NRL 2022: Broncos up the ante to retain Pat Carrigan as Kevin Walters fears circling Dolphins
The fact the Broncos believe one of their youngsters can evolve into the mould of former Storm premiership lock Dale Finucane shows just how much they want to hang on to him.
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Brisbane have withdrawn from the race to sign Queensland Origin hopeful Reed Mahoney as the Broncos ramp-up plans to stave off a Dolphins poaching bid for rising lock Pat Carrigan.
News Corp can reveal the Broncos will not table a formal offer for Mahoney, whose management met with Brisbane hierarchy last month to explore the prospect of the Eels hooker moving to Red Hill in 2023.
Queensland Origin squad member Mahoney is off-contract at Parramatta at the end of next season and has attracted interest from a number of clubs, including the Broncos, Bulldogs and the NRL’s new 17th team the Dolphins.
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But Mahoney will not be in Broncos colours in 2023 as Brisbane coach Kevin Walters puts faith in his hooking stocks led by first-choice No.9 Jake Turpin, named the club’s most consistent player last season.
“Reed won’t be coming here,” Broncos football boss Ben Ikin said. “There was a conversation between the club and Reed’s agent, which I think has happened with multiple clubs.
“Reed was a name on a list with every other high-profile player coming off-contract, but at this stage we are very happy with what we have got in the hooking position.
“We’ve got Jake Turpin and Cory Paix so we’re happy with what we have on our list.
“The theme of stability is continuing here.
“Reed is a quality player and person, but we are very happy with our list and that will form the basis of what we do at the Broncos going forward.
“We want to get the best out of the players we have got.”
While the Broncos are out of the running for Mahoney, they have their work cut out retaining Carrigan, who is off-contract next year.
The 23-year-old recently rejected Brisbane’s offer of a two-year upgrade in the face of a formal expression of interest from the Dolphins, but the Broncos have since upped the ante financially to keep Carrigan at Red Hill.
Carrigan’s management is due to hold a fresh round of talks with the Broncos next week and Walters is determined to stave off the Dolphins.
“Redcliffe are a threat to a lot of teams,” Walters said.
“We are very keen to keep Patty in our system. He has been a junior at the Broncos, he is a good person and a good player and we are very confident we can hang onto Patty.
“I don’t see too many problems there at the moment.”
Ikin added: “We think Pat can evolve into the mould of Dale Finucane (former Storm premiership lock). He has an enormous work ethic in games, he drives the other guys hard and we see a big future for him at the club.
“We would like to extend Pat and he is certainly one of them, we will be pitching hard to keep him.”
Meanwhile, the Broncos have also ruled out signing former Queensland Origin prop Dunamis Lui. The Broncos were keen to bolster their front-row stocks but the 31-year-old Canberra veteran has opted against a return to the Brisbane club that gave him his NRL debut in 2010.
“We were keen to do something with Dunamis but things have fallen through, so he is weighing up his future options,” Ikin said.
Brisbane’s newest recruit has score to settle
-Travis Meyn
Former Titans captain Ryan James has signed with the Gold Coast’s arch rival in a bid to realise a lifelong NRL premiership dream.
James will report for his first pre-season in Brisbane Broncos colours next week after inking a one-year deal with the club.
James got his NRL career back on track in Canberra this year after missing nearly two entire seasons of football due to back-to-back knee reconstructions.
After being underwhelmed by the Gold Coast’s offer to retain him when he came off-contract in 2020, James sought a career lifeline in the nation’s capital under Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.
He managed 14 NRL games (12 for the Raiders and two on-loan to Canterbury) this year to prove to himself he still had what it takes to play first grade.
Now 30, James realises his career is nearing its end and he has precious time left to taste NRL premiership glory. While the Broncos have some work to do after finishing 14th last season, James believes they are a club on the rise.
“I want to play every week and as much first grade as I can,” James said.
“I’ve still got a lot to give in the NRL otherwise I wouldn’t have signed a contract.
“I’m at the stage where I want to see success. I’m chasing that premiership dream. Hopefully I can play long enough up there to do that.
