Nerd's Eye View: Broncos have only solved half their playmaking problems

Brisbane solved half their playmaking problems with the signature of Adam Reynolds but the No.6 jersey that Kevin Walters owned throughout the 1990s is coming back to haunt him.

Reynolds will not only be Walters’ halfback but goal-kicker and captain this year, handling the main organising duties on the field in a painfully needed boost to Brisbane’s roster.

But the question of who partners him in the halves is still far from resolved heading into the start of the season.

Walters’ son Billy, acquired in the off-season from the Wests Tigers, veteran Albert Kelly, Tyson Gamble and rookie Ezra Mam are the leading candidates for the role.

They have each had their moments in Brisbane’s trials and have one last chance to seal the spot in this Saturday’s final pre-season clash with the Cowboys at Mackay while Reynolds again puts his feet up before the season proper.

Walters said on Tuesday that he had a team for round one “in my head that I believe we will play with”.

“There’s a battle on there [for five-eighth],” he said. “I’ve got some ideas in my head but nothing’s over the line until we get through this weekend’s game. Someone could jump out of the ground. 

“All rugby league selections are pencilled in and then when you get to the game and the time you need to announce, then you write them in biro.”

The Broncos were literally at sixes and sevens in the halves last in 2021.

Walters used nine combinations in 24 games as the Broncos went 7-17 to scrape ahead of the Cowboys for 14th spot on percentages.

Most of the duos were given a few weeks then not used again as Walters searched for the right partnership.

He kicked off the season with Anthony Milford and Brodie Croft but after a 1-2 start, that idea was shelved.

Tom Dearden, who had been brought through Brisbane’s pathways and was viewed as a long-term prospect, spent the next two games with Milford but that plan was abandoned after back-to-back losses.

Croft and Dearden then got a fortnight but the losses kept coming. Gamble was brought in for a bit of spark alongside Milford but they were broken up with a 1-2 record with Kelly given his first NRL run in almost a decade after a Super League stint.

In the second half of the season, Walters used Milford and Kelly four times, brought back Karmichael Hunt from the Queensland Cup for a couple of games.

Tyson Gamble. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Gamble and Croft got the only extended run of five straight games but enjoyed only two wins.

Brisbane’s hodge-podge of halves meant they struggled to put points on the board. 

Apart from the punch provided by Payne Haas up front, the halves were rarely operating off the back of solid go-forward through the middle.

The Broncos were ahead of Newcastle (17.9) and Canterbury (14.2) for points per game at 18.6, ranked the same for tries (3.2), were 15th in line breaks (4.1) and dead last for times tackled in the opposition 20 at 22.

They also struggled to force drop-outs, ranking 13th at 1.3 per game. 

Reynolds will help solve many of these problems but while he’s a skilled operator who can get the Broncos heading in the right direction, he’s not the cure for all their ills. 

Their other off-season recruits will also fix pain points. Kurt Capewell is a seasoned pro who will do what is ever necessary as an edge forward but also set standards on and off the field for what is still a relatively young squad.

Veteran prop Ryan James could be one of the bargain basement buys of the season if he can get close to the form he showed at the Titans before back-to-back serious knee injuries curtailed his career.

Brenko Lee is another solid player who can fill a need at centre but also needs to prove he can stay on the field after leg injuries wiped out his final season at the Storm.

With Lee and Herbie Farnworth both capable centres, Walters could even look to shift Kotoni Staggs to five-eighth – an idea which was floated several times last year when he made his comeback from a torn ACL – if his first few options don’t work out.

Staggs is not a natural playmaker but you don’t need another organiser with Reynolds calling the shots.

He could potentially become the dynamic complementary running threat that Cody Walker was alongside Reynolds at the Rabbitohs to great success over the past six years.

Whatever Walters does, he needs to settle on a combination sooner rather than later because a team that makes nine halves changes in a season is never going to challenge for the finals.