After his side were relegated from the English Premier League in 2011, Blackpool manager Ian Holloway uttered, “The fat lady has sung and I don’t like the tune.”
Sadly, in 2021, as a Brisbane Broncos fan, you can say something similar, along the lines of: “The team is playing and I don’t like the picture.”
To watch each week at the moment is in its own way gut wrenching. To see a club whose performance was always based around a degree of solid effort and resilience morph into a side where the smell of negativity blows onto the field and they essentially all fall down is heartbreaking.
To have observed champions in the jumper give the best of themselves and achieve success, only to now watch a bunch of youngsters act like witches hats on occasion breaks a proud supporter’s heart.
As you can tell, the Brisbane Broncos are tough to watch.
The urge is always to ask: well, what are they doing? Whose fault is this?
Change the coach, sack the board and send the recruiter and all his staff on their way.
The truth is, this situation is the result of a club who simply have made bad choices at key times and as a result are now propping up a ladder that they thought they would be at the top of.
To re-sign the amount of forwards on the dollars they are currently receiving has turned into a mistake.
I am sure at the time they viewed most of these forwards as essential and the members of the team who would drive the glory charge.
Sadly, the rules changed. Many of the forwards Brisbane re-signed have been exposed by the quicker speed and more agile movement of their opponents.
The value paid to some of these forwards has also proven to be a poor choice.
It is fair to have the opinion that paying full price for forwards like Matt Lodge cost them signatures like that of the barnstorming David Fifita. But the misinformed and poor recruiting decisions only started there.
David Fifita has proven to be a gun recruit for the Titans and a big loss for Brisbane (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
To watch Brisbane be lapped by Parramatta on Friday was just plain exhausting.
The low point of the weekend, though, was to follow.
You tune into football on Anzac Day and see the starting hooker for the Tigers show his potential and realise he was a Broncos junior.
Then you watch maybe the best young half of his generation turn it on for the Roosters and realise he was a Broncos junior.
Finally, while Melbourne were busy chalking a run-of-the-mill Anzac Day win, a young fullback was showing genuine superstar signs while making his debut for the Warriors. Again – you can probably guess where this is going – you realise he was a Broncos junior.
To observe what may have been a great spine run around in other teams’ jerseys is truly sickening.
The fact that Sam Walker and Reece Walsh could not be recognised as possibly generational talents and placed on long-term contracts by the club is a mistake greater than that of missing a future immortal.
The worst is probably yet to come.
Tom Dearden will walk off into the sunset, Xavier Coates will set sail too, most likely, and Kotoni Staggs, well, who would blame him for wanting to leave as well?
(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the recruitment and retention committee keep making decisions and offering contracts to what’s left of what may have been a champion side.
While recruitment and retention, or lack thereof, have played a significant part, there are other decisions that have influenced this decline.
The past two coaching appointments made by the club have been comical.
On both occasions, a genuine process to find the best coach available has not been undertaken.
On the first occasion, the board simply appointed the shiniest thing in the shop window. Not surprisingly, when they took the object home, it didn’t operate or look as appealing as it had in that shop window.
On the second occasion, at least there was a two-horse race.
Whether they picked the right man the second time ’round is to be debated down the line, but to turn down a premiership-winning coach in favour of the guy who won the popularity contest held by the ex-players of the club is also slightly worrying.
Meanwhile, every week you tune in to watch, hoping, rather than expecting them to play well.
To see them win one game, sadly, now will be a joy.
When they again win two or three games in a row, it will be time to celebrate and maybe even start to dream of rosier times again.
Sadly, though, the current tune is still playing and I so hope it will change soon…
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
Larry, I agree with you. I think Walters may yet succeed but it will not be an easy road. Green may well have been worn out too and possibly learned a little from his mistakes. However 100% agree about his attitude to playing & developing younger players, the teams that are now succeeding the last couple of seasons have some decent young talent in their ranks and are winning games with them too.
AnonLurker
Roar Rookie
No sympathy , every team has gone through what the broncos are getting and no one has been asking for sympathy . Sport success is like empire building , get arrogant on success and then fail the basics end of empire .
Larry1950
Guest
You have my sympathies Sanchez but when your first point is watching the broncs get lapped by Parramatta, surely you’ve got to put your depression in context. The Eels last won a premiership in 1986, some 20 years prior to the last bronco win. Additionally, they’ve won 3 spoons in the last 10 years & lost that unloseable GF to the Knights team that were given no chance. Those young guys you named were only on scholarships, can’t keep them all & they move elsewhere for a range of reasons. Geez, the self styled ‘Pride of the League’ took 43 years to win in 2014 & have spent a mint since without success, there’s no proven formula.