“With a lot of great older heads up there and young talent, we could really do some damage.”
James was a genuine home grown Gold Coast product who debuted for the club in 2010 and spent more than a decade at the Titans.
But his 2019-20 seasons were ruined by serious knee injuries, prompting the Titans to offer their captain a paltry contract for 2021, which James rejected in favour of the Raiders.
James said he can’t wait to face the Titans in Round 12 next year at Suncorp Stadium.
“You’ve always got that burning desire to play on and play good footy,” he said when asked if he had a point to prove to his former club.
“Hopefully I can go to the Broncos and play some really good footy.
“It’s one of the match-ups I will be looking forward to next year.
“When I was younger the Broncos were the only real big Queensland team. They were the team everyone supported in south east Queensland before the Titans came in (2007).
“I grew up watching those Broncos players like Petero Civoniceva and Shane Webcke.
“To pull on such a proud jersey will be a big achievement for myself and my family.”
James had a contract with Canberra for next year but the NRL’s mid-season relocation to the Gold Coast made it difficult for him to head back south.
“I was up here on the Gold Coast and had a chat with Sticky (Stuart),” he said.
“The direction the Raiders are going, they are looking at a very young team next year and he saw how happy my family was to be home. He said if I could find something up here he wouldn’t stand in my way.
“Once the family got back up here it was going to be hard to go back down to Canberra. It was good for the family and me to move away from the coast and experience what that’s like.
“The Raiders gave me an opportunity to play first grade again which is an opportunity not many people wanted to give me. I’m very grateful Stick showed faith in me to play footy again.
“I was lucky enough to knock out 14 games of first grade which is not a bad comeback from back-to-back ACL injuries I guess.”
With 158 games of NRL experience, James has been recruited to provide leadership to Brisbane’s emerging forwards like Origin duo Payne Haas and Tom Flegler.
“I was a leader at the Titans for a while and still see myself as a leader,” he said.
“If I can help some of the younger players and guide them off the field that can help a lot on the field. I’m feeling good about it. They’ve got a couple of really good signings like Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell.
“They’ve got a good young team. I was watching them towards the end of last year and they were starting to play some good footy. If I can go up there and help some of the younger kids with their stuff on and off the field…that seems to be my job.”
SMOOTH MOVER: HAAS DRAWS MUHAMMAD ALI COMPARISON
Legendary Broncos trainer Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess has paid the ultimate compliment to Payne Haas, likening the Brisbane prop’s natural sporting ability to boxing icon Muhammad Ali.
Burgess returned to Red Hill on Wednesday for the first time in 18 years and his first task was a brutal 45-minute boxing session with seven Broncos, including Kotoni Staggs, Tesi Niu, Herbie Farnworth and Kobe Hetherington.
But Burgess was most impressed by Haas, describing Brisbane’s reigning player-of-the-year and three-time Paul Morgan Medallist as one of the most gifted athletes he has witnessed in 40 years.
Burgess is no stranger to boxing and rugby league. The 61-year-old was a three-time Australian amateur heavyweight champion who once fought world-title challenger David Tua in a 1994 Commonwealth Games trial.
Ali, who passed away in 2016, is widely regarded as the greatest boxer of all-time and Burgess was blown away by Haas’ movement in the ring as Brisbane’s No. 1 player ramps-up his return from an ankle injury.
“The standout boxer for me was Payne Haas,” said Burgess, the training guru who has had more than 100 amateur bouts and helped rugby’s Queensland Reds to this year’s domestic title.
“Payne is quite simply a freak. He is one of the best athletes I have seen in all my years of training.
“The way he was moving his head in the ring, it was like Muhammad Ali. Quick, effortless ... Payne is a really skilled athlete for a big man.”
At just 21, Haas is already alongside Penrith’s James Fisher-Harris as the best prop in the NRL.
The NSW Origin enforcer was outstanding for the Broncos last season, charging for 3361 metres and amassing 68 tackle busts as the spearhead of Brisbane’s forward pack.
