The Broncos are sitting at the bottom of the ladder, languishing in 14th position.
They have finished in the playoff position 26 times in their 30-year history and if the Broncos are to extend their years spent in the top eight to 27, then the Brisbane team will have to win all of their remaining games.
In 1996 Kerrod Walters, the then Queensland and Australian rake, was cut from the Broncos because of a supposed poor attitude and was blamed by coach Wayne Bennett for a poor performance in the semi-final loss to Cronulla at the Sydney Football Stadium, which eventually ended their season.
This poor attitude and lack of hunger for excellence is not too dissimilar to the current Brisbane Broncos main man Anthony Milford, who has not yet won a premiership with a desperate and successful club like the Brisbane-based side. According to both Paul Kent (chief rugby league writer at The Daily Telegraph and co-host of NRL 360) heard rumours that Benji Marshall was unhappy with Anthony Milford’s work ethic and attitude towards training during his short time at the Broncos.
“He’s a guy that goes in, gets down on the machines in the gym and if you’ve got to do ten and nobody’s watching, he pumps out eight because nobody’s watching,” Kent said. Paul Kent also stated on the NRL 360 program in 2017 that “He’s a guy who enjoys his off-season, he generally comes back and his skin folds give the medical staff a heart attack”.
These statements are worrying for Broncos supporters and the way the club is heading. One million dollars is a large chunk of a salary cap that is 9.7 million every season and this large sum must be used on a player that is a leader on and off the field. The one thing the Broncos are crying out for at the moment, considering that they got rid of such experienced players like Josh McGuire and Korbin Sims along with the retirement of spiritual leader and former Captain Sam Thaiday.
This should be coming from the highest-paid player and role model of the large brand that is the Brisbane Broncos. The same applies to Darius Boyd, the captain of the club. Now I’m not saying that Anthony Milford should get to the standard of future Immortals Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith but he should take a page out of their book, hard workers who drove or still drive their side on and off the field. Attitude is such a big word used in context, but this attitude towards training or lack thereof is evident on the field.
Defence is all about attitude and technique has some small bit to play. But as a defender in the line you must want to make tackles. The stats are bleak and show this evidently that Anthony Milford is a “touch footballer”. On average, Anthony Milford makes ten to 12 tackles every game defending at five-eighth in the defensive line and misses around about four tackles per match.
1/3 of tackles missed isn’t too bad compared to other halves. The stat that shows that Anthony Milford’s defensive ways are dire is the number of tackles Alex Glenn makes each game. On average, Alex Glenn makes 32 tackles and Jack Bird and Gehamat Shibasaki both average 16 to 20 tackles per game, which shows that Alex Glenn and his centres do a lot of defending for themselves and defensive shadowing for there five-eighth.
Kevin Walters overlooked Anthony Milford because of his defence and instead picked Moses Mbye who can play multiple decisions and is a much better defender. If the Broncos are bound for success in the near future then Anthony Seibold must change their money man’s attitude towards training and defence or show him the door.
Gus O
Roar Rookie
Developing and retaining a halves combination is a challenge for every club, if you develop juniors and successfully bring them through into first grade the other clubs offer big money to lure them away based on their potential. A number of clubs have locked in young halves on big money, long term 3 or 4 year contracts based on potential and it isn’t working. A secure big money 4 year contract can make a young player too comfortable (“i’ve already made it”). And the big money on offer has busted up young combos that were developing really well (DCE + Foran, Brooks + Moses + Teddy) Milford has been given plenty of time and support to develop into the on field leader and playmaker the Broncos had hoped for and now the coach has finally decided “nope, he’s not the ball player or game manager we want in the halves, he’s not the guy to run the show out on the field”. This has happened with Moylan and Milford and other “running, eyes up, play what you see” number sixes. What does appear to work is combining a really experienced half with a mature half who isn’t a hero but knows how to organise the team on the field and understands game management. But why is it so hard to develop ball players who can count the numbers and work with hole runners? Why is it so difficult to learn match awareness and factor this into on field decision making? We do this in park footy playing for the fun of it - why is it so difficult for these guys who do nothing but practice and play footy for a living?
Beergardener
Roar Pro
He has been far from our worst player on the field and in 1-2 games he has been our best player. I know we need more from our star player but the same can't be said for Darius. He has been our worst, most ineffective player in just about every game this year and I doubt he is on much less than Milf
MORDAC
Guest
He isn't a ballplayer, obviously, and as he has gotten older and heavier his running game has gone downhill. For his next contract, I doubt he will get half what he is one now.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
The bottom line perhaps with a player like Milford is how he's going to stack up in the big games which are the ones that really matter. From the armchair he looks to have gone backwards from his peak in the 15 GF and unless he can get somewhere near that peak again it's hard to see the broncos winning a title with him taking up so much cap. If the forwards live up to their lofty title as the best crop ever at the Broncos then the equation might change and he can roam free on the back of their dominance It's a very tough sport and Milford looks like he doesn't enjoy the contact as much as most of the top halves and if that's the case it's hard to see him justifying the highest bickies. The QLD selectors clearly don't rate him as a million dollar player because he would make the team if they did.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Thank you Paul for your constructive criticism on my piece, its interesting to hear a perspective from a Roar Pro I'm really appreciative. I know where your coming from he is not the only one who is piss weak in defense. But as a passionate broncos supporter i'm really hoping his move to fullback works and maybe I'm wrong that he is a bad defender maybe he's an easy target in defence. But no one will ever doubt his ball running ability because he is one of the best ball runners and could win a game from one play. I'm also worried in the future that Milford might lose us a game from a defensive lapse. Thanks Paul, Once again
Paul
Roar Guru
again though, he's not on his own. The whole team has been disappointing, IMO
Over here
Roar Rookie
he hasn't been doing much singing lately. he had a good game in the pacific tests
Paul
Roar Guru
Thanks for writing this piece Macca. It's an interesting take on Milford. When I hear or read Paul Kent quoted as a main source for a piece, I cringe, because I have no idea what level of accuracy are his "facts". I don't doubt Milford's not an angel at training, but I'm equally not sure whether he's really being lazy or has been given permission to take things quietly in one session and Kent turns this into "he does it all the time". It's also a difficult issue to comment about his defence. I can guarantee he's got a few mates down in this area as well given the Bronco's place on the ladder. I don't remember the Broncos losing a game specifically because of a Milford defensive error. I equally have no idea what defensive plan Siebold has devised to cover his shortcomings. All these things would be useful to know before you get rid of a bloke good enough to win games on his own, when he's on song.