NRL 2021: Brisbane Broncos halfback Albert Kelly out to end Cronulla’s finals chances

The Broncos have come to life in the back end of the season and halfback Albert Kelly says they are ready to shake-up the NRL finals race by bringing down a top-eight contender.

Albert Kelly has signed a new deal with the Broncos. Picture: Liam Kidston

Reborn Broncos halfback Albert Kelly wants to take a dagger to former club Cronulla’s finals hopes after declaring Brisbane wants to shake up the play-offs race to end the season.

The Broncos will be hunting back-to-back wins for the first time this year when they face the Sharks at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

The match will be Brisbane’s penultimate game of a season which has had many ups and downs during coach Kevin Walters’ first year in charge.

The race to the 2021 NRL Telstra Finals Series is on and every game matters. Watch Live & Ad-Break Free on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free >

But there has been an undeniable shift in Brisbane’s performances in the back end of the year, with the Broncos producing more consistent efforts since their 46-0 loss to South Sydney in Round 15, which triggered mass changes at Red Hill.

The Broncos have won three of seven matches since and lost a controversial 21-20 thriller to the Roosters a fortnight ago.

Albert Kelly is looking forward to playing against his old club, the Sharks, this weekend.

Their losing margins since the Rabbitohs thrashing have been 18, 6, 8 and 1 points and there is an opportunity for the Broncos to end the season on a three-match winning streak with games against the Sharks (8th) and Knights (7th) to come.

Kelly, 30, made his NRL debut for Cronulla in 2010 and played 14 games for the Sharks before being sacked for disciplinary reasons in 2011.

He has resurrected his NRL career at Red Hill this year following six seasons in the Super League and said he had been looking forward to facing his former club, which must win to remain in the top eight.

“Definitely,” Kelly said when asked if there would be more feeling in this game. “I ticked this one off on the calendar a while ago. I am looking forward to this one.

“Lexi (captain Alex Glenn) has announced he’s retiring, Milly (Anthony Milford) is playing his 150th Broncos game. We want to put some big performances in to try and get these two wins.”

Walters has named an unchanged side for the Sharks clash, keeping faith in the team that pipped New Zealand 24-22 last Sunday afternoon.

It has taken all year for the coach to find a 17 worthy of multiple opportunities and Kelly said there had been a shift in the vibe at the Broncos since the early season turbulence.

“There has been a massive difference,” he said. “There’s more self-belief in the players and confidence as you can see in the past couple of performances.

Albert Kelly scored a spectacular try against the Warriors last weekend. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

“That’s the direction we’re heading in and where we want to stay for these next two games. We want to finish the season on a high.”

Kelly celebrated Brisbane’s win against the Warriors, in which he scored his second try for the Broncos, by inking a one-year contract extension on Monday.

He is hoping to partner incoming halfback Adam Reynolds at Brisbane’s scrumbase next year and said his career had come back to life at the Broncos.

“I pinch myself at times,” Kelly said. “I definitely knew what I wanted and I set some goals. I made a lot of sacrifices to get where I am.

“I had a few injuries over there and packed on a few kilos. At one stage I was 106kg (in the Super League). I played around 102kg for one year. I landed back here around 100kg and I knew the road ahead was going to be hard to get back to my best to play some good footy.

“I ended up stripping down to 94kg which is good. I’ve still got a few more gears in me.

“I didn’t really have a pre-season in me. I found myself running the (Brisbane) riverwalk every second day. It was tough training by myself but I didn’t mind it. With a proper pre-season under my belt, who knows what can happen. I’ll keep pushing myself to new limits.”

NEW DEAL: CAREER GAMBLE PAYS OFF FOR BRONCOS JOURNEYMAN

— Travis Meyn, Peter Badel

Albert Kelly dipped into his family’s life savings to have one last crack at the NRL.

Today, he is celebrating his career resurrection after securing a contract extension to remain at the Brisbane Broncos next year.

