Anthony Milford

[bucks illegitimate foal]

Can I just start with a simple request to keep this thread on topic about Milford, a decent discussion about him would be great.

When we first signed him I, like many, were excited at the prospect of getting what looked to be an exciting new talent in the NRL. He's fast, agile & his undoubtedly best attribute is his ability to play what's in front of him.

Milford was a Griffin signing, Bennett chose to bring Darius to the Broncos (good signing too) so that has forced Milford into the role, is this a good thing? Would Bennett have even considered signing Milford to play 5/8 if he was constructing our roster?

We have alot of bank roll tied up into a kid who looks lost and unfamiliar in such an important role.

My question is this: What has Milford done in his short footballing career to make people believe he is a premiership winning 5/8? He was signed on the back of impressive plays from the fullback role, not 5/8.

Next question: How long should the Broncos persist with this? It's frustrating too watch and if he was any other clubs 5/8 we would be judging him as a horrible 5/8 who shows no skillset in the position. we'd be asking why they bought a fullback to play 5/8

My take on it is this, he doesn't have a developed passing game, he has no kicking game, he often get's caught with the ball on the 5th without knowing what to do, he clearly cant organise a teams attack nor can he take field goals. Are we going to spend the next 3 years teaching this kid the role in the HOPE that he becomes a good 5/8? All the while Ben Hunt's game is put under enormous pressure every week to pick up Milford's slack (even though Milford is on more $$$). That hardly seems fair.

Interested to here what other Bronco's supporters think of this situation.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

Welcome to the forum BIF - and what a very interesting User Name I might add! :lol:

Firstly I agree that, as of now at least, Milford is a better fullback than 5/8. I'm not sure if many people would question this.

But clearly Bennett sees potential in him at being a 5/8 in the long term. Even if Boyd didn't come to the Broncos I wouldn't be surprised if he kept Milford at 5/8 anyway and put Kahu at the back... He may not be a premiership winning 5/8 in 2015 but could be in 2016 or 2017.

As for how Milford is currently going. Before the game against the Dragons I haven't been unhappy with him. Sure he hasn't set the world on fire but he has done some good things and is a MASSIVE upgrade on Hoffman at 5/8. The Dragons game was more than disappointing and he needs to bounce back from that. He needs to cut simple errors out of his game and fast - errors that we would be making regardless of what position he is playing. He needs to get better but deserves more time to do that.

Just out of interest, who would you have at 5/8 if Milford went to fullback? I realise that this might take discussion away from Milf but I don't think you can properly discuss Milford going to fullback without who might replace him at 5/8.

 

[Dazzat]

I think you are selling Milford short. Let's not forget that he is young, and he has just moved into a critical position for the new team. It will take a while for a young guy to feel comfortable calling plays to the likes of Hodges, Parker, Thaiday and Alex Glenn.

Totally agree with GTB regarding the alternatives. There are no alternatives at the moment, and I don't see the signing of Boyd as any connection to this issue.

Just one more thought. Parramatta took over a decade to find a halfback to replace Peter Sterling. The Bronocs went through a myriad of halfbacks after the departure of Alfie.

I think there is often an unconscious escalation of expectation after the retirement of a champion. Supporters set the bar very high - possibly without knowing it - on those who follow.

Milford may not be a Darren Lockyer just yet, but I believe he has the natural attributes that will be the foundation of his incremental improvement - pace, vision, passing game (sorry disagree with you there), kicking game (I would imagine he is under instruction from Bennett to limit his kicking).

The challenge is if he can survive psychologically the barrage of endless comparisons and high expectations in between now and when we may see that improvement. And of course at a club like the Broncos, this barrage is amplified five fold as compared to other clubs.

 

[Bronco18]

The key is he's only 20 years old. 5/8th IS a big responsibility for a 20 year old and he'll struggle there for some time.

Some things to remember (although Dazzat and GTB summed it up pretty well):

- He did star in his junior footy as a half, and U20's too. Yes it's a different kettle of fish, but it's not a completely alien role.

- He was showing steady signs of improvement there (Warriors + Titans game in particular), until his shocker against the Dragons. But again, we didn't expect great things from him immediately and for him to go well at this stage everything else needs to fall into place. It didn't, it was a wet track, he played with a sub-par Ben Hunt and Hodges (our other creative lynch pin) came off injured. These games will happen for a little while.

