NRL teams Round 1: Kevin Walters to consult Adam Reynolds on five-eighth contenders for Brisbane
As Adam Reynolds prepares to answer an SOS to save Brisbane from a round one humiliation, coach Kevin Walters has revealed how much say he’ll have on the team’s make-up.
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Broncos coach Kevin Walters denies his scrumbase is in crisis and has pledged to consult his No.1 playmaker Adam Reynolds to settle on his five-eighth partner for Brisbane’s season opener against Souths.
After a pre-season on the sidelines, Reynolds’ Broncos debut can’t come quickly enough for a Brisbane side that was comprehensively beaten by the Cowboys in Saturday night’s 26-6 derby trial loss in Mackay.
While premierships aren’t won in February, it’s a time when slick combinations must be forged and Brisbane’s two trials against the Cowboys and Titans have shone a forensic torch on their problems at five-eighth.
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Billy Walters, Tyson Gamble and Albert Kelly have failed to land a decisive blow in the past fortnight and in reality, neither of the triumvirate should be picked for the round-one Suncorp blockbuster on Friday week.
But Walters must choose someone - and Kelly may yet usurp Walters and Gamble in the three-way five-eighth scrap.
While he was a late scratching against the Cowboys after contracting Covid, Kelly is highly regarded by Reynolds, who likens the Indigenous playmaker to his former Souths halves partner Cody Walker with his instinctive touches.
Reynolds’ critique of Kelly may prove decisive because Walters is keen to seek the counsel of his marquee $2.4 million recruit before he finalises his first premiership team for the Souths showdown.
“I have always had a plan in my head who will fill those (scrumbase) positions. I’m not concerned about my halves,” said Walters after the Gamble-Walters alliance was outplayed by Cowboys rivals Tom Dearden and Chad Townsend.
“All three guys (Walters, Kelly and Gamble) are still in the mix.
“I will have a good discussion with my assistants (John Cartwright and Terry Matterson) and Adam as our main playmaker to see who best suits him for round one.
“A lot depends on how Alby recovers from Covid. We will see how badly he gets it and whether we can get him back training well in time for round one.”
Walters’ son Billy appeared to be the front-runner after a fine opening trial against Wynnum, but his below-par displays against the Titans and Cowboys have brought him back to the field.
Gamble set up Brisbane’s opening try for Jordan Riki against the Cowboys with a deft grubber, only to fade out of the contest as North Queensland stormed the midfield.
Kelly impressed in his eight games for Brisbane last year, engineering their epic 34-16 boilover of the Roosters last May, and the 30-year-old’s experience and finesse could be the best fit for Reynolds’ game-management style.
“We call Alby the paramedic at training because he is always first on the scene backing up,” Reynolds said.
“He plays a bit like Cody Walker.
“Alby is very experienced, he has played NRL for a lot of years, he knows how to get around a footy field and he is a tough bugger, too, he likes to whack in defence and that is very important as a half.
“There’s a mixture of a number of things we need to talk about. Kurt Capewell (back-row recruit) will be defending on that edge with the five-eighth and the centre, so we need to see who he is comfortable with.
“Tyson, Billy and Alby are all unique, so whoever gets in there just has to play a simple role.
“I will be coming back and I will be taking as much heat off them as possible.”
Reynolds wasn’t concerned by Brisbane’s disappointing final trial hitout against their 2015 grand-final nemesis.
“Right across the board, we can get better,” he said. “We need to get to certain points of the field and I feel I can help us achieve that.
“I’m excited for round one. I can’t wait to get my fingerprints all over the game plan. We were a little bit clunky, but that’s where I can step in as halfback and tidy the ship up.”
REYNOLDS TO ANSWER BRONCOS’ ROUND ONE SOS
Adam Reynolds has declared himself a certain starter for round one as the marquee Broncos recruit vowed to fix a Brisbane side that was badly exposed in their 26-6 trial capitulation to the Cowboys in Mackay.
There were concerns Reynolds could be racing the clock for Brisbane’s premiership opener against Souths but the champion halfback insists he will lead the Broncos onto Suncorp Stadium on Friday week.
“There’s no dramas. I’m good to go,” said Reynolds, who has missed Brisbane’s two main trial losses to the Titans and Cowboys due to minor leg soreness.
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“I could have played this trial but we decided not to risk it. I am definitely 100 per cent for round one and my experience will help our attack.”
Reynolds’ revelation is a huge relief for Broncos coach Kevin Walters, who faces a critical selection call at five-eighth in the wake of Brisbane’s bumbling final pre-season hitout in greasy conditions.
PIVOTAL PROBLEM
This was the final chance for five-eighth contenders Billy Walters, Albert Kelly and Tyson Gamble to submit a compelling case to partner star halfback recruit Reynolds for Brisbane’s premiership opener against Souths on Friday week.
