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Forget about Darren Lockyer making a surprise return for the desperate Broncos against the Warriors on Friday night.
In fact, forget about seeing the gifted No.6 for the rest of 2010.
The strong mail I am getting out of Brisbane is that Lockyer won't play again this year.
The rib injury is worse than first thought and you can't do too much to speed up the recovery.
At 33, the body heals a lot slower than at 23.
Coach Ivan Henjak has ruled out a return – at least for the next week – but he's not letting on about the full extent of his star player's injury.
And I don't blame him for keeping it a secret.
The panic you saw in Queensland over those nude photos of Pauline Hanson would be nothing compared to the stampede if they found out the truth about their beloved Lockyer.
Brisbane are not a one-man team but they are the closest thing to it.
Without Locky they lack direction and can't score tries.
You won't win a comp on your defence alone, so without their captain's spark in attack the Broncos struggle big time.
Peter Wallace becomes the main playmaker and he is nothing out of the ordinary.
Penrith let him go so they obviously didn't feel they were losing an exceptional No.7 and you certainly don't do handstands watching him.
I picked Brisbane as my darkhorse for the comp five or six weeks ago but without Lockyer I have to retract that.
They may still sneak into the finals but it will be goodbye first week.
And that will make life interesting for Henjak.
The Broncos have made the finals for 18 seasons straight so failure is about as acceptable as Bundy Rum light up north.
My Sunshine State informants insist life is not rosy under Henjak and change could be imminent at Red Hill.
In the short-term, there will be more pain for the Broncos this weekend.
I can't see them getting past the Warriors in Auckland on Friday night, even though the Kiwis didn't overly impress me at Brookvale Oval the other night.
Other Round 25 winners will be Parramatta, Gold Coast, Canberra, Wests Tigers, Newcastle, Manly and Penrith.
Stick with me. I am on fire at the business end of the season.
http://sportal.com.au/league-opinion-display/lockyer-done-for-the-year-97322
*********************
I guess we can put a big red line through the Broncos this season
In fact, forget about seeing the gifted No.6 for the rest of 2010.
The strong mail I am getting out of Brisbane is that Lockyer won't play again this year.
The rib injury is worse than first thought and you can't do too much to speed up the recovery.
At 33, the body heals a lot slower than at 23.
Coach Ivan Henjak has ruled out a return – at least for the next week – but he's not letting on about the full extent of his star player's injury.
And I don't blame him for keeping it a secret.
The panic you saw in Queensland over those nude photos of Pauline Hanson would be nothing compared to the stampede if they found out the truth about their beloved Lockyer.
Brisbane are not a one-man team but they are the closest thing to it.
Without Locky they lack direction and can't score tries.
You won't win a comp on your defence alone, so without their captain's spark in attack the Broncos struggle big time.
Peter Wallace becomes the main playmaker and he is nothing out of the ordinary.
Penrith let him go so they obviously didn't feel they were losing an exceptional No.7 and you certainly don't do handstands watching him.
I picked Brisbane as my darkhorse for the comp five or six weeks ago but without Lockyer I have to retract that.
They may still sneak into the finals but it will be goodbye first week.
And that will make life interesting for Henjak.
The Broncos have made the finals for 18 seasons straight so failure is about as acceptable as Bundy Rum light up north.
My Sunshine State informants insist life is not rosy under Henjak and change could be imminent at Red Hill.
In the short-term, there will be more pain for the Broncos this weekend.
I can't see them getting past the Warriors in Auckland on Friday night, even though the Kiwis didn't overly impress me at Brookvale Oval the other night.
Other Round 25 winners will be Parramatta, Gold Coast, Canberra, Wests Tigers, Newcastle, Manly and Penrith.
Stick with me. I am on fire at the business end of the season.
http://sportal.com.au/league-opinion-display/lockyer-done-for-the-year-97322
*********************
I guess we can put a big red line through the Broncos this season