Burgess has no doubt Haas could threaten Paul Gallen in the boxing stakes but he wants the hulking bookend to focus on putting the punch into Brisbane’s finals ambitions.
“His fitness, his skill, his athleticism ... he is off the charts,” Burgess said.
“He is a monster at 118kg and his skin folds are fine.
“If he did some serious boxing training, he could easily be a success, but I want to push him another way and see him hit his peak as a rugby league player at the Broncos.
“Payne is coming back from an ankle injury, so he couldn’t move too much, but oh my god, he has everything as an athlete.”
Burgess said the attitude of Brisbane’s players is proof of the cultural overhaul under coach Kevin Walters designed to haul the Broncos out of the premiership cellar.
“The session taught me a lot about the current Broncos group and the great people they have coming through the club,” he said.
“I worked with Kobe Hetherington, Payne Haas, Tesi Niu and Herbie Farnworth and they gave me 100 per cent effort. They were on the ground totally stuffed afterwards.
“The beauty of the old Broncos like Shane Webcke, Gorden Tallis, Andrew Lee and Darren Lockyer is we would do some boxing and they would all hang around with each other afterwards and build their mateship.
“I see a good culture developing at the Broncos.
“If these guys do the same thing, the Broncos will get results on the field. I guarantee it.”
TRAINER BACK TO MAKE BRONCOS HATE AGAIN
Kevin Walters’ Broncos have gone back to the future by hiring the hard-nosed trainer who helped turn Brisbane into a premiership force.
News Corp can reveal Brisbane have secured the services of Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess, who will return to Red Hill on Wednesday – more than two decades after providing the high-performance punch that delivered two Broncos titles.
Burgess is one of the most acclaimed conditioners in Australian sport, having worked as a police protection officer to former Queensland premier Peter Beattie and winning three national amateur boxing titles as a heavyweight.
The 61-year-old was a key off-field figure during the Broncos’ glory years.
Signed in 1998 by then Brisbane assistant Craig Bellamy before he became Melbourne’s super coach, Burgess barked orders at the likes of Walters, Darren Lockyer, Allan Langer, Shane Webcke and Petero Civoniceva as Wayne Bennett’s Broncos won premierships in 1998 and 2000.
Now Chopper is back at the Broncos.
Renowned for his no-nonsense but encouraging style, Burgess will on Wednesday train young guns Payne Haas, Kobe Hetherington, Herbie Farnworth and Tesi Niu and has pledged to inject a harder edge in the Broncos’ quest for their first premiership in 16 years.
“I’m looking forward to being back at the Broncos,” he said ahead of his 6am shift at Red Hill.
“It’s a whole new regime. Kevvie Walters (coach), Dave Donaghy (CEO) and Ben Ikin (head of football) are there.
“It’s a new generation of players and a new gym, everything will be new to me … but I’m going to bring some old school training back to the Broncos.
“That’s what the current Broncos are lacking in my eyes, they need a harder edge and some old-school methods.
“There will be no shortcuts. I want the guys to get in there, train hard, eat right, play hard and if you do that, you put yourself in a position to win titles.”
Burgess’ life story is phenomenal.
Currently Australia’s masters amateur heavyweight boxing champion in his 60s, he worked at the Broncos from 1998-2004 before embarking on a stint in Iraq training a local interim police force following the death of dictator Saddam Hussein.
More recently, Burgess has worked with rugby’s Queensland Reds since 2017, instilling the work ethic and discipline that saw ex-Broncos forward Brad Thorn’s troops win the domestic title in May.
Burgess will operate in a part-time capacity at the Broncos, supporting high-performance chief Dave Ballard and his right-hand man Alex Corvo.
“My methods have worked at the Reds and previously the Broncos, so let’s try and make it work again,” said Burgess, who has had more than 100 amateur fights.
“Brad Thorn is old school and his methods at the Reds have worked.
“Dave Ballard got in contact with me a while ago and my message will be creating unity and using boxing as a vehicle.
“The whole concept around boxing is promoting unity, camaraderie and self-esteem and that’s the message I want the guys to learn.
