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Joined February 2019
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Life Long Brisbane Rugby League supporter, first Redcliffe and now Broncos. also a mad cricket follower and casual everything else follower.
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In a recent article, I looked at just which Australian players had participated in the most Test match wins during their careers and who had the best record of wins to losses.
The Australian cricket team has had some pretty handy Test match players over the 143 years or so since they first knocked over the English in Melbourne in 1877.
As promised, I have rounded out our trip through the Brisbane Rugby League with a brief bio of every club to have competed in the competition.
Despite the 1980s producing possibly the highest concentration of great players in Brisbane Rugby League history, clubs struggled to pay players and fight off advances from NSW.
By the 1980s the Brisbane competition was built on sand. No club’s finances were secure against the poker machine money available to NSW clubs.
As the 1970s began, the most successful team in Brisbane league history was again back on top.
The 1960s were the decade of the North Devils. They won six titles in a row between 1959 and 1964 to rival St George’s dominance in the south.
After an unprecedented period of stability, but waning crowds, expansion was on the mind of the BRL in the 1950s.
Despite the country being in the throes of World War II, Brisbane Rugby League grew stronger during the 1940s, with all six clubs winning at least one title during the decade.
The year 1933 saw a significant change to the structure of the Brisbane competition.
There were two momentous events that affected Brisbane rugby league in 1922.
In 1913 it was the turn of West End to take out the title, with Natives runners up for a second consecutive year.
Rugby league in Australia is well known to have begun its life with a few visionaries meeting in Sydney to form the NSWRL that would, over the next century, evolve into the premier rugby league competition in the world.
Following on from my recent article on what cricket books I have lying around, I thought I’d share my relatively small set of rugby league books and ask Roarers for their favourites.
As we continue to discuss everything except the actual staging of cricket matches, I thought I would share with you what cricket books sit on my shelves in Matt H Lockdown Central.
There was sport before 1979. There was even cricket.
It’s time for the final eight teams, as we return to see who takes out the Alphabet Ashes.
Following on from last time’s article, we return to see who might surge ahead in our Alphabet Ashes.
In finalising my A to Z teams for Australian cricket, someone suggested I should select some England alphabet teams to play off against them, probably as a joke.
To those few hardy souls who have been reading my series of articles on the greatest Australian cricket alphabet teams, I promised I would finish by ranking my selected teams and crown the winner of the mythical Alphabet Cup.
Isn’t it always?
Bennett has had to make up constant rumours for himself to deny, plus breach COVID protocols, just to get even half of his usual level of attention.
The good, the bad and the ugly: Part 2 (the top eight)
Well firstly thanks for the shout out with that quote 😁 .
Secondly, I have no solution. The key would be more regular competitions that mean something to regular punters, which is i’d imagine what the Diamond League tries to accomplish. But there is so much competition for eyeballs, that I’m not sure how to get cut through with such a competition. Plus is peaking each year or more often actually detrimental to the once in four years build up? I don’t know it’s not my sport.
I guess if the Australian championships could actually resonate with the general public you would at least have once a year publicity. Maybe make it more of a teams event between the states?
We need to take the pressure off our Olympians
This is always the unknown. Almost all coaches who make it into consideration as the best ever do so with a single club. Coaches who move around tend to be just below that tier, because if they were all time greats and the club was winning, the club will pay what it takes to keep them.
So you never see the sliding doors moment of how they would have gone elsewhere. That’s why it’s been so interesting seeing Bennett work at four different clubs now. We’ve seen how a great coach goes elsewhere. With Bellamy we have nothing except a year of Origin and with Robinson we have nothing at all to go on with.
Trent Robinson: The best coach of the modern era
Sounds like all the NSW ignorance and gloating through the 1960’s and 1970’s then, relegating the interstate series to Leichhardt Oval midweek and making noises about reducing it from a three game series because QLD weren’t competitive enough.
Final chance for Broncos to avoid wooden spoon in Queensland derby mockbuster
It’s hard to disagree with any of that Tim. I can live with the odd refereeing mistake, they make heaps of decision per game and it’s inevitable they will sometimes simply make a mistake. They are not robots after all. But it’s the obvious inconsistency on foul play and the game management that grates with most fans.
I am sick of the same action being penalised early in a game and then let go later on, or one team being penalised in the first half and then the other side being penalised in the second half when the ref’s coach has obviously pointed out the lopsided count. I hate how these ‘evening up’ penalties are usually given at the team’s defensive end or early in the tackle count to try and minimise their effect on the game but still even up the count. I hate how the ref is plenty willing to call six again early in a tackle count and early in a match, but once a six again has been given the defending teams know they can slow down play for the rest of the set because the ref will very very rarely give a second one in the same set. I hate how some teams are deliberately giving an early six again away so the ref feels they’ve been punished and won;t blow another one, letting that team get back to slowing the play down.
Ricky Stuart was entirely within his rights to tee off at the NRL's officiating
Disinterested or unfit? I think a bit of both. Consistent second half defensive fade outs imply poor fitness to me, or heads dropping as soon as they fall behind.
No team deserves the wooden spoon more than the Brisbane Broncos
Very good first article. 20 years ago we expected to see hundreds of little Warne clones driving Australian success but it didn’t happen and we went back to producing groups of nasty fast bowlers. I wonder if we will see little Smiths twitching their way through to the national team?
Steve Smith's cricketing legacy is already being felt
But was Langer wrong? The only time since you then that you could play was when our coach went and taught you how!
Of course, you’ve won a flag much more recently than we have, so I really don’t have a leg to stand on.
No team deserves the wooden spoon more than the Brisbane Broncos
I reckon you would have seen as low as 10,000.