Instead, neither of the trio deserve to be picked for round one as the slick and energetic Cowboys schooled the Broncos at BB Print Stadium.
Kelly withdrew on match eve after contracting Covid, Gamble faded after a promising early try assist and Walters — touted as the front-runner for the No.6 jumper — was pedestrian and never had control of Brisbane’s nerve centre.
After leading 6-0 early, the Broncos fell apart, conceding 26 consecutive points as Cowboys halves Chad Townsend and Tom Dearden pulled the strings for a North Queensland pack that belted Brisbane in midfield.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Walters said. “It’s not where we need to be. We didn’t win the ruck to give our playmakers the space to get on the front foot.”
SUPER SELWYN
The one shining light for Brisbane was teenage sensation Selwyn Cobbo. The Broncos’ version of Latrell Mitchell deserves the No.1 jumper for the premiership opener.
In his first senior outing at fullback, the 19-year-old oozed class.
The seven-game NRL rookie finished with 107 metres, 13 runs and two tackle busts and underlined his toughness by making several brave charges into the teeth of the Cowboys defence.
If first-choice fullback Tesi Niu (hamstring) is ruled out for round one, the 100kg Cobbo has a touch of X-factor at No.1.
PAYNE-FUL REALITY
The Cowboys taught the Broncos two brutal lessons. One, Brisbane need to get more physical in midfield. Two, they have to start attacking in numbers and stop relying on the metre-eating dominance of Payne Haas.
Brisbane’s monster prop had a barnstorming first 40 minutes. Haas charged for 129 metres before being rested for the second stanza. But, once again, Haas represented a one-man band as his Broncos forward cohorts struggled to bend the line with the same ferocity.
SPINAL SURGERY
Walters goes into round one with no certainty over three spots in his four-man playmaking spine at fullback, five-eighth and hooker.
Cory Paix had a golden shot at the No.9 jumper against the Cowboys but there was no emphatic knockout blow on his senior rival Jake Turpin.
“I’ve got some plans in my head around the spine,” Walters said. “We would have liked to win this game, but it’s only the trials and I got enough out of this game to believe we will have a good season.”
CENTRES OF ATTENTION
Two superstars. Two dynamic ball runners. Brisbane centre Kotoni Staggs and Cowboys opposite Valentine Holmes waged an enthralling centre duel.
Holmes is making a career switch to the centres this season and the Queensland Origin star showed he can be a force for North Queensland this season by winning a points decision over Staggs.
Every time Staggs threatened, Holmes raced in to muzzle him.
In attack, Holmes was sharp, scoring in the 27th minute and capping a fine performance with a sublime catch-and-pass for Murray Taulagi’s 47th-minute try which left the Broncos floundering at 20-6.
Rejuvenated Dearden sparks Cowboys
Brisbane reject Tom Dearden came back to haunt the Broncos after producing a playmaking masterclass to propel the Cowboys to a 26-6 trial victory in Mackay.
Dearden played his junior football in Mackay and he looked as if he knew every blade of BB Print Stadium as he terrorised the Broncos to submit a claim as Chad Townsend’s halves partner for the Cowboys’ round-one clash against the Bulldogs.
Handed his debut as an 18-year-old at Red Hill, Dearden was tipped for big things at the Broncos, but after four wins from 22 games, he left Brisbane and arrived in Townsville midway through last year with his confidence broken.
But as he prepares for his first full season at the Cowboys, Dearden, who celebrates his 21st birthday in a fortnight, looks a rejuvenated figure.
Wearing the No.6 jumper, Dearden was outstanding in the opening 40 minutes, throwing a superb pass for Valentine Holmes’ 27th-minute try and helping the Cowboys to a 14-6 half-time lead before Scott Drinkwater got his chance at pivot in the second stanza.
Dearden was equally impressive in defence, pulling off a number of stinging shots, including a technically brilliant tackle on hulking Broncos back-rower Jordan Riki which dislodged the ball.
New Cowboys co-captain Townsend will wear the No.7 jumper for round one and says coach Todd Payten has a welcome selection headache choosing between Dearden or Drinkwater at five-eighth.
“Both those boys were tremendous,” he said. “They have been going toe-to-toe all off-season.
“They bring different strengths and they executed the game plan we had. It was tough conditions out there, but both Tom and ‘Drinky’ went really well.”
Another Cowboy to impress was fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who scored North Queensland’s opening try in the 21st minute to haul his side back into the contest.
Taking the ball with seemingly nothing on, the Queensland Origin young gun grubber kicked ahead and used his scorching speed to regather and score a brilliant solo try.
“He is right up there with the best talents,” Townsend said. “The sky is the limit for the kid.
“’Hammer’ works hard on his game and he is probably the fastest guy I have seen in real life.
“He will go down as one of the game’s greats if he keeps working hard in the fullback position.”
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