- People forget a lot of this stuff that Milford is going through, Hunt struggled BIG TIME with when he came in to first grade. Hunt really struggled (still does to a degree but has improved a lot) with his kicking game, last tackle options and his general organisational ability. Ask around this forum and we'll remember particularly early on last year our footy team looked lost for periods. Part of this will be Bennett has put in place new, simple structures but I think Hunt's general ability to run a football team has improved greatly.

- Bennett made Boyd into a first class creative fullback in the K. Hunt mould. Previous to 2010 (or maybe 09?), Boyd showed no ball skills whatsoever but then perfected the cut-outs, draw and passes and short kicking game required to succeed in that position. Milford's feature will always be his running game but his ball playing will improve.

I share a lot of your frustrations, but I can't see him turning out like Barba. This kid has a good attitude and has his best football ahead of him. If Bennett reckons he can be a 5/8th, he can be a 5/8th. There were lots of doubts on Lockyer going there, then there were lots of people left with egg on their faces.

 

[bucks illegitimate foal]

Cheers, Buck was a player & a stallion that's for sure.

Welcome to the forum BIF - and what a very interesting User Name I might add! :lol:

Firstly I agree that, as of now at least, Milford is a better fullback than 5/8. I'm not sure if many people would question this.

But clearly Bennett sees potential in him at being a 5/8 in the long term. Even if Boyd didn't come to the Broncos I wouldn't be surprised if he kept Milford at 5/8 anyway and put Kahu at the back... He may not be a premiership winning 5/8 in 2015 but could be in 2016 or 2017.

As for how Milford is currently going. Before the game against the Dragons I haven't been unhappy with him. Sure he hasn't set the world on fire but he has done some good things and is a MASSIVE upgrade on Hoffman at 5/8. The Dragons game was more than disappointing and he needs to bounce back from that. He needs to cut simple errors out of his game and fast - errors that we would be making regardless of what position he is playing. He needs to get better but deserves more time to do that.



Just out of interest, who would you have at 5/8 if Milford went to fullback? I realise that this might take discussion away from Milf but I don't think you can properly discuss Milford going to fullback without who might replace him at 5/8.

1. I agree mate, those errors need to go, but why are they there? seem's like every game he's making these handling errors, odd trait from a player bought for the play making role. Are the errors a result of lack of confidence, feeling too much pressure, thinking about the next move too much? Considering the coin we've got in this kid I as a bronco supporter (and member) would like to think we've got someone whose prepared enough to deal with any issues that he's facing.

2. Who would I have? I can't answer that sorry. But what I can say is this, I'm not paid by the club to manage our salary cap nor am I a club scout. But I am a passionate Broncos supporter with over 20 years viewing experience in which I've been spoilt with the likes of Alfie, Locky & Walters. As a result clearly I'm a bit perplexed by the form being shown and it goes further than frustration of bad form from a marquee signing, it's come to questioning whether Milford can actually play 5/8 to a first grade standard. Like I touched on earlier, he hasn't shown any indication that he's a 5/8 whose just a bit out of form. The role looks completely foreign to him and he looks lost out there. How long do the coaching staff persist with him? What if this was a a big ugly mistake as a result of the transition of coaching between Griffin and Bennett? Do I think Bennett would have chased Millford? No I don't But he's got him now and he needs to fit him into the team because were paying big money for him.

 

[bucks illegitimate foal]

I think you are selling Milford short. Let's not forget that he is young, and he has just moved into a critical position for the new team. It will take a while for a young guy to feel comfortable calling plays to the likes of Hodges, Parker, Thaiday and Alex Glenn.

Totally agree with GTB regarding the alternatives. There are no alternatives at the moment, and I don't see the signing of Boyd as any connection to this issue.

Just one more thought. Parramatta took over a decade to find a halfback to replace Peter Sterling. The Bronocs went through a myriad of halfbacks after the departure of Alfie.

I think there is often an unconscious escalation of expectation after the retirement of a champion. Supporters set the bar very high - possibly without knowing it - on those who follow.