Kelly has agreed to a one-year deal and set his sights on becoming Brisbane’s version of Rabbitohs jet Cody Walker, with a goal to partner star recruit Adam Reynolds at the Broncos’ scrumbase next season.

The new contract is a sweet reward for Kelly after he decided to uproot his family and depart England following six years in the Super League — with no guarantees.

Kelly, partner Mtia and their three children forked out a hefty sum to fly back to Australia and complete hotel quarantine — with only a train-and-trial contract on the table at the Broncos.

Albert Kelly is loving life at the Broncos. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

He suffered a setback when Broncos coach Kevin Walters sent him packing from Red Hill early in the pre-season due to fitness concerns.

But Kelly rebounded and guided the Broncos to their best win of the season in his club debut against the Roosters at the SCG in Round 11.

Kelly, 30, was back in the No.7 jersey made famous by Allan Langer when Brisbane defeated the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium last Sunday and said his gamble had paid off.

“We dipped into our life savings to get home,” Kelly said. “I had an offer (to stay in the Super League) but I just wanted to get home and give the NRL one last crack.

“When I went to England, I robbed my kids of the chance to see their cousins, their grandparents and their family for so long.

“The main thing for me was bringing my kids home to be closer to family and then I had a slight chance with the Broncos so I just thought ‘give it all you have got’.

“It cost us an arm and a leg to come home but I backed myself and it’s panned out well so far. I’ve been playing the game for a long time and I just love playing it at any level.

“I can see the success coming at the Broncos so I wanted to stick around. I can see how hard the guys work and how talented they are.

“We’ve got some good players coming in so it’s going to be a bright future. I’m very grateful to the Broncos for giving me a chance. Hopefully I can pay them back with some success.”

Kelly guided the Broncos to their best win of the season in his club debut. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Kelly has been a rare shining light in a turbulent season for Brisbane’s playmakers.

Walters has experimented with a host of different halves including Tom Dearden, Brodie Croft, Tyson Gamble, Karmichael Hunt and Anthony Milford with mixed success.

Injuries have limited Kelly to five NRL appearances this season, but he is hoping to end the year on a high and press his claims for Brisbane’s No.6 jersey in 2022.

Reynolds has been recruited from the Rabbitohs to provide Brisbane with a quality playmaking option at halfback and centre Kotoni Staggs has been earmarked for a switch to five-eighth.

But Kelly believes he can be the perfect foil for his old schoolboys rival.

“I want to be in the 17, if that’s playing at six or 14, I’m not fussed. As long as I get some time on the field,” he said. “I’m more of a natural runner so (five-eighth) suits me to a tee.

“I’ve known Adam since high school. We always played against each other and hopefully next year we can form a combination together instead.

“We played in the Arrive Alive Cup. We (Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown) played them (Matraville) in the grand final and they touched us up. We (Broncos) have been speaking about how we can get these results over the next few weeks.

Kelly scored a great try against the Roosters in Round 22. Picture NRL Images

“The goal is to get some wins on the board before the season ends. That will give us confidence going into the pre-season.”

Walters said he had been impressed by Kelly’s determination to succeed at the Broncos and a full pre-season at Red Hill would have him well prepared for next year.

“Alby has settled in here nicely, he is a great fella, loves his footy and I love his attitude,” he said. “He has worked hard to drop the weight and he is back in the side and enjoying his footy.

“We want to get a proper pre-season into Albert and we feel he can make a big contribution to our team, not only in the next two or three weeks but next year when Adam comes in.

“He’s a backyard footy player, you take into consideration the clothesline, the concrete path, the garden bed, he is aware of all those angles and positions. He has a great feel for the game and that’s what the game needs with the speed of the game these days.

“You need some instinct in your play and Albert and Cody Walker have those traits. He isn’t in Cody Walker’s league but with another pre-season, he can do some great things for us next year.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: Brisbane Broncos halfback Albert Kelly out to end Cronulla’s finals chances