What do you guys think about this?
Member Forum Answers
Wednesday 12 September 2012 2:34 PM
Members Forum 2012
Topic 1: Game Day Scheduling and the NRL Broadcast Deal
1. With the new TV deal the Broncos should have extra money. What are you doing to buy a couple of key players?
Paul: It is not that simple. Not only are we getting an extra $400,000 but so is every other club in the league. This just means that the value of players has increased and a redistribution of funds will need to be made. Current contracts will be negotiated as some players contracts involve clauses where their salary increases when the salary cap increases.We wont be going out and spending money just because we have it but instead look at reinvesting in areas such as membership and sponsorship.
Topic 2: Player Recruitment and Retention
2. What is the clubs policy in regards to player retention and recruitment? Can we expect any more signings for next year?
Anthony: Our policy for recruitment is, and has always been, that we recruit from within. We invest millions of dollars to train up these young Broncos and we want to utilise this talent. If we cant find what we need from within, then we will start looking externally. There will be no major signings at this stage and we have chosen our top tier of 25 players. We are still looking to fill some of the 25 spots on the second tier.
3. Can you let members know which players are off contract each year? Could a list be put in the magazine?
Anthony: We feel that this is not our responsibility or our place to say. If the players want to voice this then they are welcome to. They sign these workplace agreements as an employee of this club and as the employers we have to respect their privacy. The media will let you know in advance and this will come from the players management not the Broncos.
4. How are you going to replace Petero?
Anthony: We have known in advance that Petero was retiring which has given us time to prepare. We have players in our system already such as Josh Maguire and David Hala. They have not had much play time as Petero has taken that place on the field but we believe that they can fill that position in front row. Petero has been playing since 1998, represented Queensland 33 times and Australia 45 times. Obviously they have big shoes to fill and we dont expect them to be as good as Petero just yet.
5. Will the Broncos go after Johnathan Thurston?
Anthony: This has been asked in the media a lot lately and no, we wont. OK, lets look at this honestly - as good as he is he is on the wrong side of 30. He has another year of his contract with the Cowboys and by that time he will be 32. We would have to purchase him at a premium. To put that in perspective, that would be about $1 million. What would we get for that? He was 23 when he started playing first grade. We have Corey Norman, 21, and Ben Hunt, 22, both playing first grade. When Johnathan started playing, no one batted an eyelid. Now we have two young players that we would have to sell to get Thurston so that he could play a couple of years for us before retiring. Then once we have spent upwards of $1 million, these two young guys are going to come back and beat us while playing for another team because we have sold them for Thurston before they reached their potential. We need to persist with these young guys. It is frustrating at times but the only way to learn is to get out there. Even Locky made mistakes when he was in his early 20s, Wayne stuck with him and look how far he got.
Topic 3: On Field Performance
6. Why doesn't Andrew McCullough play the full 80 minutes?
Anthony: He is getting there. Has hasnt got the capacity to stay out there and remain mentally and physically affective. At the moment he is averaging 60-65 minutes a game and by giving him that rest, it keeps him at his best. He is the second fastest player to ever reach 100 games and he is only 22 years old. By 24-25 we believe he will be able to play the full 80.
7. Are any statistics kept on dummy half runs and one out for all teams? If so, where do we sit on those statistics compared to other teams?
Anthony: Yes and we are coming third.
8. Are you happy with the leadership group this year after Darren Lockyer?
Anthony: We have a very tight group at the moment with great harmony. The boys are stepping up and becoming leaders to all the young players. It is hard to define leadership and these boys havent been in the position where they have needed to be leaders but they are certainly doing that now.
9. Do you think Sam has been a successful captain?
Anthony: Sam is a very hard worker and the club means everything to him. It is very hard to follow the captainship of Darren Lockyer who was a once in a lifetime captain but Sam is doing the best he can. He is a great ambassador for our club and we commend the work he does.
