Broncos can build from rock bottom

The Broncos have made a shock selection in the hope of arresting an alarming form slump.

Coach Anthony Seibold talks with Broncos legend Corey Parker at Brisbane training on Tuesday Picture: Peter Wallis

In Down And Out In Paris and London, George Orwell wrote that it was a relief to hit rock bottom because you no longer had to worry about what life might be like when things could not get any worse. You were officially there, hopeless and humourless, penniless and purposeless, good for nothing and gone to the dogs. You either had to get tough or die — a realisation he found strangely inspiring and something of a relief.

Orwell’s experience sprang to mind when Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold, whose Broncos have most recently played like destitute tramps, spoke with zeal on Tuesday despite the worst loss in the history of the club, the 59-0 flogging last week from the Roosters. If the NRL was real life, the Broncos would be on skid row, selling their jerseys at pawn shops and begging for their tea-and-two-slices. They’re down among the dead men after conceding 93 points and 16 tries in two impoverished efforts, all their fears exposed against the Roosters, but Seibold denied they were out.

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Every game of every round Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

“At a time like this, when we’ve had a really poor performance … we take a look at ourselves,” he said. “Self-reflection is the key as a leader, and it starts with me as head coach. And it starts with the staff. The players can’t look sideways, either. They’ve got to look at themselves and focus on being better. We’re on a pathway and there’s been quite a few rocks along the way that we’ve hit, but I believe in the group. I’ll stay the course. I’ve been coaching for 15 years. I’ve had some really good weeks and really tough weeks and some really tough days. As you get older, you get a good feel for where you’re at. Sometimes it’s not a thousand things. Sometimes it’s two or three things we can really narrow our focus on.”

The Broncos have serious problems ahead of Thursday night’s clash against some serious opposition in Manly, but Seibold ushered in a seriously powerful footballer, Ben Te’o, among mass changes for a match set to reveal whether his club was a bust for the season. Te’o played 152 NRL games for Wests, the Broncos and South Sydney. He won the comp with Souths. He played seven Origin games for Queensland before switching to rugby. He played 16 Tests for England and twice earned selection for the British and Irish Lions. The 33-year-old hasn’t played league for six years and recently admitted his comeback was “daunting.”

Said Seibold: “It’s an opportunity to have a bigger body in our group. And some experience. He’s trained a couple of times with us. We only need him to play a small role off the bench. He’s played in the biggest games, in both rugby codes. all around the world. Ideally, it would have been great for him to play a game of Queensland Cup, but we don’t have that option this year. I thought long and hard about it.”

The Broncos won both BC (before COVID) games before two AC floggings. They’re equal sixth on the ladder. “I don’t want people to forget we’re two and two,” Seibold said. “When you get beaten as badly as we did, there could be a list a mile long of what you’ve got to cover in a week. But that’s not the answer, in my experience. It’s about really focusing on a critical few things. Momentum is king under the new rules. Field position and possession are key. We’ve been really poor in the last three halves of footy … but we are still two and two.”

No side has gone on to win the premiership after conceding 50 points in a match. Seibold said his inexperienced playing group had tiptoed around hard discussions required for accountability.

“With young guys, young men, young people across any industry, having really tough conversations with their peers is a work-on,” he said. “If they see something, they need to say something about it, regardless of how many games they’ve played or what their age is.

“It’s certainly something for us to work on as a group, for the players to have the ability to have a tough conversation with each other. They’ve got to be stronger on each other. It’s all well and good coming from the coaching staff or the performance staff.

“Sometimes the tough conversations in games and in training need to come from the group. Players don’t lose talent and ability overnight. Mentally we haven’t been willing enough to stay in the contest under pressure. We’ve got to be more gritty. Copping a hiding like we have, it’s good there’s another game around the corner. We get the chance to represent our club again on Thursday night.”