The five best and worst recruits in Brisbane Broncos history
Broncos coach Kevin Walters recently said Adam Reynolds was the club’s greatest signing but is he selling himself short? Peter Badel rates the five best and worst recruits in Broncos history.
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He was widely considered the greatest recruit in Broncos history.
But legendary front-rower Glenn Lazarus has been dethroned as Brisbane’s finest import by Kevin Walters, who is once again steering the Broncos to another golden premiership era.
In the wake of Brisbane’s 54-10 rout of Parramatta a fortnight ago, coach Walters hailed Adam Reynolds as arguably the club’s finest recruit after watching his halfback maestro slice and dice the Eels at the Gabba.
That appraisal prompted chief league writer PETER BADEL to undertake an analysis of the Broncos’ greatest imports … and worst flops in Brisbane’s 35-year history.
THE FAB FIVE
1. KEVIN WALTERS
All hail King ‘Kevvie’.
No Broncos import has injected a winning touch like Walters. Just two men in Broncos history have won five premierships, Walters and Michael Hancock.
But Kevvie was the only starter to win five crowns.
He was signed from Canberra as a scrumbase foil for Allan Langer and while ‘Alfie’ is regarded as the greatest Bronco, Brisbane’s star-studded backline of Steve Renouf, Wendell Sailor and Darren Lockyer simply didn’t sing without Walters.
His service was peerless and when Langer shocked the club by suddenly quitting in 1999, Walters was the playmaking glue that held the club together.
Broncos super coach Wayne Bennett is adamant Brisbane would not have won the 2000 premiership without a skipper’s knock from the 241-game legend.
“Kevin had a leg injury that year but I needed him on the field,” Bennett recalls. “I said, ‘Mate, if you are on the field we will win the grand final. If you’re not fit, we won’t win it’.
“Kevvie was always happy to be Alf’s back-up man, but he made our team hum.”
Walters’ conversion to coaching at Red Hill seals the deal. The Broncos were wooden spooners when he replaced Anthony Seibold in 2021. In three seasons, Walters has Brisbane challenging for the title. Winning is in his blood.
2. GLENN LAZARUS
‘The Brick With Eyes’ was a colossal signing.
Bennett was in danger of being sacked after four years without a title when he lured the hulking Lazarus from Canberra to spearhead Brisbane’s engine room for the 1992 season.
Lazarus’ impact was as brutal as it was immediate. In his maiden season at Red Hill, the Broncos got the gorilla off their back with a maiden premiership and the following year, they charged to back-to-back titles as the 115kg Lazarus monstered through the midfield.
‘Lazzo’ went on to play 118 games for the Broncos and is still viewed by many as Brisbane’s finest import. His signature was the bedrock of a title dynasty.
3. GORDEN TALLIS
Tallis was a young firebrand at the Dragons and the Townsville tearaway’s defection to the Broncos for Super League in 1997 was a monster coup.
‘The Raging Bull’ became the most feared man in rugby league. Perhaps no forward before or since has played with his fire and passion. His eyes raged like a man possessed and, in his pomp, Tallis ripped sides apart on the edges.
While Tonie Carroll was outstanding in the 1998 grand final, few could deny Tallis the Clive Churchill Medal as he ignited Brisbane’s second-half rout of the Bulldogs.
The barnstorming back-rower finished with 160 games for the Broncos, three premierships and captained the club in a terrifying Red Hill reign.
4. ADAM REYNOLDS
The ailing Broncos have risen again because of Reynolds.
Walters and CEO Dave Donaghy’s stunning poaching raid in May 2021, stealing Reynolds from South Sydney on a three-year, $2.4 million deal, is one of the greatest signing masterstrokes in Brisbane’s history.
Reynolds has played just 40 games for the club but it’s been a roaring forty. He has given the club premiership know-how. He has injected leadership, calmness and a game manager at the nerve centre to keep Brisbane’s younger core cool in a crisis.
Without him, the Broncos would still be also rans. Off the field, Reynolds drives game plans and Walters consults him on team selections. He is Brisbane’s best half since Langer.
5. REECE WALSH
The Broncos should never have lost Walsh. Getting him back from the Warriors, albeit with a slice of luck, will go down as a seminal moment in Brisbane’s history.
Walsh returned to Red Hill this season and Brisbane’s $1.3 million investment is chicken feed when you consider what he brings on and off the field.
‘Reece Lightning’ is Brisbane’s blue-chip franchise player. He has females swooning, NRL defenders cowering and with his class, sizzling speed, good looks and all-action style, he will be the NRL’s most bankable superstar for the next decade.
In the late 1990s, the Broncos blooded a boom fullback called Darren Lockyer. Walsh is Locky 2.0. It seems only a matter of time before Walsh lives out his dream of lifting the NRL premiership in Broncos colours.
THE FIVE FLOPS
1. BEN BARBA
What a disaster. Barba arrived at the Broncos in 2014 as the Messiah. Two years earlier, he won the 2012 Dally M Medal at the Bulldogs and after some off-field dramas, Barba craved a fresh start. The Broncos welcomed him with open arms, believing Barba at his best could return them to premiership glory.
He lasted one season. While he played all 25 games, Barba never settled under Anthony Griffin, was overweight and barely fired a shot in attack. When Wayne Bennett returned to Red Hill in 2015, he told Barba there was no place in his starting team, delivering the bullet to a forgettable chapter at the Broncos.
2. JACK BIRD
A total of 285 men have played first grade for the Broncos. Bird is the unluckiest Bronco in history.
He was trumpeted as a marquee signing after inking a four-year deal worth around $3.5 million for the 2018 season. But the dream Sharks import lived out a nightmare. Sternum and shoulder issues and two knee reconstructions saw Bird play just 17 games in three seasons. He was granted an early release to save his career at the Dragons.
3. MARTIN KENNEDY
The Broncos believed they had their front-row enforcer when Kennedy quit the Roosters to link with Brisbane for the 2014 season.
Spotted by the legendary Arthur Beetson, the 118kg hulk went close to play Origin for Queensland in 2011 and the Broncos had high hopes Kennedy could inject some mongrel up front.
But his form was so bad he started just four times and was axed to the Ipswich Jets.
A lover of snakes, Kennedy was later jailed for four years for his role in a wildlife smuggling racket.
4. JOEL CLINTON
When Petero Civoniceva sensationally fell out with the Broncos and joined Penrith in 2008, Brisbane turned to Clinton. He had won a premiership at Penrith in 2003 and played for Australia the following season.
But Clinton struggled with the expectation. While he played 45 solid games in two seasons, there were few dam-busting moments. The biggest headline he created came in 2009 when he was fined a massive $50,000 by the Broncos for sneaking a female into Brisbane’s team hotel before a game against Wests Tigers.
Clinton denied having sex with the woman, but it was curtains for his career at Red Hill.
5. BRODIE CROFT
Broncos coach Anthony Seibold was confident Croft could take Brisbane to the promised land when he arrived at the club from Melbourne for the 2020 season.
The signs were promising: Croft was named co-captain with Pat Carrigan in his very first game for the Broncos against the Cowboys.
But Croft never coped with the burden of the famous Broncos No. 7 jumper and when Walters took over from Seibold in 2021, the playmaker was offloaded to England, where he has been a revelation for Salford.
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Originally published as The five best and worst recruits in Brisbane Broncos history
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