In the two years since South Sydney decided to cast Adam Reynolds adrift there has been plenty of debate about whether it was the right call to move on a fading veteran or whether they should have kept him around.
The debate is over. It can now be seen as one of the biggest roster blunders in recent NRL history.
Reynolds has not only shown that he can still be an elite halfback but the Rabbitohs have tailed off dramatically since their proud local junior was basically forced out.
Souths argued that they tried to put a competitive offer in front of Reynolds to extend his tenure into the 2022 season on a one-year deal with the unwritten promise that there would be more salary cap at their disposal the following season to pay him what he was worth.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
That is not how you treat a club legend who has played 231 matches for your club, scored more points than any other Rabbitoh, was chief playmaker in their breakthrough Grand Final win and quite frankly, was far from over the hill at 31.
In an age when the best halves play until their mid 30s, the speculation over Reynolds’ supposed injury woes was spurious given that he played 20 or more games in nine of his 11 seasons for the Bunnies and never fewer than 16.
Sounds pretty durable.
The Bunnies knew they had a good young halfback waiting in the wings in Lachlan Ilias. And that’s what they’ve got – a good young halfback, not an elite veteran who was the most important member of their team, Latrell Mitchell included.
When Mitchell was suspended for his infamous hit on Joey Manu on the eve of the 2021 finals series, Reynolds held the Rabbitohs together as they upset Penrith early in the playoffs and came within a whisker of toppling the Panthers again on Grand Final night.
It was of course way too late by then to get Reynolds to stay given the club had been slapped in the face a few months earlier at the negotiating table.
And it wasn’t just that Souths made a modest one-year offer and Brisbane were cashed up, Cronulla also put a substantial long-term deal on the table before Reynolds opted to head north.
Getting away from Sydney and starting a new phase of his career at a rebuilding powerhouse was the better option – if he had switched to the Sharks it would have been tougher to get that team into a GF, which is exactly what he did in his second year with the Broncos.
Again, just a couple of points from Penrith denied Reynolds a second premiership ring last year on Grand Final night.
Fox League commentator Greg Alexander said during Brisbane’s trial win over the Cowboys last weekend that he thought Reynolds’ 2023 campaign was the finest of his career.
But that’s not where the disaster ends for Souths. The 33-year-old is not only ready to deliver again for the Broncos this year but the club is set to announce a contract extension for 2025 too.
If he maintains anything close to his current output they should keep him around for another year after that as well.
The NRL is yet to have a Tom Brady who plays into his 40s – Cameron Smith at 38 was the closest in that regard. And it’s probably far fetched to think Reynolds will last more than two or three more years but he is the kind of player whose game style is unlikely to drop off.
He’s never had much pace so there’s no concern there if he slows down. As long as he retains his speed between the ears, up there with Nathan Cleary and Daly Cherry-Evans as the quickest in the NRL, he will be a valuable commodity for the Broncos.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
They need to appoint an on-field bodyguard for him like they did more than a decade ago when hulking lock Tonie Carroll would shadow Darren Lockyer in the defensive line to cop the brunt of opposing forwards trying to launch a spot run at the star playmaker.
And funnily enough, the person who would be the modern-day equivalent of Carroll’s protection service would be none other than Patrick Carrigan.
Reynolds has already shown he can hold his own against Carrigan in impromptu late-night wrestling sessions so perhaps the Broncos’ captain in waiting can put what he learned at Fortitude Valley to good use by grappling with opposition players who run at his halfback.
As for the Bunnies, they came up short in the finals in their first year without Reynolds and didn’t even qualify last season.
Heading into their 2024 campaign they are again unsettled with pressure on Jason Demetriou after surviving an assistant coach mutiny late last season.
They have added former Raiders star Jack Wighton, a classy five-eighth who will play centre, as they again rely on Ilias and Cody Walker to liaise with Damien Cook and Mitchell to provide the backbone of a premiership-winning side.
Lachlan Ilias. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Mitchell, Wighton and Walker are very similar players who possess game-breaking ability but it is Ilias who holds the key to their fortunes.
Fifty-one games into his NRL career Ilias has proven he is no slouch, but he is no Reynolds either.
