Factor in Anthony Milford and Jack Bird, who are both off contract at the end of 2021, and the Broncos have some decisions to make.
Milford and Bird could both be cut loose at the end of next year, it not sooner – Bird has already been shopped to rivals, although it is understood it has not been by Brisbane.
The Broncos are unlikely to stand in his way should he attract interest from Sydney, although any decision to allow him to leave is likely to be contingent on how much money Brisbane would be asked to contribute to his next deal.
The contact between officials at Brisbane and the Bulldogs adds a level of intrigue to Saturday night’s game, although the overriding focus is likely to fall on the two coaches.
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The Bulldogs are getting ready to make a call on Dean Pay’s future and it would be a major shock if he was given a contract extension.
The more likely scenario will be that Pay is told his contract will not be renewed at the end of the year, the club finally willing to make a call amid pressure from supporters and powerful members of the leagues club.
Pay has been hampered by the Bulldogs’ own salary cap issues but his 34 per cent win record has left him vulnerable – the club has won only 19 games in his three years in charge and head into Saturday’s match in last spot.
England coach Shaun Wane is among the early contenders to replace Pay, although he has also put his hand up to take over at the Warriors. The Bulldogs are unlikely to pursue seven-time premiership winner Wayne Bennett despite a push from within.
Originally published as NRL 2020: Brisbane Broncos stick with struggling stars for Bulldogs clash