Broncos round 4 team list: Thomas Flegler wants to shed suspension liability tag

As he prepares to return from suspension for the injury-hit Broncos, Thomas Flegler has vowed to change his ways in a bid to avoid becoming a liability.

Kotoni Staggs standing for back. NRL Images

Broncos enforcer Tom Flegler has vowed to keep his cool and eradicate his on-field brain snaps as he prepares to return from suspension for Saturday’s clash against the Warriors at Redcliffe.

The Broncos are sweating on the return of Flegler to bolster their engine room and offset an injury crisis that could see starting back-rowers Kurt Capewell and Jordan Riki ruled out of the round 4 clash at Moreton Daily Stadium.

Capewell, named 24th man, is unlikely to play after a corked calf in last Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, while Riki (rib cartilage) was restricted to light duties on Wednesday and may require a pain-killing injection to face the Warriors.

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The one certainty is Flegler is back and the Queensland Origin prop concedes he must address his discipline to avoid becoming a suspension liability for the Broncos.

The 22-year-old was cited twice in the space of a month last season, leading to six matches in suspensions, the second of which saw Flegler miss four games that spilled into the first three rounds of the 2022 premiership.

As Flegler prepares for front-row fireworks with Warriors spearhead and former Broncos teammate Matt Lodge, the Maroons bookend is wary of becoming a wild child at Red Hill.

“I need to keep my cool,” Flegler said.

Thomas Flegler is determined to keep his emotions in check.

“The boys are all giving me stick about getting suspended again but I’m sure that won’t be happening.

“You can’t play very good footy sitting on the sidelines, it’s no good for the team.

“I just need to keep a cool head under pressure and not go outside our principles in defence and attack.”

Flegler is a crucial partner-in-crime for Brisbane’s No. 1 prop Payne Haas. At his best, the 110kg Tully tearaway can dominate the opposition with his fearless running style and he was one of Brisbane’s standout players in attack during last month’s trials.

But without the ball, Flegler has sailed too close to the wind with poorly-timed high shots.

He has spent the summer finetuning his technique with specialist tackling coach Brett O’Farrell, who played for the Melbourne Storm.

A fired-up Flegler catches Isaah Yeo high.

“I have been working on it (his defence) the whole off-season and I will be much better come this season,” Flegler said.

“I have been working with our defence coach ‘Bumper’ (O’Farrell) and it has been helpful.

“My tackle technique at times does get a bit out of hand which does lead me to get suspended.

“During a game, there are times where you have these snap lapses and you have to learn to control that or it’s no good for the team.”

Flegler is confident the Broncos can overcome the potential loss of Capewell and Riki to dispose of the Warriors, a scenario that would give Brisbane three wins from four games.

“Kurt would be a massive loss for us, but we have the boys to fill in the gaps for him,” Flegler said.

“We’re not too worried about that (the injury toll), we have the back-up players in the team to get the win this weekend.”

BRONCO DEFIES DOCTOR TO HELP IN CRISIS

The Broncos have been rocked by a back-row injury crisis with starting duo Kurt Capewell and Jordan Riki in danger of joining rookie Brendan Piakura on the sidelines for Saturday’s clash against the Warriors.

Battered Brisbane are licking their wounds in the wake of last Sunday’s 38-12 derby loss to the Cowboys, with Capewell (calf) and Riki (ribs) facing fitness tests in a desperate bid to take on the Warriors at Redcliffe’s Moreton Daily Stadium.

Capewell was not named in the starting side and is rated unlikely to play, but he was included on an extended bench as 24th man as coach Kevin Walters gives the Origin utility every chance of recovering from a corked calf.

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Kurt Capewell is racing the clock to be fit. Picture: NRL

Riki was originally ruled out by Broncos medicos, only to be later named in the No. 12 jumper after indicating to Walters he was prepared to carry rib-cartilage damage into the round 4 battle with the Warriors.

One certainty is that Piakura has no hope of stepping up for Riki or Capewell. Scans revealed the boom back-rower has suffered a grade-two hamstring tear following a training mishap and faces up to six weeks on the sidelines.

Club legend Corey Parker took aim at Brisbane’s forwards for failing to support Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan last Sunday and the potential loss of Capewell and Riki would be a savage blow as the Broncos attempt to hit back against the Warriors.

Jordan Riki will attempt to carry rib-cartilage damage into this week’s clash against the Warriors. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

Versatile forward Keenan Palasia has been named in Capewell’s No. 11 jumper, while bench impact weapon TC Robati is likely to be pitchforked into the starting side if Riki is a late scratching.

