NRL 2024: Issues Brisbane Broncos must address in their club-wide review to become premiership force in 2025
The Brisbane Broncos are undertaking a review following their disastrous 12th-placed finish – we identify some key issues the club must address starting with one pampered ‘rock star.’
The Broncos are in the midst of a club-wide review following their disastrous 12th-placed finish this season.
Peter Badel and Travis Meyn have a combined 30 years’ experience covering the Broncos.
Here’s their analysis of the club and the improvements needed to make the Broncos a premiership force in 2025.
THE ROCKSTAR
Those who think Latrell Mitchell has too much power at Souths should stop into Broncos headquarters and look at the treatment afforded to Reece Walsh.
No player is ever bigger than a club and Brisbane bosses are giving too much rope to Walsh, who largely walks to the beat of his own drum at the Broncos and is described by insiders as “moody” and “highly strung”.
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At Red Hill, ‘Reece Lightning’ calls the shots – not Broncos hierarchy.
Brisbane staff are terrified of offending him.
Walsh did one in-season media appearance at Red Hill this year – despite being the club’s most marketable player. He consistently lets down lesser-paid teammates such as Corey Jensen and Kobe Hetherington, who cover for him by fronting-up to speak to Broncos fans regularly.
Before Brisbane’s round 22 game against the Titans, Walsh took part in the warm-up on Cbus Super Stadium with his shirt off. Can you imagine Wayne Bennett allowing that to happen?
Walsh is a magnificent talent. He could become one of Brisbane’s greatest ever players, but he needs strong leadership to provide tough love and help him fulfil his potential.
■ What you said about Reece Walsh at the Broncos
THE RECRUITMENT
The Broncos have gone to sleep when it comes to recruiting and are paying the price in the most competitive era the NRL has ever been.
After piecing together what should have been a premiership-winning roster ahead of the 2023 season, Brisbane has sat idle and been found out.
The Broncos were fortunate that Walsh returned to the club after they originally lost him to the Warriors.
The butchering of Tom Dearden’s Broncos career is also an indictment on the club. He is now a co-captain of the Cowboys and could play Origin for Queensland for a decade.
The Broncos have shown too much faith in the roster they had instead of constantly freshening it up. They failed to replace grand final quartet Tom Flegler, Herbie Farnworth, Kurt Capewell and Keenan Palasia this year and paid the price.
The signings of Fletcher Baker, Jack Gosiewski and Jaiyden Hunt were flops and the Broncos are yet to recruit a player for 2025.
The Broncos don’t have a bad roster and always have youngsters coming through, but the top NRL clubs are continually searching for new talent to keep the squad evolving.
The Panthers will lose premiership stars Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris this year but have signed Isaiah Papali’i and Blaize Talagi to offset it. The Storm have poached emerging Tigers prop Stefano Utoikamanu. The consistent performers don’t sit idle.
THE ROSTER
Broncos coach Kevin Walters and CEO Dave Donaghy have spent the past three days interviewing Brisbane’s 30-man full-time squad about what needs to change for the $80 million glamour club to hit back as a title force.
The composition of Brisbane’s roster – and their salary-cap distribution – is problematic. They have four hookers on their books, no true front-row enforcer to help metre-eater Payne Haas and the club still hasn’t got a definitive successor to champion halfback Adam Reynolds, who is likely to retire at the end of next year.
Minor premiers Melbourne spent $3.77 million this season on their playmaking spine. The Broncos have outlaid just $2.2m in the same area. They need to recalibrate their salary cap to put more money into their halves and sign Roosters whizkid Sam Walker.
He is a free agent from November 1 and is a kid from Ipswich whose father Ben and uncles Shane and Chris played for the Broncos. Walker was once in the Broncos Academy and Brisbane should pay in excess of $1.2 million a season to get him back.
The club can free-up funds by releasing either Kotoni Staggs or Selwyn Cobbo, both off-contract next year.
No club in the NRL can have two centre/wingers on big money.
THE FRONT-OFFICE
Broncos boss Donaghy should headhunt Queensland legend Cam Smith to be Brisbane’s head of football.
Brisbane have missed Ben Ikin’s skill set enormously and coach Walters needs a strong influence in the front-office to preside over the football department, allowing him to focus purely on coaching.
Frank Ponissi has been Craig Bellamy’s football boss at Melbourne for 17 years. They have been the best club of the past two decades. Ponissi is a no-nonsense operator who drives culture and standards. In Melbourne’s last grand-final appearance in 2020, Ponissi lectured a Storm player for not having his socks pulled up in the official team photo.
It’s only a small thing but the one percenters are the bedrock of success. Walters hired Joe McDermott this season but he lacks the pedigree and gravitas to make a mark.
Smith lives on the Gold Coast and is the greatest player the game has seen. Walters knows him as captain-coach in the 2016-17 Queensland teams. Smith is a winner. Broncos players would respect Smith instantly.
THE BOARD
Chairman Karl Morris needs to shake up his board and inject more football nous.
Morris has overseen the most tumultuous period in Brisbane’s history since taking on the role in late 2017 after his board backed former CEO Paul White’s decision to move on Wayne Bennett in 2018 and appoint Anthony Seibold, which had disastrous consequences.
After collecting Brisbane’s first wooden spoon in 2020, the Broncos fought back into premiership contention last year under Walters but it all came crashing down again this season.
The only Broncos board member with a genuine NRL pedigree is Darren Lockyer, the most-capped player in Brisbane’s history.
Morris should look at bringing in a proven winner with the intelligence needed for the board room like Broncos greats Glenn Lazarus or Michael De Vere.
Former Cowboys chairman Laurence Lancini is a big hitter in Brisbane who also knows what it takes to guide a club to an NRL premiership.
THE COACHING
Walters has courageously overcome numerous setbacks and now he faces the biggest challenge of his coaching career.
After missing the finals in three of four years in charge of the Broncos, Walters is facing a make or break season in 2025.
He did a great job rebuilding the Broncos after the wooden spoon debacle of 2020 – leading the club to finishes of 14th, ninth and runners’ up during his first three years in charge.
But it is a fickle business and this year’s crash to 12th means next season will be his last chance to turn things around at Red Hill.
There was friction in Brisbane’s coaching ranks this year and the departures of assistants Lee Briers and John Cartwright has given Walters the opportunity to shake things up.
He has taken a punt on Trent Barrett, who has a terrible NRL head coaching record, and the emerging Ben Te’o to help make the Broncos a finals force again.
Walters will live or die by these appointments because they will play a huge role in Brisbane’s performances next season.
It was clear the Broncos needed to be coached out of a form slump this year but Walters appeared to have few answers when they were on the slide, consistently claiming all they needed to do was get the basics and fundamentals right.
The NRL is more complex than running and tackling hard. He needs to get more technical with his coaching and trust the likes of Barrett, Te’o, Matt Ballin, Allan Langer and Darius Boyd to help him.
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