No team deserves the wooden spoon more than the Brisbane Broncos
I think you missed my point a little. I was saying that Brisbane didn’t handle their setbacks at all and that the style of the coach was totally unsuited to those challenges. The point was not to make excuses, there are none, but to examine how it all went so horribly wrong. You might have skipped where I said they’ve shown zero resilience and will deserve the spoon if they get it.
I agree all clubs faced most of those challenges, although the injury toll was a shocker. I didn’t think I referenced suspensions, but yes they are self inflicted of course.
No team deserves the wooden spoon more than the Brisbane Broncos
Siebold was the wrong coach for the wrong time. This is the combination Brisbane were dealing with:
– unprecedented injury toll
– young side
– COVID, players having to self monitor and coaching staff reduced on return
– rule change re 6 again
– having won the first two games on the back of the constant “best ever forwards talk”.
So we had an over-confident group, too inexperienced to stay grounded, with two months off to forget the one-percenters, and then a slew of injuries.
In this environment you needed one of two types of coaches:
A ‘players’ coach like a Bennett or Holbrook who would look after them and also keep it really, really simple recognising that the inexperience and uncertainty would not be helped by changing systems and complicating plans. Two or three plays done very well and a simple defensive system.
Or a hard headed coach like Bellamy or Madge to keep the young big heads in line and not hesitate to kick a few behinds and drop players to maintain standards.
Instead into this mess of uncertainty and inexperience we got a power point, spreadsheet, analysis type of coach – an assistant coaching analyst really. It appeared Brisbane simply weren’t fit and they were constantly confused and second guessing themselves. Siebold maybe didn’t worry himself with unimportant things like fitness and basics while he was designing the perfect grand plan in 34 sub-paragraphs.
Having said all of that this injury list has been ridiculous. We were up to our fifth choice five eighth after two minutes last week. Let’s create our injury team (games played in brackets out of a possible 19 so far)
Nui (6 games)
Oates (13 games)
Bird (0 games)
Staggs (13 games)
Kahu (2 games)
Milford (13 games)
O’Sullivan (3 games)
Lodge (6 games)
Turpin (6 games)
Flegler (13 games)
Fafita (9 games)
Gillett (0 games before the season even started)
Glenn (7 games)
That’s an ok first choice team right there. I’m sure I’ve missed some.
The saddest part about that list is that there has been only one single player who has played all 19 games this season – yep you guessed it, Darius Boyd (babies Carrigan and Farnworth have played 18 each, that’s it)
Do they deserve the spoon? If they lose this weekend yes they do. They’ve lost more than anyone else and other teams will have their own stories of injuries or other challenges (the Warriors!). They’ve shown zero resilience and their coach has shown himself to be the NRL’s own version of a flat track bully. But that list above gives me hope for next season that if we can keep some talent on the field to form combinations we still have plenty of troops to at least be mid table.
What do the Broncos need next season?
1. A healing coach to bring the front office, players and ex-players together, to keep it simple but instill pride in the jersey – Kev Walters. He might not win any coaching awards or premierships but a two year stint to get the club back in the good books with sponsors, fans, etc will a worthwhile investment.
2. Two grizzly old forwards to do the tough stuff, defend alongside Dearden so he gets defensive assistance and plug some middle holes. I’m not sure who they are, but if we could go back in time I’d grab a Kevin Campion and a Petero Civ….
No team deserves the wooden spoon more than the Brisbane Broncos
Once your front office starts sliding it inevitably affects the footy team.
No team deserves the wooden spoon more than the Brisbane Broncos
So you’ve met them all have you?
No team deserves the wooden spoon more than the Brisbane Broncos
Interesting last sentence. So you are saying if for example Tom Dearden or young Xavier Coates remain as one club players the Broncos will not win a premiership in the next 14 years or so?
No team deserves the wooden spoon more than the Brisbane Broncos
Darius has had plenty of company in setting that benchmark to be fair headed up by Anthony Millford and Corey Oates, with TPJ getting a dishonourable mention as well
No team deserves the wooden spoon more than the Brisbane Broncos
True but that’s a different conversation.
Be careful what you wish for when it comes to high contact
This is exactly right and the reason the shoulder charge was banned. A late slip and shoulder height becomes head height.
Be careful what you wish for when it comes to high contact
The Olympics is both a blessing and curse for sports like athletics and swimming. Once every four years they get massive coverage, but at the elite level, at least to Australians every other competition is considered just training for the Olympics. I’m not sure how you break that cycle.
Athletics deserves more attention in Australia
I have no idea where they see Paix going in the longer term. Surely with our top three five eighth options out it was time for Paix to get a run there? I guess our hooker options are so poor and Luke is incapable of playing the 80 so they had no choice?
Eight talking points from NRL Round 19
The forced retirement of Matt Gillett left a bigger hole than many realise.
Eight talking points from NRL Round 19
It’s a sad day when as a Broncos supporter I also say “Go Cowboys”. There should be no papering over the cluster- of a season that the Broncos have put on.
I’ve got to say though, when you are down you are really down. Milford injured, O’Sullivan injured, Croft gets knocked out in training and the 4th choice five eighth gets knocked out in the first minute. And then one of our only two try scoring options goes of just after half time, with the other playing out of position. Don;t get me wrong they still stunk it up, but our 19 year old half might have post traumatic stress by the time this season is over.
Eight talking points from NRL Round 19
It would be a nice gesture, but it will likely go to Cleary. For the Storm and Roosters their respective coaching performances are just expected.
Eight talking points from NRL Round 19
I always see the Nick Zisti and think of Ziggy Niszczot, not sure why…
Super League revisited: The people (N-Z)