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It’s just two games into the NRL season but already the Broncos are in trouble on and off the field.
The Broncos may have impressed in round one against the Eels but fell away to lose before seemingly taking a big backward step against the Titans.
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It’s shown the size of the job still in front of Kevin Walters on the field.
Off the field, the club has come under fire, with Broncos legend Gorden Tallis taking aim at the club after an old boys race day with current players was cancelled.
Last season, the knives came out as the Broncos won just one game after the restart of the season, with former players “kept at arms length” under Anthony Seibold.
Under Walters, it was expected to be a different story having won five premierships at the club.
Tallis took aim on Sunday on Triple M, blaming the club bosses for cancelling the race day.
But speaking on Fox League’s Big League Wrap, 347-game Broncos great Corey Parker fired back at the old boys criticism.
“You’re making the call on what’s in the best interests of the team, not what the old boys think,” Parker said. “If the old boys are fair dinkum they really want to turn up and support the team, go to training, have a coffee, sit down with them.
“Because if you look ahead and the Broncos turn up to a race day and enjoy themselves with the old boys and things got out of hand and there was a headline over that and they turn up on Monday morning, what’s a bigger story?
“I think you’re doing what’s in the best interests of the side and you’re fair dinkum, go to training, sit down, have a coffee, have a burger, like there’s opportunity to do.”
James Hooper asked about the old boys BBQ but Parker was frustrated that while there are plenty former players, the same voices have been critical.
“This old boys thing you keep hearing about, there 240 players who have played for Brisbane, every one of them is an old boy,” Parker began. “But it seems to be the same people we hear about talking about the old boys. You need old boys in your club but why are we making a song and dance over a race day that got cancelled when they’re 0-2 and they’re going into a game that’s super important? The next two months for the Brisbane Broncos are critical for this year, next year, moving forward. The time to catch up with the old boys and have a punt will come if that’s what you want to do.”
The Broncos play the Bulldogs this week, the only team they’ve defeated since round two last season.
Since then, the side has lost 13 straight games.
It comes after Tallis demanded the club get behind and support Walters with events like the old boys days to bring the knowledge of more successful times in the past.
“I just hope and I reckon we need to watch this space – I reckon it’s about to implode,” Tallis said.
“The people above Kevvie need to support him. The recruitment officer (Peter Nolan) is the one that signs them all, the chairman, the (interim) CEO (Neil Monaghan) they need to get behind him and give him the tools to shine.
“To one point, the boys are down. Yes, we (the Broncos old boys) all had a chip at the side last year.
“We were supposed to have a race day – all the old boys and young guys. Get around them, talk to them – and they are young – and try and help them get a little bit wiser. Get an old head on a young man’s body … but it got cancelled by the people above Kevvie.
“Whether it’s Shane Webcke or Petero Civoniceva and get all those guys going to a race day. You sit there and have a chat to the old guys and you can talk to the young group and they’re buzzing around.
“I loved that when I saw a Gene Miles or a Wally Lewis and I would’ve loved to have had a beer with them, bumped shoulders and talked footy. But it got canned.
“It was a great day. It was a bit damp (in Brisbane), but you know there’s always good weather inside a pub.
“The point is it comes from the management, which shows that if Kevvie wants to take full control of this team they’ve got to give him full control of this team.
they need to give him full range, if he’s the coach he can’t be getting blocked. if he’s trying to set the standards, it’s got to be Kevvie’s club.”
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