Milford may not be a Darren Lockyer just yet, but I believe he has the natural attributes that will be the foundation of his incremental improvement - pace, vision, passing game (sorry disagree with you there), kicking game (I would imagine he is under instruction from Bennett to limit his kicking).

The challenge is if he can survive psychologically the barrage of endless comparisons and high expectations in between now and when we may see that improvement. And of course at a club like the Broncos, this barrage is amplified five fold as compared to other clubs.

You make alot of good points, many of them I've used in my head since watching him play. After 7 rounds of football we sit equal 1st at the ladder. How much of that do I attribute to Milford's contribution as a 5/8? Zilch.

Like I asked in my first post, what has Milford done in his career thus far that we as supporters can maintain belief that this entertaining fullback can become a premiership winning 5/8?

Just to be clear, I like Milford, I think he has a good attitude and from an outsiders perspective it looks like he has fit in and his teammates enjoy him being in the team and that's great. I can't help but think back to a line in the movie Moneyball where Petey says to Billy bean 'This is the type of decision that gets you fired'. Milford was bought and contracted before Bennett's eventual signing so he had no say in the matter, he's just got too find a way to use him but I honestly don't think Bennett if given the opportunity would have signed Milford as the broncos 5/8.

 

[bucks illegitimate foal]

The key is he's only 20 years old. 5/8th IS a big responsibility for a 20 year old and he'll struggle there for some time.

Some things to remember (although Dazzat and GTB summed it up pretty well):

- He did star in his junior footy as a half, and U20's too. Yes it's a different kettle of fish, but it's not a completely alien role.

- He was showing steady signs of improvement there (Warriors + Titans game in particular), until his shocker against the Dragons. But again, we didn't expect great things from him immediately and for him to go well at this stage everything else needs to fall into place. It didn't, it was a wet track, he played with a sub-par Ben Hunt and Hodges (our other creative lynch pin) came off injured. These games will happen for a little while.

- People forget a lot of this stuff that Milford is going through, Hunt struggled BIG TIME with when he came in to first grade. Hunt really struggled (still does to a degree but has improved a lot) with his kicking game, last tackle options and his general organisational ability. Ask around this forum and we'll remember particularly early on last year our footy team looked lost for periods. Part of this will be Bennett has put in place new, simple structures but I think Hunt's general ability to run a football team has improved greatly.

- Bennett made Boyd into a first class creative fullback in the K. Hunt mould. Previous to 2010 (or maybe 09?), Boyd showed no ball skills whatsoever but then perfected the cut-outs, draw and passes and short kicking game required to succeed in that position. Milford's feature will always be his running game but his ball playing will improve.

I share a lot of your frustrations, but I can't see him turning out like Barba. This kid has a good attitude and has his best football ahead of him. If Bennett reckons he can be a 5/8th, he can be a 5/8th. There were lots of doubts on Lockyer going there, then there were lots of people left with egg on their faces.

So why is he there? Why didn't be bank roll Ben hunt who has showed consistent progressive development in the role and not go for a someone with a proven track record at playing 5/8? Why should we struggle to train someone who has never been a 5/8 in 1st grade nor shown the key attributes to help us keep the faith.

That's what I'm asking, how long does Milford get to keep his L plates? he's being paid as proven 5/8 but he's nowhere near where he needs to be to earn that kind of money. The smart people in the game these days talk about salary cap management and the premiership windows they create, the NRL meta for salary cap $ is in the #6,1,7,9 & 8. Look at the top teams now and teams in the last decade, they have these positions covered. Our best performers are in the backrow and winning off the back of that dosen't have a proven success rate.

 

[Dazzat]

There is some similarity to Darren Lockyer's move to 5/8. Many people, including experts like Phil Gould, said it wouldn't work. Much egg on many faces ...

Lockyer, like Milford, played 5/8 as a junior which is a MASSIVE fact when you are talking about instincts and making decisions in crunch moments. Milford has had seven games. You're a tough marker.

So, the Broncos are near the top of the ladder, and you attribute no credit at all to one of two chief playmakers - Milford. Well, you are entitled to your opinion, but I certainly don't agree.

Last couple of points:

1. I'm so much happier having Milford playing 5/8 than who we had there last year. In fact, I'm ecstatic! Oh ... how good to have someone other than Hoffman.

