Anthony Milford under the gun as Brisbane Broncos battle

After yet another passive performance from Anthony Milford, one Newcastle player suggested “he didn’t want to be out there”.

Brisbane’s Anthony Milford was quiet against Newcastle. Picture: Alix Sweeney

The siren had barely sounded at Central Coast Stadium on Thursday night when a Newcastle player succinctly summed up the performance of Brisbane’s million-dollar man Anthony Milford.

“He looked as though he didn’t want to be out there,” the Knights player said.

So true. Milford may have become the whipping boy for Brisbane’s defeats but he doesn’t help his cause when he produces performances like he did against the Knights.

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Milford finished the game with four runs for nine metres according to Fox Sports. The NRL website was slightly kinder — six runs for 29 metres.

Either way, it wasn’t enough to silence the critics who believe the time has come to give teenager Thomas Dearden a run in the team. Coach Anthony Seibold has some tough decisions to make starting with his halves and he has the support to make them. He has four years remaining on his deal with the Broncos and there is no mood within the Brisbane hierarchy to make a move on the coach.

Seibold will address a board meeting on Friday where the club’s current predicament will be discussed, the focus more likely to fall on the players who have been underperforming since the game returned from COVID-19.

Brodie Croft hasn’t convinced either, although no one was accusing him of a lack of effort on Thursday night.

At times, he appeared to be trying too hard. Milford was the opposite. The only accusation was that he wasn’t giving it his all, surely the most damaging allegation that can be made against any player.

The Milford problem is not a new one for Seibold or the Broncos. As far back as 2016 he was criticised for his lack of consistency. In 2018, seven-time premiership winner Wayne Bennett struggled to get the best out of Milford, and his erratic displays on the pitch had some calling for him to be moved to fullback.

Seibold encountered the same issue last year. Between them, Milford and Croft have one try assist apiece over the past month.

The Broncos have found points hard to come by and their halves are in the firing line. It is impossible to separate Milford from his million-dollar price tag. He is the highest-paid player at the club and that brings with it certain responsibilities and expectations.

Milford isn’t meeting either at the moment and although he has another year on his deal, there is every chance he could be shopped to rivals at the end of the season.

Seibold admitted he needed more out of his elite players after the loss to the Knights and captain Alex Glenn was even more scathing, acknowledging the players had a responsibility to offer more than they were currently providing.

“We’ve got to have some tough conversations, we’ve got to be honest,” Glenn said.

“The matter is do you really want to be playing for this team? We’re professional athletes and we’ve got to be better, we’ve got to have each other’s back.

“We’ve talked about our defence needs to be better and our preparation through the week, our coaches are prepping us really well, it’s just when we get out on the field we know what our role is but when push comes to shove we crack under pressure.

“That’s the harsh reality. It is ownership and being accountable for your own actions as well.

“We’ve all got to look in the mirror and ask, are you giving 100 per cent for each other out on that field?

“We have to be better than that. We can’t toss that up. We are giving ourselves no chance.”

Milford has been given every chance to succeed in Brisbane.

Despite being the club ’s highest earner, he is regularly shielded from the media. It was the same under Bennett.