NRL 2023: Brisbane Broncos linked with Burleigh Bears as new feeder club | Sport Confidential
After losing feeder club Norths Devils to the Dolphins, the Brisbane Broncos could look to move in on Gold Coast Titans territory.
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On the back of losing feeder club Norths Devils to the Dolphins, the Broncos could look to move in on Gold Coast Titans territory.
The successful Burleigh Bears have been linked with the Broncos as a potential new feeder club for Brisbane.
The Bears are set to be punted by the Titans as the Gold Coast NRL club pushes to field its own reserve grade team in next year’s Hostplus Cup competition.
The Titans want to maintain an affiliate agreement with the Bears and Tweed Heads Seagulls without sending fringe players back to the clubs.
However the Bears will be open to striking up an arrangement with the Broncos which would see Burleigh benefit by receiving players every weekend.
The Bears have been a powerhouse of the Queensland Cup for a long time and helped produce some great NRL players.
Former Broncos Alex Glenn, Darius Boyd, Ben Hannant, Tyrone Roberts and Jai Arrow are just a few players to have come through the Bears.
The Gold Coast is also a breeding ground for top NRL talent, with current Broncos Reece Walsh, Keenan Palasia, Deine Mariner, Jesse Arthars and Xavier Willison hailing from the region.
The Titans have fought hard to push the Broncos out of the Gold Coast, but they are now leaving themselves open to poaching raids by severing ties with the Bears.
THE ARMY OF QUEENSLAND LEGENDS IN THE MIX TO MENTOR WALSH
An army of Broncos and Queensland Origin legends are in the mix to help Brisbane superstar Reece Walsh.
Sport Confidential can reveal the Broncos are considering a number of candidates to take on mentoring roles for Walsh in the wake of his three-match ban for abusing referee Chris Butler.
Walsh will celebrate his 21st birthday on Monday week, two days before Origin III, underlining just how young he is at a time when he has become arguably the most marketable player in the NRL – surpassing even Souths superstar Latrell Mitchell.
There is a view Walsh is struggling to cope with his rapid rise to NRL and Origin stardom.
As a result, the Broncos have spoken internally about providing more support structures for Walsh.
Some names being touted as possible mentors to help Walsh include Broncos legend Darren Lockyer, also a club board member, and Darius Boyd, a former fullback who faced his own ordeal with a mental-health battle at the height of his NRL fame.
Other options include Queensland coach Billy Slater, Walsh’s current club coach Kevin Walters and Gorden Tallis, an ex-Broncos skipper who has served as a Cowboys board member and has extensive experience in the media.
The Broncos have had success with previous mentoring strategies.
Brisbane saved Tevita Pangai Jnr’s career in 2021 when he was placed with a business mentor and worked at a garden nursery.
In the same year, Payne Haas was ordered to undertake an education course with police after an off-field incident and the Broncos prop has since stayed out of trouble.
Now Brisbane are hoping the guiding hands of several greats, who not only understand the pressures of the NRL but the burden of expectation at the Broncos, can steer Walsh out of troubled waters.
“There’s so many wonderful people around Reece that want to help him,” Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy said.
“There’s a few things Reece and I will work through.
“Reece is a good person, but he is also young and he’s a work in progress.”
Fullback legend Slater has been fiercely protective of Walsh, perhaps seeing him as a kindred spirit. Just a week before Walsh’s swearing saga against the Titans, he was sent off in Origin II for headbutting Jarome Luai and Slater warned his Maroons custodian to brace for years of attacks.
“Reece has to learn to accept that is coming for the next 15 years,” Slater said in the wake of Origin II.
“Trust me, I know, that’s not going anywhere, but he rose above it and he will learn, he is only 20.
“Reece wants to be as good as he possibly can and if he keeps that want, there is no ceiling to what he can do.”
GOULD TARGETS TITAN
Phil Gould is eyeing Gold Coast Titans playmaker Toby Sexton as a potential new halfback for the Bulldogs.
Sexton was spotted flying from the Gold Coast to Sydney on Thursday to meet with rival NRL clubs after being given permission to leave the Titans.
One of those is believed to be the Bulldogs, who are on the hunt for a No. 7 following Kyle Flanagan’s shift to hooker.
The Bulldogs have been playing Matt Burton at halfback and have rising star Karl Oloapu coming through.
But they could do with some more playmaking talent on their roster and are considering signing Sexton.
Sexton, 22, has only made one NRL appearance this season for the Titans, when he was sensational in a win against the Dragons, but suffered a broken hand in the process.
He has fallen behind Tanah Boyd in the halfback pecking order and the Titans are also hopeful of securing Dragons captain Ben Hunt next year.
The Wests Tigers distanced themselves from reports linking them to Sexton following Luke Brooks’ move to Manly.
ABDO PUTS NRL STARS ON NOTICE
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has warned the code’s top stars the governing body has zero tolerance for referee abuse in the wake of the Reece Walsh saga.
Walsh’s three-match suspension for his incident with Chris Butler saw him join a small band of NRL players, including Brandon Smith and Andrew Johns, who have been banned for abusing match officials.