2. You're inability to point out an alternative (including who else the club could or should have signed other than Milford) makes your entire argument moot - unless you think we should be running on the field with 12 men.

 

[Dazzat]

So why is he there? Why didn't be bank roll Ben hunt who has showed consistent progressive development in the role and not go for a someone with a proven track record at playing 5/8? Why should we struggle to train someone who has never been a 5/8 in 1st grade nor shown the key attributes to help us keep the faith.

That's what I'm asking, how long does Milford get to keep his L plates? he's being paid as proven 5/8 but he's nowhere near where he needs to be to earn that kind of money. The smart people in the game these days talk about salary cap management and the premiership windows they create, the NRL meta for salary cap $ is in the #6,1,7,9 & 8. Look at the top teams now and teams in the last decade, they have these positions covered. Our best performers are in the backrow and winning off the back of that dosen't have a proven success rate.

Mate ... if this is the way you think you'd never blood a rookie and allow people to learn their craft. Or do you get everything right in your life the first time?? :roll:

 

[bucks illegitimate foal]

There is some similarity to Darren Lockyer's move to 5/8. Many people, including experts like Phil Gould, said it wouldn't work. Much egg on many faces ...

Lockyer, like Milford, played 5/8 as a junior which is a MASSIVE fact when you are talking about instincts and making decisions in crunch moments. Milford has had seven games. You're a tough marker.

So, the Broncos are near the top of the ladder, and you attribute no credit at all to one of two chief playmakers - Milford. Well, you are entitled to your opinion, but I certainly don't agree.

Last couple of points:

1. I'm so much happier having Milford playing 5/8 than who we had there last year. In fact, I'm ecstatic! Oh ... how good to have someone other than Hoffman.

2. You're inability to point out an alternative (including who else the club could or should have signed other than Milford) makes your entire argument moot - unless you think we should be running on the field with 12 men.

Comparing Milford to Lockyer is a huge call, Lockyer was already displaying potential as a playermaker from the #1 before the move to #6 & was a well respected member of the squad before making the move. On Phil Gould, take everything that guy says with a grain of salt, while has a great football mind his comments toward QLD based teams are always biased and motive driven.

I'm with you on Hoffman, everyone knows he was a horrible option for 5/8. Was Milford the obvious alternative though?

Like I said, I'm not a scout nor do I help the club manage our salary cap so I can't really provide an alternative as I dont know how much we can or can't spend in any given position, all I can do is comment on the choices they have made.

I'm Marking Milford on his contribution as a 5/8, I'm marking his ability to pass, create room for the men outside him, his ability to run the ball through sloppy defence & his kicking game to provide options for the team. To be honest with you, I think I've judged him fairly well. He was bought by the broncos to be a 5/8, not because of what he had done at Canberra as #1, remember that.

 

[bucks illegitimate foal]

Mate ... if this is the way you think you'd never blood a rookie and allow people to learn their craft. Or do you get everything right in your life the first time?? :roll:

No that's not what I'm saying and it flies directly in in the face of what I'm asking. Why have we signed someone to play 5/8 that has not really shown a bright future in the role? Seems to me like it was a bit of a gamble that you'd have to say hasn't paid off right now and were all sitting here living on a prayer that we can one day say 'told you so' to every club. Seems like a strange way to approach recruitment for a professional NRL club.

 

[broncoman]

Anthony Milford played mostly in the halves in juniors and dominated in that role. The problem is that as a five-eighth or half back in junior rugby league the best of the best like Milford virtually cant be tackled and they just run and score tries in bundles. Obviously this can't be done in first grade as men are just too strong and big.

Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if Milford never settles into a role in the halves as he might just not have the skills to do it, we have seen he is a top class fullback at this level and I believe there's every chance Boyd might be the long term 6 with Milford at 1.

 

[Dazzat]

Has Boyd played one game at 5/8?

 

[canberra_raiders2k2]

He played several games at half for us..and well he sucked. The reason was always their, he simply could not organise the team and his kicking game was always weak. He had good chemistry with Papali and would use him on his blind side runs, but Papa generally made it work by rolling over the top of poor tackling.

I remember many Raider fans carried on like lunatics for him to be moved into the halves. After a few weeks/performances he was slotted at fullback.