“I know Adam Reynolds (Broncos recruit) well from Souths and Payne Haas is a freakish athlete for a big boy, so I’m looking forward to training him.
“I start on Wednesday and I’ll be doing a couple of sessions a week. I’m there to support Dave and Alex, so if they think someone needs extras, that’s where I come in and I’ll work them hard on rehab stuff.”
Broncos football boss Ikin, who trained under Burgess during his premiership stint at Brisbane in 2000, lauded the Red Hill resurrection of Chopper.
“My first experience with Chopper was when I was back playing at the Broncos and he is certainly unique, they won’t make another one,” he said.
“He can tear you down and build you up, but at the end of the process you always feel like you are more capable as a person.
“His ability to take players, throw a different style of training at them, which is boxing, and work hard and build self-confidence is what makes him special.”
BRONCOS REVEAL UNWAVERING FAITH IN KEVVIE’S ‘EXPERTISE’
Brisbane boss Dave Donaghy has thrown his support behind Kevin Walters amid fears the most controversial coaching contract in Broncos history could trigger the demise of the club legend.
As revealed by News Corp, Walters has agreed to tear-up his two-year deal and agree to a revised, landmark arrangement that will see the Broncos coach placed on a standard employment contract for the 2022 premiership.
Originally off-contract next year, Walters is now operating on an open-ended deal that is strictly performance based – intensifying pressure on the Broncos coach to steer Brisbane to the playoffs in 2022 after back-to-back finals failures.
No other coach in Broncos history has been given a contract with no fixed time frame, but Walters has no issues with a perceived lack of security and is backing himself to keep his job by consistently delivering results.
As part of the new deal, to be formalised in the coming weeks, Walters will attract major financial bonuses for hitting key targets, such as guiding the Broncos to the finals.
The employment agreement has an element of risk for Walters, who will not receive a significant payout if he is sacked, but Donaghy dismissed suggestions Brisbane hierarchy lack faith in the former Queensland Origin coach.
“For us, we have been having discussions around this (open-ended employment contract) for quite some time,” Donaghy said.
“Kev and I have a good relationship, we go back some time, we are very close and we can have very direct conversations around it.
“I don’t think it (Walters’ new contract) is for everyone, but Kev knows he has my full backing.
“Everyone has seen the investment we have made around Kev, the team and the Broncos program.”
In his rookie year in charge as an NRL head coach last season, Walters steered the Broncos to seven wins from 24 games for a 29 per cent success rate.
While those numbers are not flattering, Walters managed to offload Brisbane’s first-ever wooden spoon and presided over a mid-season cultural overhaul that saw the Broncos win four of their last nine games.
In their 33-year history, the Broncos have never missed the finals for three consecutive seasons and Donaghy is confident Walters can ease speculation over his coaching future by engineering a top-eight fightback.
“I have seen a real growth in terms of Kevvie’s expertise in the role over the back end of the season and the results flowed from that,” Donaghy said.
“The conversations around the deal should happen behind closed doors. I understand it is a little different in rugby league terms, but when you are talking about the theory side of it, it (performance-based employee contract) is not an unusual thing to do in the business world.
“Having been briefed last week by ‘Kevvie’ on what the pre-season looks like and the planning that has gone into it, I’m really excited to see what this group can do under Kev.”
The Broncos officially kicked off their 2022 pre-season with their first field session at Red Hill on Tuesday.
With key recruits Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell on annual leave, around half the NRL squad was put through their paces, with Pat Carrigan, Kotoni Staggs, Tyson Gamble and Tesi Niu among the top liners who did running drills under the watchful eye of Walters.
Donaghy believes the Broncos have the makings of a finals team next season.
“It’s exciting, day one of pre-season,” he said.
“No one from the club is shying away from the goal of playing finals footy. You will hear that from everyone, but that’s an outcome.
“Our football program has a bit of stability and continuity. Everyone is looking for that opportunity and to take advantage of what is in front of us which is to keep progressing and capitalising on the gains we made at the back end of last season.”
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Originally published as NRL 2022: Broncos up the ante to retain Pat Carrigan as Kevin Walters fears circling Dolphins
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