Abdo is confident the code’s 500-plus NRL stars are respectful towards referees but he warned League Central will continue to throw the book at any player who attacks a match official.
“The Reece Walsh matter has been dealt with,” he said.
“Look, our referees are human beings and they will make mistakes, but like the athletes they are operating in a high-performance environment.
“There will always be mistakes, that is the case in professional sport the world over, but they need to be respected by everyone at the elite level which sets the example for the grassroots.
“We won’t tolerate disrespect towards anyone in our game.
“But we also will not tolerate any disrespect to match officials, who do a great job, an important job and a difficult job.
“The standard of refereeing keeps getting better. The referees overall have had a good season.”
BRONCOS SHOCK RIVALS FOR JOCK
The Broncos are set to stave off a poaching bid from the Dragons and Tigers to win the signature of rising playmaker Jock Madden.
The Dragons have expressed interest in Madden as the club considers a contingency plan for life after disgruntled skipper Ben Hunt, who is tipped to join the Titans next season.
Madden, the understudy to Adam Reynolds at the Broncos, is also on the radar of the Wests Tigers, who ironically offloaded the 23-year-old to Brisbane this season.
But the Broncos are determined not to lose Madden and have kicked-off preliminary talks to extend his contract.
The former Australian Schoolboys star is contracted to the Broncos until the end of next year and Madden’s management have spoken to Brisbane about keeping him at Red Hill until the end of 2026.
While the Dragons’ preference is to keep Hunt at the club for the next two years, the Red V are keen to bolster their playmaking stocks and Madden is one of the NRL’s most promising emerging playmakers.
Madden has played two NRL games this season filling in for Reynolds and the Broncos skipper has been impressed with the young halfback or five-eighth’s attitude.
“I came up here to learn from Reyno, ‘Kevvie’ (Kevin Walters) and ‘Alf’ (Allan Langer) and those great players who have done everything in the game,” Madden said.
“I’ve learnt just watching Reyno’s game management, his kicking game and how he speaks to the boys in meetings.
“I want to be playing first grade week-in, week-out, that’s what I want to do, but I have to stay patient and keep learning.
“It doesn’t all come overnight. My time will come.”
HOLBROOK HAD PLAYERS’ SUPPORT
Justin Holbrook lost the faith of Titans powerbrokers but was not on the nose with Gold Coast players before his sudden sacking.
Holbrook was axed immediately last week after the Titans secured two-time NRL premiership-winning coach Des Hasler on a three-year deal from 2024.
Holbrook’s 37.8 per cent winning record over three-and-a-half seasons proved to be his downfall and he failed to meet contractual clauses that opened the door for the Titans to punt him.
But it was a decision that had been brewing for close to a year.
Last July, powerful Titans figures spoke about bringing Shane Flanagan to the Gold Coast to support Holbrook as the team plummeted to the bottom four.
They went cold on Flanagan after we broke the news, opting to give Holbrook more time, but he failed to improve the Titans enough this year to satisfy them.
While Holbrook’s admiration for players like Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita and AJ Brimson had not gone unnoticed by others in the squad, he hadn’t lost the dressing room.
“I never felt at all that Justin lost the room too much,” interim coach Jim Lenihan said.
“You hear of other situations where there’s a real divide between the players and coach, but that was never the case at the Titans. It was hard for everyone.
“Clearly the players were upset and they’re still coming to terms with it. They’re still checking in about it.
“Everyone is getting on with it – you don’t really have a choice. But it’s good how everyone is checking in on each other.
“I haven’t been in another situation where an NRL coach has been fired before, but there certainly has been a bit of feeling about losing Justin and moving on with it.
“It hasn’t been an easy thing, that’s for sure.”
Holbrook says his preference is to remain in the NRL amid speculation he could return to the English Super League.
Just 48 hours after his shock dismissal by Gold Coast bosses, British media reports claimed three Super League clubs – Huddersfield, Leeds and Warrington – were keen to offer a lifeline for Holbrook.
The 47-year-old had remarkable success at St Helens, claiming a grand final and Challenge Cup and winning 70 of 87 games for a brilliant success rate of 80 per cent.
It was that strike rate that convinced the Titans to blood him in the NRL and Holbrook took Gold Coast to a finals campaign in his second season in charge in 2021.
While Holbrook could easily walk back into a Super League job, he is determined to fight his way back in the NRL.
“I don’t know what’s next exactly, but I love coaching,” he said.
“When I left Super League, in my last year (in 2019) we finished 16 points clear of second place, which is a record margin in the history of their competition so it will be hard to beat that.
“But I’m happy here (in Australia), I would love to stay in the NRL.”
CAPITAL RAID FOR COREY
The Raiders are set to reward Queensland Origin hopeful Corey Horsburgh for his outstanding season with a bumper contract extension.
Horsburgh’s management has begun talks on a new deal in a boost for the Raiders ironman ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Titans in Canberra.
The 25-year-old is contracted to the Raiders until the end of next season, but Canberra are keen to extend Horsburgh for at least another 12 months, and possibly for 2026, as he goes from strength to strength.
Horsburgh was Queensland’s 19th man for Origin II and an injury to Maroons prop Tom Flegler could see the red-haired firebrand make his Maroons debut in Game Three on Wednesday week.
