Broncos Round 1 NRL team news: Adam Reynolds fit and ready to go
Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds insists he’s fit and firing ahead of Round 1, and opens up on his future at Red Hill and his desire to return to finals in 2023.
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Brisbane skipper Adam Reynolds has declared he is fit, firing and hungry to leave a Red Hill legacy by smashing the Broncos’ 17-year premiership drought.
In his only interview ahead of Friday night’s season-opening blockbuster against Penrith, Reynolds opened up about his burning desire for another title as he braces for an epic halfback battle with Panthers maestro Nathan Cleary.
After missing the pre-season with a back injury, Reynolds - who turns 33 in July - has made a full recovery for the 2023 season opener and he travels to Penrith’s BlueBet Stadium gunning for revenge on two fronts.
It was Cleary who broke Reynolds’ heart in the 2021 grand final, denying his then Rabbitohs rival a second premiership ring as the Panthers No.7 prevailed to clinch the NRL trophy and Clive Churchill Medal.
And Reynolds is still burning over Brisbane’s stunning collapse last season, when the Broncos went from fourth to ninth in a shocking six-week form slump that left Kevin Walters’ troops one win short of the playoffs.
Now, for Reynolds, it’s payback time.
“I’m as hungry as I’ve ever been,” the Broncos captain said.
THE FIGHTBACK
Reynolds has missed the finals just three times in his 11-year career. Last season’s near miss was his first absence from the playoffs in five years.
But Brisbane’s most important player is adamant the Broncos have the roster to make the top eight this season, bolstered by the key off-season signing of fullback whizkid Reece Walsh, who will miss the Panthers clash with a fractured cheekbone.
“The finals is the bare minimum for us,” Reynolds said.
“If you ask anyone, if they don’t make the finals, they will say it’s a failure.
“In my view, we’re a club that not only makes the finals this season, but we should be challenging for higher honours.
“If we don’t want to aim higher this season, what’s the point of trying?”
THE HUNGER
Almost a decade has passed since Reynolds famously steered South Sydney to the 2014 premiership, breaking the Pride of the League’s 43-year title hoodoo.
Now another glamour club, the Broncos, are screaming for another premiership. They haven’t scaled the summit since 2006. Every premiership team has an individual beacon of brilliance that delivers glory.
Thurston. Smith. Cleary. Lockyer. Meninga. Reynolds wants to be that man for the Broncos.
“It’s been a while since I’ve experienced that feeling,” Reynolds says, reflecting on his premiership breakthrough at Redfern.
“Every player at the start of the year should have a goal to win the comp and for me, that’s what I want.
“I’m hurting from last year. It’s given me that extra drive to perform a bit better and train a bit harder and still being pretty new to the Broncos - it’s my second season here - it’s the most excited I have been in a long time.”
THE LESSONS
While gutted by an implosion at Brisbane no-one saw coming last season, Reynolds is adamant his Broncos teammates will be steeled by their setbacks.
Bookmakers have installed Brisbane at $1.75 to make the finals this season. On paper, the Broncos have a roster that can make the top six, if not the top four.
Reynolds says the likes of Pat Carrigan, Payne Haas, Kotoni Staggs, Herbie Farnworth and Selwyn Cobbo will benefit from their 12-month maturation.
“It’s 12 months down the track and we are more familiar with our patterns of play,” Reynolds said.
“The coaches have been outstanding. They have gone to another level and the younger players here who haven’t had much success so far... they can use that hurt to guide the club to the finals.
“There are players in our team now with 50 or 60 games under their belts. Guys like Patty (Carrigan) and Kotoni have played State of Origin.
“They know what it takes. I can’t see why this club can’t get back to where it was.
“It was disappointing the way we exited the competition last year, but it has only fuelled the fire to play finals this season.
“Had we made the semis, it would have glossed over a number of issues we had at the back end of the year.
“Everything happens for a reason and it will make us a better team this season going through that.”
