Weekend Read: Why NSW holds the fate of the Broncos’ title bid
NSW State of Origin pair Adam Reynolds and Payne Haas – not superstar Reece Walsh – hold the fate of Brisbane’s long-suffering premiership bid in their blue hands, writes BRENT READ.
Seventeen years between drinks. It’s far too long for a club as powerful as the Brisbane Broncos. So is the eight years since the club’s last grand final, a drought that is almost as difficult to digest.
Those long waits explain why Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium shapes as a defining moment for a club that was once a genuine powerhouse, but has found the going more difficult in recent years.
It has been a period marked by coaching culls, player clean outs and bitter disappointment. It has taken a club legend in coach Kevin Walters and funnily enough, a couple of NSW types to drag the Broncos within touching distance of the promised land.
Sure, Reece Walsh is a superstar. He may be the most dynamic ball runner in the game. Come to think of it, he may be the most exciting player in the game.
But Adam Reynolds and Payne Haas – two players who bleed blue rather than maroon – make the Broncos tick. If they’re to overcome the Warriors and secure their first grand final appearance since 2015, Reynolds and Haas have to be the catalysts.
One in the engine room, the other with his hands on the steering wheel. Haas has a motor that doesn’t stop. His stats reflect his dominance in the middle of the field. He runs all day and drags opponents on his back.
The only prop who can go with him is probably the bloke who stands opposite him on Saturday night – Addin Fonua-Blake. You can throw Penrith’s James Fisher-Harris in the discussion, but it is Haas for mine.
He is a monster and if he wins his duel with Fonua-Blake, it should open the floodgates for Reynolds, the former South Sydney star who was brought to the club to take them to the promised land and has it now within touching distance.
He has already been hailed as one of the smartest signings in the club’s history. A premiership would end any debate as well as the suffering for a legion of Brisbane supporters.
Trust me, this columnist is one of them.
Went to their first-ever game against Manly at Lang Park as Wally Lewis ran riot, carrying defenders over the tryline. The King had a field day as the Broncos won 44-10.
It took some time to get going after that but once the shackles came off, the Broncos won premierships for fun. Six in total if you throw in the Super League title. Felt like they would keep coming too but 2006 was the last and it has been slim pickings since.
Eight years ago was a heartbreaker against North Queensland but Brisbane haven’t really given it a shake since that one, save for a preliminary final in 2017 when they were blown away by the rampant Melbourne Storm.
Heading into this year’s post-season they had won just two of their past seven finals games. A win over Melbourne a fortnight ago helped balance the ledger somewhat but it will be for nothing if they can’t find a way past the Warriors on Saturday night.
They head in as favourites and so they should. They have beaten the Warriors already this season and there is a sense that the time is now. That the Broncos are cherry ripe for the occasion given Reynolds is playing as well as he ever has and his support cast just needs to be pointed in the right direction.
The window is well and truly open and Reynolds needs to take them through it. If he can do that, the floodgates may well be open again. They’ll lose a couple of players at the end of the season but the club is working overtime to keep the bulk of their squad together.
Penrith are being ravaged on a yearly basis and the Broncos are already nipping at their heels, keeping them honest. It feels like they are so close.
They just need to win on Saturday night. The time is now.
******
A word on Greg Alexander, who has decided to step away from the State of Origin arena after six years alongside good mate and Blues coach Brad Fittler.
No doubt there were times over their tenure when Alexander felt like the world – or at least the media – was against him, particularly in recent years as results began to slide.
This columnist and Alexander had their share of clashes, most notably over the stunning selection of Newcastle centre Bradman Best this season. (It turned out to be a masterstroke, mind you).
Yet Brandy always fronted up, was always a pleasure to deal with, and always did his best to help where he could. Even when results started to spiral and the Blues coaching staff were in the crosshairs, Alexander was honest to a fault.
He stared down his critics, more often than not with a smile on his face. He tried not to carry a grudge. If he did, he hid it well.
It wasn’t in his nature to be rude or dismissive. Even as the pressure mounted, the Blues started to circle the wagons, and the loosey-goosey days that marked the first few years of the Fittler-Alexander alliance gave way to a sense of paranoia.
Fittler’s mood darkened but Alexander was the yin to his yang. He opened a Tik Tok account to take the punters inside Origin camp. He fronted up after games on Fox League’s NRL360 and copped a grilling, occasionally responding through gritted teeth.
He did it though. Time and time again. No matter what the result. So, thanks Brandy. You’ll be missed mate.
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