The Redcliffe junior had interest from the Dolphins but his manager says Horsburgh is content in the nation’s capital.
“Corey is very happy in Canberra and he would love to extend his stay there,” said his agent Jeff Jurotte.
“He had some interest from the Dolphins but he’s showed a lot of courage to fight back from a serious foot injury and he wants to repay the faith of the Raiders.
“Ricky Stuart (Canberra coach) has been great for him so we’re in talks now to keep him at the Raiders.”
QRL READY TO GROW
The NRL expanded to 17 teams this season and now the Queensland Rugby League is eyeing expansion.
QRL chief executive Ben Ikin confirmed the Hostplus Cup is considering expanding to 17 teams next season, with the Titans and Cowboys keen to enter Queensland’s premier rugby league competition.
The Titans and Cowboys believe fielding reserve-grade teams can help with a seamless supply of talent to their NRL sides in their quest for Telstra Premiership glory.
“There would be 17 teams potentially in the competition,” Ikin said.
“The Titans and Cowboys would like to explore having their own second-tier teams in our competition which we are open to, but there’s a whole heap of conditions that would need to be met and those conversations about those conditions remain ongoing.
“The Broncos, Dolphins and the Storm are all continuing to pursue the multi-affiliate model.
“We have seen in the NRL this season the competition has been very even and that’s because there has been a dispersion of talent.
“By expanding, you create more channels for more players to be developed.
“If the NRL wants to get to 20 teams, you need a very broad and capable pathway sitting underneath the NRL comp, but it also needs to be appropriately funded.”
BUTLER NOT PUNTED
The NRL insists referee Chris Butler has not been dropped following his controversial run-in with Reece Walsh and the Broncos.
Butler was the whistleblower at the centre of Walsh’s foul-mouthed tirade during the Broncos-Titans clash last Sunday which saw the Brisbane fullback whacked with a three-game suspension.
There were a number of line-ball decisions in the heated affair which erupted in the dying minutes as the Titans pulled off a shock win.
A regular on-field referee every week, Butler will not officiate a game this round, apart from a couple of appearances in The Bunker.
But he has not been dropped, according to NRL head of football Graham Annesley.
“Definitely not,” he said.
“It is just a scheduled rest for a week that all referees get.”
The NRL has implemented a rotation policy for referees this season.
BRONCOS SLEDGE WALTERS
Broncos players have been getting stuck into coach Kevin Walters ahead of Saturday night’s historic NRL debut at the Gabba.
The second Battle of Brisbane between the Broncos and Dolphins will be hosted at the River City’s home of cricket and Aussie Rules.
The last time top flight rugby league was played at the Gabba was in 1956 when Australia hosted New Zealand in a Test match.
And Broncos players didn’t miss an opportunity to sledge the 55-year-old Walters at a team meeting this week and then in the media.
“I’ve never played at the Gabba and this is the first time since 1956 – back when Kevvie Walters was playing,” prop Marty Taupau joked.
“It’s exciting.”
Wayne Bennett, 73, was six years old when that Test match was played, but Dolphins players weren’t game enough to joke with their coach about whether he was there.
“I’m not saying that one – you can ask him. I’m not getting in trouble,” halfback Sean O’Sullivan laughed.
“We’re very fortunate to be playing at the Gabba. It’s something to look at when we’re older.”
BRONCOS BOSS RACING
Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy will be heading straight down the M1 after Saturday night’s Battle of Brisbane to run his first marathon.
Donaghy will run the Gold Coast Marathon on Sunday morning alongside training partner, federal treasurer Jim Chalmers.
The Broncos boss has been pounding the streets of Brisbane to prepare for the 42.2km torture test.
Gold Coast Titans great Anthony Don will also be running his first marathon.
Don, 35, decided to tackle the iconic race to help raise funds for injured Titans young gun Joseph Pouniu.
Don’s preparation has been limited by illness and a calf injury, but he’s vowed to finish the race for Pouniu.
“It hasn’t been smooth sailing. I’m a bit under done but I’ve gotta give it a crack and hopefully, I’ll get through,” Don said.
“I’ve had a bit of sickness and injury but I’m coming good at the right time. I’m definitely under-done, didn’t quite get enough training in that I’d like but I’m going to give it a red hot crack.
“It sounds cheesy but sometimes when I am running [in preparation], Joseph does cross my mind just because I know how tough he is doing it and if I’m a little bit sore or a little bit tired I can just try and keep pushing for him and get the race done.”
TAMOU WANTS FAREWELL
Cowboys veteran James Tamou is pushing hard to play a farewell game before he retires from the NRL.
Tamou’s return to North Queensland this year has been crushed by a Lisfranc injury in his foot that required surgery.
He only managed three NRL games before suffering the injury, but 308-game NRL great is desperate to get back on the field before the season ends and he retires.
“I jagged this contract and was pretty fortunate to get it,” Tamou said.
“To be here with the boys and enjoy it for one last time is pretty special. I’m taking it all in.
“It’s tough watching from the sideline. Hopefully I can get out there for the last few rounds.
“It’d be good to put the jersey back on one last time.”
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