Mulligans are only allowed in golf, sometimes, and they are definitely not on offer for club officials when it comes to contract negotiations.
NRL clubs often err on the side of caution and keep under-performing veteran stars around a season or two too many. It was bold to invest in Ilias instead of Reynolds. But also the wrong move.
Whether they needed to offload another player or two, or three, to keep Reynolds at the club, the Bunnies should never have put him in a position where his only option was to leave the only team he ever wanted to represent.
Nat
Roar Guru
The coach factor isn't mentioned enough I believe. To lose both at the same time is huge.
aerial lizard
Roar Rookie
Origin flattened them that year too.
aerial lizard
Roar Rookie
One appearance each Nat, but one is setting up a dynasty and the other didn't make finals. I think the Wayne factor is huge personally.
aerial lizard
Roar Rookie
I think amongst the noise and obvious impact of Adam leaving we overlook another departure, old bastard called Wayne. Arguably a bigger factor in South's decline is the appointment of another Greek, rather than Ilias.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
I wasn’t knocking Reynolds. Just saying 3 Penrith players also had reasons to miss some tackles in that game. Even though Mam & Walsh have real pace & can just make players look silly in defence anyway.
langparker
Roar Rookie
Wasn’t knocking Cleary, just thought comments like “gotten his ass kicked twice in GF’s by Cleary” was over-egging the true representation of the halves competition in both those Grand finals. I’m on-eyed as the next bloke and admit the broncos were lucky not to be 10-12 in arrears at half time in the GF, but kudos to their scramble. Similarly, kudos go to the panthers scramble when the broncs had 15 minutes using the afterburners in that second half.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
I saw someone saying about Reynolds having an injury in that GF & that’s true. Cleary played with a shoulder injury. Luai played with a shoulder injury & went off because of it. Tago played with a pectoral injury. Tago , Cleary carried those injuries for a few games. Luai really wasn’t in good enough condition to play at all. Cleary , Luai both had operations after the GF. Not only good pace & elusiveness that assisted the Broncos with some tries in that game ?
Panthers
Roar Rookie
That’s true. Though there’s always someone signing halves from the Panthers. Cronulla signed another one last season , Puru.
Kurt S
Roar Pro
I'm glad that Reynolds has resigned with my Broncs. But I disagree with your article. South's saw a half that needs to be kept in cotton wool, has known history of leg issues and is always one unfortunate hit from a possible shirt end of career. They made a judgement call. Bennett has been praised his whole coaching career for letting stars go a season or two early. Broncos could well end up with egg on their face based on your assessment if, Budda forbid, Reynolds has a serious knee or hammie injury. If Renolds was injured more seriously, would you have written an article praising their business acumen?
langparker
Roar Rookie
As well as the impact of the groin injury when Reynolds did the splits in an awkward tackle. until then, he was going gangbusters & if I recall, Cleary missed two tackles that led to bronco tries. It’s always the end result that determines the perception of man of the match performances, Milford was killing it and JT was well off the pace until the final moments of that Cowboys/Broncos GF.
langparker
Roar Rookie
Reckon it’s a bit tough to assign that 2022 bronco fadeout to Reynolds. If you remember how they were going when comfortably in the top 4, a lot of it was due to the pack dominating with Reynolds pulling the strings as a consequence. It’s no coincidence that they fell apart against lower ranked sides as soon as Carrigan got outed for 5 games because of that hip drop tackle. Not only was his physicality missed but also his talk where he kept the discipline up in those lesser lights like Billy Walters etc. I think that quality in Carrigan’s is undervalued by ordinary fans. There was a clip of a set of six tackles shown on one of the footy shows with Carrigan talking Walters through the up & back for each tackle and it was very impressive.
Horses for Courses
Roar Rookie
Considering he was one of the main reason they even got to the GF where other teams didn't get close I'd still say advantage Reynolds. Also you need to seriously increase your standard for what an ass kicking is, 2 points seriously?
SSTID
Roar Rookie
People still seem to think that the NRL is the same as the 1960's where you were a one team player. The NRL is a fully professional sport that has all the ruthless and old hard nose business decision making that you find in the NFL or EPA. The clubs are forced into this position by the existence of the salary cap. The alternative is to not have a salary cap (or a fake salary cap) and just let a few top teams dominate year after year.
