NRL 2020: Broncos make right call with Alex Glenn as captain

The Broncos could have easily made a terrible choice to start their 2020 campaign with the wrong captain. Instead, they’re off to a flyer, writes Mike Colman.

The Broncos have started 2020 with a win.

Appointing Alex Glenn might have seemed a logical move after the Titanic-like end to last season, but how often in rugby league does anyone do the logical?

Broncos’ members who suffered through Darius Boyd’s woeful 2019 must have breathed a sigh of relief when they opened their online platforms and saw the beaming smile of their new skipper.

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And not just because it was Glenn. Because it wasn’t anyone else.

Can you imagine if it had been Matt Lodge, the rumored candidate who Boyd himself had campaigned for?

Or even the big-hearted but under-siege Andrew McCullough, the other name being bandied around?

No, Anthony Seibold has done the right thing.

By appointing Glenn, he not only picked the best option as captain, he put also pressure on two of the club’s veterans to bring their A-game if they are to hold onto their positions.

Alex Glenn has a special announcement: pic.twitter.com/nskbuXWNRd

— Brisbane Broncos (@brisbanebroncos) January 23, 2020

Had he stuck with Boyd or handed the job to McCullough he would have been guaranteeing them a starting spot. After all, you can’t have your captain running around in the Intrust Super Cup at Pizzey Park while the rest of the team is playing the Storm in Melbourne.

Instead he has not only challenged them to lift their games, but also told the youngsters snapping at their heels that their spots are well and truly up for grabs.

The decision not to hand Darius Boyd or Andrew McCullough the captaincy was the right one. Picture: Lachie Millard

I’m not sure what they call that at Harvard Business School but it used to be known as “throw two cats into a sack and see which one comes out”.

Glenn’s appointment hasn’t changed anything for McCullough. He better than anyone knows that Jake Turpin has one hand on his jersey, but it could be the best thing that has happened to Boyd for years.

Without the added responsibility of the little c next to his name he can concentrate fully on trying to recapture the skills that made him one of the best players in the game.

Given what we saw last season, even without the pressure of captaincy he is at long odds to do that. With it, he was no hope.

I reckon he would have been the most relieved person in Queensland when he heard that Glenn had the job.

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And the second most relieved would have been Glenn Lazarus.

With Seibold rejecting the ridiculous notion that Lodge be the club’s next captain it means that Lazzo won’t have to go through with his promise and throw out all his Broncos’ memorabilia.

Originally published as NRL 2020: Broncos make right call with Alex Glenn as captain