THE X-FACTOR
There were a few pieces missing in Brisbane’s spine last season. The fullback spot was a headache for Walters. The signing of the gifted Walsh gives Brisbane a crucial attacking option in the playmaking spine to support Reynolds and five-eighth Ezra Mam.
“I think we can come up with some plays to get Reece some space,” Reynolds said.
“Playing against Reece last year, I know the quality he brings to a football team.
“I was pretty excited when we announced the signing of Reece. I was thinking forward to how we get the best out of him and how I can create space for him.
“We know what an X-factor he is in open space, so it’s important we get quality ball to Reece this season.”
THE BIG FIX
Brisbane’s defensive systems fell apart in the final six weeks. Reynolds says the Broncos have spent the off-season honing their mental toughness without the ball.
“The big thing for us is our discipline in defence,” he said.
“We leaked too many points last year at the back end and made it harder for ourselves in games. Dropped balls, ill-discipline, giving away penalties and leg ups to other teams, so if we tidy those areas up, it will take us a long way to playing finals.
“We aren’t too worried about our attack, but we need to sort out our defence and we’ve spent the pre-season working on that.”
THE FUTURE
Reynolds turns 33 in July and is off-contract next year. The 251-game veteran believes his body can survive the NRL rigours to sign another Broncos deal and play on in 2025.
“There’s no reason why I can’t play for another 12 or 24 months beyond this deal,” he said.
“We’ll see how my body is feeling after my current deal ends, but in my mind I would like to go around for another year or two.
“Obviously my form has to be up to scratch and the body has to feel good, but I don’t plan on retiring any time soon.
“The Broncos have been fantastic for me. I’m in a good head space here and I’ve loved my time at the Broncos, so things are all going right and well.
“I get sore from time to time, but I’ve had a good pre-season.
“There is a lot of life left in these legs.”
BRONCOS STAR’S PROMISE TO CLUB AND FANS
Pat Carrigan has declared he will not be a “one-hit wonder” as Brisbane’s Queensland Origin ironman prepares to go toe-to-toe with rival Penrith champion Isaah Yeo on Friday night.
Carrigan will lock the scrum for the Broncos and his No.13 showdown with Panthers captain Yeo will be a critical personal duel that could shape whether Brisbane conjure an upset in their season opener at BlueBet Stadium.
Yeo is the perfect template for the code-dominating lock the industrious Carrigan hopes to become.
With 196 NRL games under belt, Yeo is on the cusp of a double ton, has skippered Penrith to back-to-back premierships and has morphed from a one-dimensional toiler to a clever ball-playing lock so pivotal to the Panthers’ success.
During Australia’s World Cup campaign last November, Yeo also became a mentor for Carrigan, the duo featuring in the 17-man squad for the Kangaroos’ 30-10 defeat of Samoa in the final.
Now the pair square off in the 2023 premiership opener and Carrigan will be primed to outpoint Yeo as the Broncos plot a BlueBet boilover in their mission for finals redemption this season.
“The World Cup was massive for my development,” said Carrigan, who came off the bench behind starting lock Yeo in Australia’s World Cup final victory.
“I came a long way last year in terms of enjoying my footy more and playing the game because I loved it and it filtered into my on-field success.
“There were 24 of us overseas in the Australian team for the World Cup, all different personalities, but we all got on like a house on fire and what you do off the field, seeing the best in the game being professional filters into your performance on the field.
“I took a lot of lessons from the trip.
“I learnt from a lot of blokes over there, but I really admired what Isaah Yeo and Cam Murray do in games at lock.
“It was good to be around them and watch them do their thing. I really appreciated the relationships I built with those blokes and I watched how the Panthers blokes like ‘Yowie’ prepared.
“I learnt a lot from him in a leadership perspective and I want to bring that to the Broncos this season.”
The 2022 season was a whirlwind of head-spinning successes for Carrigan.
The 25-year-old rocketed into the Queensland side, winning the Wally Lewis and Ron McAuliffe Medals in his debut Origin series, before tasting World Cup glory in his maiden trip with the national team.
Carrigan plays his 61st NRL game on Friday night and admits he will not be truly satisfied until he clinches a premiership ring at the Broncos in his quest for greatness at Red Hill.