SSTID
Roar Rookie
Looks like my reply to Badwolf has disappeared into space, but you covered the same points, only more eloquently.
SSTID
Roar Rookie
Is Reynolds good? Yes Is Ilias better? No Would I have liked Reynolds to stay? Yes Would Ilias stayed around if they signed Reynolds for 3 years? Doubtful Where did Souths finish the first year that Ilias was starting half? Knocked out in the preliminary final. Was it Ilias ability that got them that far? No, but he didn't hurt their chances. Where did Broncos finish the first year that Reynolds was starting half? 9th. Was this Reynolds fault? No, but he didn't provide the "miracle" that everyone expected and did this represent value for money? The impossible to answer What If - Would Reynolds got Souths into the GF and win the premiership if he was the half in 2022? 2023 season, positions swap, but again whose fault / success was this? South decline could not IMO be put down solely to Ilias. Broncos success was partly down to Reynolds, but he still failed to do the job they employed him to do - manage the (big) game. I've said it before and I say it again, the NRL is like any big professional sports. Not everything lines up perfectly and you have to make big calls in the moment that are sometime ruthless or goes against everything you believe should happen to a loyal club player, but you have to make those calls. Hindsight is always perfect and really none of us will know if Souths made the right call until the end of this season, when his 3 years are up.
matth
Roar Guru
But there 15 others teams who would have loved the opportunity to get beaten in the GF but one of the greatest individual performances in GF history
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
The Broncos had the wooden spoon and then finished second last, the two years before Reynolds arrived. Reynolds turns up and they finish 9th and then they make the GF. Hmmm. Meanwhile Souths make the GF with Reynolds, he leaves they finish 7th and then 9th. Can you see the pattern here? Reynolds may have had a quiet GF but the Broncos were leading by 16 points. He had the team where it needed to be but the effort in the first half had gassed the team and they just couldn't keep up with the Panther's relentless pace. They lost to a team that is possibly the best of the modern era and you blame Reynolds. Letting him go was a mistake, but that's sport. Some idiot at the Panther's thought it was good idea to let wade Graham sign with the Sharks. Stupidity is rife in the NRL, every club has its "stick to truck driving son, you'll never make it as a singer" moment, as they send Elvis Presley off with a flea in his ear.
Nat
Roar Guru
Sorry mate, can't agree with much of that at all and starting with Reynolds not being in the top 5 players. I would argue that he is the most important player in the team. That forward pack has come on well and been rep quality for years but also there during the club's very worst times. To say they missed finals in '22 discounts the fact they were top 8 all season and nearly doubling the wins they had in '21 but playing significantly better none the less. Yes they dropped off very sharply at the end but they did finish one win less than Souths and missed on +/- alone. As pointed out above, Croft left before Reyno started so I assume you mean Madden. Reyno missed 3 games last season. Madden played 5 with a 2w/3L record. These two are not on the same level by any stretch. No doubt Walsh added quite a bit and the emergence of Mam and Herbie complimented that rise. However, have a look who's directing them around. Who gives the last pass to Walsh that gives him the space. Less than a handful of kickers have his control, short and long and in a game of inches Brisbane dominated field position in the majority of games off Reynolds boot. All that said, I'm not making any comparison of Reynolds to Ilias because that is highly unfair. We'll do that at the end of both careers. However, put Reynolds back at Souths and it is fair to assume their season would be quite different just as Brisbane's would have been.
Badwolf
Roar Rookie
Ah...the yearly article about how the Bunnies screwed up lol. Come on guys its been almost 3 years now and we are still harping on about this? Reyno is a decent Hb but he's no JT. He's gotten his ass kicked twice now in GF's by Nathan Cleary. Last year was classic Reyno. Went missing when he should have been wrapping up that game with the lead they had. And if he faces Cleary again in the GF this year the same thing will happen.
rakshop
Roar Rookie
Yep - me English good! I meant Jock Madden (I dont know why I was actually thinking Brodie Croft.... I put it down to preseason rust :sick: )