I was quite happy to have him move to the 5/8 role, as Reece Robinson had shown some good signs at the back. But injuries across the park had Milf move back to the FB role and the reason he excelled was that he had so much space between himself and the defenders to step and do whatever he needed.

He is a FG player, but the question shouldn't be whether he is a long term 5/8 but rather have defenders figured out his style? First year players get some leeway, but honestly if you get the chance go through some highlights of him in the 5/8 role with the Raiders. It is the same crap now.

 

[bucks illegitimate foal]

Boyd only complicates the puzzle. We have a great fullback already in Boyd so where else can Milford go? the obvious position is too 5/8. But Bennett already knew we had Milford, why bring Boyd with him? Complicates the question already asked, would Bennett have signed Milford if he was at the helm?

 

[canberra_raiders2k2]

Bennett is getting older and likely requires assistance with urination and etc..and Boyd has been his carer for sometime now. At worst, he definitely has a role outside of footy.

Crap aside, does Bennett try Boyd at FB and then move Milf to the back, but that would seem like such a waste of talent in Kahu. How many years is Milf locked in for? not that it matters though.

 

[Avenger]

Bennett is getting older and likely requires assistance with urination and etc..and Boyd has been his carer for sometime now. At worst, he definitely has a role outside of footy.

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[Pete Cash]

I still think he's at his best sweeping around from fullback where he can use his footwork. The thing with Milford is he has always played up from his age because his footwork is elite. He has other aspects but they aren't developed yet. He has a passing game but its up and down.

Let's not forget that he was playing in an SG ball grand final in 2012. He first played for the raiders after playing a handful of under 20 games. He hasn't had a lot of time to develop all the skills a half needs because what he is good at has always got him by. He is only 20.

Its why I would probably have him learn those skills at fullback where his crazy good running game would be most effective. I can understand why he would be put in the halves because he does have those skills. He will pull out a great pass but follow it up with a bunch of rubbish.

 

[Dazzat]

Getting back to "why did we recruit Milford to play 5/8 when he's a better fullback" ...

Let's not forget that Brisbane were struggling to recruit ANYONE.

It all started with the shafting of Civ and just go worse under Henjak and Griffin.

No one wanted to come to the club, and definitely NOT any NSW based players.

I'll leave one name here: Andrew Gee.

So, its not as if the club had a lot of players to choose from, particularly halves. There were rumours about DCE for a while. Thurston. Sandow.

Corey Norman, who was the heir apparent to Lockyer's role was shafted when Griffin signed Scott Prince (another dumb move) and moved Norman out of the team.

So, I think it's pretty commonly held knowledge that the club's recruitment and player retention policies have sucked for quite a while, and I don't think it's any coincidence that Andrew Gee just walked out of his role (just beat the club to the punch).

So my philosophy with the signing of Milford is this. Yes, he is not a package wrapped, established 5/8, but he's the best we can get. And just like Lockyer, given time I think he can mature and grow into the role under the super coach, and possibly even being mentored by the likes of assistant coach Kevin Walters and Darren Lockyer.

Again, the lack of alternatives makes all this discussion rather superfluous, because its just going nowhere.

 

[Bronco18]

So why is he there? Why didn't be bank roll Ben hunt who has showed consistent progressive development in the role and not go for a someone with a proven track record at playing 5/8? Why should we struggle to train someone who has never been a 5/8 in 1st grade nor shown the key attributes to help us keep the faith.

That's what I'm asking, how long does Milford get to keep his L plates?

A couple of things: Hunt was woeful his first few games in his proven position
He didn't establish himself as a first grader until he was 24/25 and this is after being the BEST of his age group. There's an argument that Griffin should have shown him more faith (or at least had him playing against the big boys in the ISC) but his initial showings in first grade were atrocious. Some players take time. How long? I don't know, but Bennett will persevere.

Maybe we had to pay overs to play him out of position but that's football recruitment - as Dazzat mentioned we struggled for some time with this. Players in the position you require don't regularly fall into your lap but Milford is a special talent and I believe he'll make the transition. I think with Bennett that might change a bit but I think that's irrelevant as we'll keep this core until Parker, Hodges and Thaiday retire.