“I just don’t want to have one good year,” he said.
“I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder and think, ‘I’ve made it already’.
“It’s important I keep getting better this season for the Broncos.
“One of my best mates is Payne Haas (Broncos prop) and he goes to another level every year - he has been performing well since he was 18.
“I won’t get complacent in what I do. I couldn’t believe the Medals I won last year, but I haven’t really accomplished anything here at the Broncos.
“First and foremost, I want to be winning comps here in a Broncos jersey and that starts in round 1.”
Brisbane’s defence fell apart at the back end of last season but Carrigan is adamant the Broncos have the roster to hit back as a bona fide title contender.
“Our staff here have played in successful premiership sides, they know the best defensive teams win comps and that’s what they are drilling into us,” he said.
“They are holding us accountable to high standards in defence and that’s an area we have to improve on this season.
“Penrith is a good starting point for us, they are the benchmark and that will show us where we stand for the year ahead.”
SON OF WALTERS WINS NO.9 BATTLE
Billy Walters has staved off a fierce challenge from Cory Paix for the hooking spot as the Broncos warned Penrith they will unleash their version of Greg Inglis at fullback in Friday night’s season-opening blockbuster.
A fractured eye socket to star fullback recruit Reece Walsh has opened the door for Queensland Origin ace Selwyn Cobbo to wear the No.1 jumper in Brisbane’s daunting road trip to face the premiers at BlueBet Stadium.
While Cobbo held off Jesse Arthars and Herbie Farnworth for the fullback spot, another key facet of Brisbane’s spine has been decided, with coach Kevin Walters opting for his son Billy over Paix for the hotly-contested No.9 jumper.
Cobbo and Walters will be joined in the playmaking spine by five-eighth Ezra Mam and champion halfback Adam Reynolds, who has been cleared of a lower back injury that wiped him out of the pre-season trials.
Penrith custodian Dylan Edwards is the reigning Clive Churchill Medallist after his heroics in last year’s premiership win, but Broncos front-row import Martin Taupau says fullback rival Cobbo could rip the Panthers apart, likening him to Queensland Origin legend ‘GI’.
“Selwyn is a phenomenal talent,” said veteran prop Taupau, who will make his Broncos debut off the bench after his off-season move from Manly.
“He and Reece are great talents, they are a bit unorthodox the way they play, but it’s amazing in this day and age, you have to be different to stand out and Selwyn is definitely a stand out player for us.
“We are all really excited for Selwyn to wear the No.1 in round 1.
“Just the way he moves, the way he reads the game, both offensively and defensively ... I guess you can say he is in the mould of Greg Inglis, he is a great talent.”
ROUND 1 NRL TEAM NEWS: BRONCOS, DOLPHINS, TITANS, COWBOYS
The Broncos will head to the foot of the mountains confident of a first-up boilover after naming a strong squad that includes power on the bench in the form of ‘Kapow’ Taupau, Tom Flegler and Keenan Palasia.
Captain Reynolds moved well at Broncos training on Tuesday, while the reliable Arthars will replace Cobbo on the right wing in a three-quarter line containing Corey Oates and strike centres Kotoni Staggs and Farnworth.
Brisbane’s most contentious position - hooker - has been settled, with Walters getting the nod over Paix.
Paix, who last week signed a two-year extension, will be bitterly disappointed. The nuggety rake believes he is ready to step up as Brisbane’s pre-eminent hooker, but he will remain as the No.14 supporting Walters, whose trial form was solid.
Penrith will start red-hot favourite but the hulking 113kg presence of Taupau, providing punch in the middle third with Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan, gives Brisbane a more intimidating look.
“Penrith will be a big test,” Taupau said.
“Across the playing field, it will be very challenging for both squads, it’s going to come down to who is hungrier.
“With the pre-season we have done we are ready to bring our best against the Panthers.
“I have a firm belief we have a strong squad and can go a long way this year.”
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Originally published as Broncos Round 1 NRL team news: Adam Reynolds fit and ready to go
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