Carrigan, who himself overcame a knee scare last week to face the Cowboys, remains hopeful Capewell and Riki will suit up against a Warriors pack spearheaded by Broncos reject Matt Lodge.

“It would be tough to lose those guys,” Carrigan said of Brisbane‘s starting back-row duo.

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“We have a lot of depth and we’ll see how long he (Riki) is out for.

“I feel for Brendan (Piakura), he has a lot of hype around him and he’s a talented guy, but he’s just had some injuries to deal with. When he strings some footy games together, it will be exciting for the club.”

In a boost for the Broncos, Queensland Origin prop Tom Flegler returns from a three-match suspension and will start off interchange, while former Titans skipper Ryan James will join Payne Haas in the engine room.

Broncos prop Tom Flegler will return from suspension against the Warriors.

Carrigan is bracing for forward fireworks from Lodge, who played 65 NRL games for the Broncos and faces Brisbane for the first time since his late-season transfer to the Warriors last year.

“Matt will bring aggression and strong carries,” said Carrigan, who plays his 50th top-grade game on Saturday.

“He has a good carry in him and he is a smart footy player.

“When he first came to the club, ‘Lodgey’ was one of the guys that took Payne Haas and myself under his wing and taught us a couple of things.

“It’s good to play against your good mates and Lodgey will be a challenge this week, he will be fired up and ready to go.”

Carrigan dismissed suggestions the Broncos were complacent against the Cowboys and said Parker’s critique had some merit.

“I don’t want to say it’s complacency, but the NRL is a tough comp week in, week out and if you think you are going better than you are, it has a way to bring you back to earth,” he said.

“‘Cozza’ has played a lot of footy and he has played in a lot of good teams, so he knows the dynamic of how good packs work and he is entitled to his opinion there.

“You don’t win comps in round three so hopefully we grow as a team and learn some of the lessons that Cozza is trying to touch on.”

Broncos legend slams timid pack

– Chris Honnery

Brisbane great Corey Parker has put a rocket up the underperforming Broncos pack, telling them to stop letting Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan do everything.

Parker’s call comes in the wake of the Broncos copping a 38-12 hiding from North Queensland he described as a “reality check” for Kevin Walters’ side.

The Broncos were forced to sift through the wreckage of a chastening loss and head back to the drawing board ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Warriors at Redcliffe.

According to Fox Sports Lab statistics, strike centre Kotoni Staggs made five runs for 70 metres against the Cowboys, which pales in comparison to his opposite number Valentine Holmes, who made 18 runs for 173m and a try.

Similarly Broncos backrower Kurt Capewell made five runs for 43 metres, when Cowboys backrowers Tom Gilbert and Jeremiah Nanai combined for 30 runs, 223m and three tries.

Parker praised the efforts of Broncos forwards Haas (12 runs, 151m) and Carrigan (14 runs, 127m) but urged the rest of the team to step up to their level.

“Without Payne and Pat in the middle, who does their work?” Parker said.

“You can’t red-line those blokes every week.

Payne Haas got through plenty of work against the Cowboys. Picture: NRL Imagery

“The dominance you try and get in a game all starts in the middle.

“Collectively, as a team, they need to even the workload out a little bit more.

“It was a bit of a reality check for them and a punch in the face, as Kevvie (Walters) put it.

“It’s not panic stations yet but they just need a bit more from everyone across the park.”

Staggs is just three games back from major knee surgery but Walters admitted after the game his strike centre “needs to be better for us, and he knows that” – a sentiment which was echoed by Parker.

“I get that he’s coming back from a knee reconstruction, and we’re probably not going to see the best of him in round 3, but it doesn’t eliminate him from getting his hands on the ball,” he said.

Kotoni Staggs has been urged to go and look for the ball.

“His first run on Sunday and he threw Valentine Holmes three metres backwards.

“That to me suggests you give him the ball more to get after it.

“You look at Herbie Farnworth and if he’s not getting the ball, he goes looking for it. I want to see Kotoni get that into his game.

“I want to see him get into dummy-half and scoot like Justin Hodges and Brent Tate used to do.”

Queensland representative prop Tom Flegler will also make a welcomed return to the Broncos engine room this week after serving a four-match ban for a high shot last season.

“He’s going to have to add some punch but he hasn’t played footy in a while,” Parker said.

“I’m not real sure how many minutes he will play or what you will get.

“He trialled really well but it’s a month into the NRL.”

Originally published as Broncos round 4 team list: Thomas Flegler wants to shed suspension liability tag