Larry1950
Guest
ND, I’m far from pleased with the current plight of the broncos but can’t see how Kevvie can wear much recruitment & retention blame. As for choosing him over Green, it wasn’t long ago that all you heard was Green had lost the dressing room at the cowboys & was bagged for their predictable play & his failing to give the young guys a crack. But for Bennett’s instructions to kick it down the cowboys end & defend that last 10 minutes, the broncs had that GF iced with Milford killing it & JT having a shocker. History records otherwise but Thurston ranked about 20th up until that final period.
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
The Broncos need to bottle up that "Kevy pre-match spray" from round 6, they totally matched the panthers in that game right 'til the end (7 minutes to go and it was 12-12). It was an impressive performance, their best in two seasons, now they just need to repeat it a few times.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
I played and watched league for many a year, and have seen most clubs go through what the Broncos are now experiencing - the bottom of the ladder and the tag of ‘loser.’ Good coaches do want to coach there and elite players don’t want to be there. Dragons, Panthers, Souths, Parra, Sharks, Knights, Titans, Cowboys - have all experienced the same. The difference with the Broncos is they entered the comp and pretty much went to the top echelon. The others entered and started at the bottom and built up over time. I feel harder times are ahead for the Broncos until they can rediscover their mojo - and it won’t come from buying imported players nearing retirement.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Manly went from being a rich successful club to the poorest club in the game after Super League. They had nothing going for them apart from Steve Menzies and looking back at some old games he missed simple tackles despite being one of the best defenders I've seen. The Broncos position is no big deal and is in fact a good thing for the game. They have everything going for them and I don't feel sorry for them at all. It's hard to watch players and coaches struggle no matter which team they are in but they've all got a chance to hang in there and turn things around.
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
When the club announced that Walters got the job over Paul Green, my comment on these pages was pretty much that there is a big difference coaching an elite group of players at State of origin level that are the cream de la crème and have played together before, than it is to take a bunch of young blokes build their skills an playing confidence. The assistant team at origin level is pretty top level as well. All the coach really has to do is work out a game plan with the players and rev them up for the game. Now I have no animosity toward Kevvie, I think he is a really honest human being and is passionate about the Broncos , however on the other hand Paul Green has taken a team developed it and won a premiership. My personal preference would have been Green, many may disagree with my opinion, however the question I now ask, why are so many suddenly jumping ship???
Ian_
Roar Rookie
It's not sad, it's funny. To see Brisbane, with so many natural advantages from being the only team in a rugby league city, completely mess things up, is wonderful.
Albo
Roar Rookie
100% Tony ! And whilst the Broncos have had an awful start to the season and all associated are under enormous pressure to succeed, the results have been made look worse by the tough draw they have had to date - Eels twice, Panthers, Storm , Souths , Titans & Dogs. They played well against the Panthers, probably better than their win over the Dogs. So they can improve a lot, and with a better run with the draw coming up, a couple of wins will make a big difference to the confidence & attitudes going forward.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
Let's say I'd rather be in Brisbane than Blackpool.
Tony
Roar Guru
It'll just take a win or two and things can turn around. At the end of the day, the NRL needs all the clubs to be competitive.
Soda
Roar Rookie
I agree tony, I feel the game is only as strong as its weakest link. So while there may be some that take extrene relish in the broncos losing after such a long and consistent run at the top of the heap, to me it's hard to derive any pleasure from it. Its not because they are losing, it's the way they are losing. It feels very hopeless and forlorn.
Bronc12
Guest
From a die hard broncos supporter since they entered the comp I get that other teams supporters would be enjoying the downfall of the broncs. It’s only human nature we take happiness in other teams failures after success. Every team will have their turn. It just depends what age u experience that. Young, middle aged , old or hopefully dead so u don’t go through the pain. The broncos downfall for me is more so sad as it’s not just a drop in form over the years. It’s more about an incompetent board , poor recruitment and hungry money players . It’s all too similar to everyday business and life these days. Rich get richer I hear u say or keeping up with the Jones’s . However in any business people get sacked for poor performance week in week out. It’s time the board and co looked at the sane analogy. No DCE or Reynolds or anything like that is going to change things. Change has to happen from the top and will take time. Each day I pray Bellamy and co at Melbourne would wake up and go you know what it’s time I went and helped out the broncos. They god damn need it
Crow
Roar Pro
Rather depressing to watch the Broncos loose so many games. Sometimes by big scores depicting the sad state of this once proud club. It’s also concerning how many solid players are being poached depleting the ranks of the roster.
Tony
Roar Guru
Every dog, or horse, has it's day Sanchez, and the Broncos have experienced more than their share of success in their relatively brief history. Of course, there are the haters like mad Max, but they would only be happy if their own team won every single game. Like many other clubs currently going through a rough trot, the Broncos will be successful once again, but they won't be as dominant as they once were. The first challenge for the Broncos is to restore some pride in their jersey.
Max power
Guest
It’s not sad it’s great. The only sad part is the rest of us are made to watch them on FTA every Friday night .