Ivan Henjak is not the answer - he must be sacked

[GoTheBroncs]

Who knows what the problem is, the coach, players or Cullen, or maybe a combination of all of them. But surely some of the responsibility must rest with the players. Even if you don't play for your coach, there must be other things to play for, e.g. pride, respectability, achievement and the fans (especially those going through the turnstiles). Very few players are putting their hand up, and there's been alot of opportunity for players to make a position their own and establish a long first grade career. If I were to pick a team, the only certainties for mine would be (assuming full strength):

1. Hunt
4. Hodges
5. Folau
6. Lockyer
10. Clinton
11. Thaiday
13. Parker (although he is starting to slip a bit)
14. Glenn

The rest of the team might as well be drawn out of a hat.

 

[beads6]

I say we chase Ricky Stuart to coach the Broncos...

 

[babyg]

I'm thinking Bruno has to take some blame. Player recruitment and retention has been a disaster. Starting with Petero saga

 

[spartan]

Who knows what the problem is, the coach, players or Cullen, or maybe a combination of all of them. But surely some of the responsibility must rest with the players. Even if you don't play for your coach, there must be other things to play for, e.g. pride, respectability, achievement and the fans (especially those going through the turnstiles). Very few players are putting their hand up, and there's been alot of opportunity for players to make a position their own and establish a long first grade career. If I were to pick a team, the only certainties for mine would be (assuming full strength):

1. Hunt
4. Hodges
5. Folau
6. Lockyer
10. Clinton
11. Thaiday
13. Parker (although he is starting to slip a bit)
14. Glenn

The rest of the team might as well be drawn out of a hat.

There's your problem,those players you've picked are exactly the same ones who should be making an effort and leading the younger players through this dark period.
For whatever reason,they aren't doing it and its nothing to do with the coaching either.

 

[salivor]

Personally I'd be putting Cullen on notice before I'd be looking at Henjak. Our recruitment and retention over the last 2-3 seasons has led to this rabble of a squad we're stuck with currently. I wouldn't envy any first year coach having to work with what Ivan has at the moment.

I think Henjak still needs at least another year to show us what he's capable of, it's not like there's a line-up of top of the line coaches waiting around to be snapped up at the moment.

The one thing that disappoints me about Henjak is that virtually nothing has changed in terms of the style of footy that we play. We now just don't have the talent, the heart and the commitment to make up for some flaws in our style.

One thing I never see discussed here is our obsession with dummy half running and one out runs. When we had the likes of Webcke, Civoniceva and Thorn it wasn't such an issue but with the pack we have now it's no wonder they're struggling when we're so predictable. Looking at our stats we've made more dummy half runs than any other side and only the Sharks have made less metres than us from all runs. We've also made less kick return metres than any other side and only the Storm have made less offloads than us.

Those stats are just as significant as our missed tackle stats IMO. It just shows that we're a boring predictable side with the ball in hand. Sides know they can compress their defensive line and smother us coming out of our own end which is why time and time again we struggle for field position. Whoever is coaching us going forward, I think there needs to be a complete overhaul of our style of play.

 

[Rastus_in_Melbourne]

The forwards have no heart or soul.

Wallace is a big mistake to pay so much money to.

Too many players bought in, talking forwards here.

 

[salivor]

Wallace is a big mistake to pay so much money to.

To be fair you can't really blame the club for that move. He played well last year and got himself a Blues jersey and was also going alright in the opening rounds this year. You can't blame the club for signing him up and retaining him after years spending years trying to replace Langer and suffering the likes of Seymour and Perry.

 

[Habenero]

I'm thinking Bruno has to take some blame. Player recruitment and retention has been a disaster. Starting with Petero saga

Spot on. The Broncos recruitment of late has been very ordinary.Picking up Simms, Teo and Wallace whilst letting go of Boyd, Petro, Moon, Ennis, Hannant, Eastwood and recently Hunt and Taylor. Locky's best years are behind him that has been more then evident this year. you can't simply blame Henjack for that.

 

[Mr Angry]

Thats a load of crap. Wayne Bennet signed with St George with a year to go on his contract. Thats called leaving of your own accord.

And anyway, Parramatta put 60 on us a couple of years ago with Bennett as coach.

That said this is the worst i have seen any Broncos team playing week to week. Attack is aweful and defence even worse.

Because hecould not work with Cullen.

But hey whatever.

 

[Dazzat]

Because hecould not work with Cullen.

But hey whatever.

I beg to differ ... if anyone was responsible for Bennett moving on it was the members of the board with connection with News Ltd.

There was a constant, aggressive and targeted attack on Bennett for the last two years in the Courier Mail, and it got pretty damn grubby. They even started bringing Bennett's family into it ... and that's why Bennett pulled the plug IMO.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

Personally I'd be putting Cullen on notice before I'd be looking at Henjak. Our recruitment and retention over the last 2-3 seasons has led to this rabble of a squad we're stuck with currently. I wouldn't envy any first year coach having to work with what Ivan has at the moment.

I think Henjak still needs at least another year to show us what he's capable of, it's not like there's a line-up of top of the line coaches waiting around to be snapped up at the moment.

The one thing that disappoints me about Henjak is that virtually nothing has changed in terms of the style of footy that we play. We now just don't have the talent, the heart and the commitment to make up for some flaws in our style.

One thing I never see discussed here is our obsession with dummy half running and one out runs. When we had the likes of Webcke, Civoniceva and Thorn it wasn't such an issue but with the pack we have now it's no wonder they're struggling when we're so predictable. Looking at our stats we've made more dummy half runs than any other side and only the Sharks have made less metres than us from all runs. We've also made less kick return metres than any other side and only the Storm have made less offloads than us.

Those stats are just as significant as our missed tackle stats IMO. It just shows that we're a boring predictable side with the ball in hand. Sides know they can compress their defensive line and smother us coming out of our own end which is why time and time again we struggle for field position. Whoever is coaching us going forward, I think there needs to be a complete overhaul of our style of play.

Really good post. I think you're spot on with most of your points, especially paragraph 4. Our attack is very much one out, very predictable and allows the opposition defence to compress and smash us. However, I'd rather we learn how to tackle first, at least then we won't look so soft.

Regarding your paragraph 3. Even though Henjak is a new coach he has been the assistant coach at the Broncos a long time. So there was never going to be a big change in our style of play. This was something that worried me at the very start of Henjak's tenure. We really needed fresh ideas... I'll probably get hammered for this comment but I reckon Ben Ikin would have made a good coach for the Broncos. I remember when he was commentating Broncos matches and he seemed to know the Broncos deficiencies.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

There's your problem,those players you've picked are exactly the same ones who should be making an effort and leading the younger players through this dark period.
For whatever reason,they aren't doing it and its nothing to do with the coaching either.

I'm not sure what more Lockyer, Hodges, Clinton and Parker can be doing tbh. They are trying their butts off.

 

[DR.ZOIDBERG]

If it was any other club the coach would have been kicked by now. If we want to make the finals this year (looks very unlikely) then they need to appoint a new coach now!

Being a Broncos's fan from the start, I hate it when they loose by 1 or 56 points. I am in a mood for awhile after this happens and it just pisses me off. I am sure some of you are like this too, making the semis for the 18th straight year is important to me!!

Semis without Broncos is not the same!

 

[salivor]

I'm the same in terms of being in a bad mood after the Broncos lose. A couple of people at work today have tried to bring up us getting thrashed on Saturday and have got very prickly responses from me.

I've gotta say though I'm not too concerned about the finals at this point. Even if we make it we all know in our hearts that we're not a hope in hell of winning the comp let alone a finals match. I'm more concerned about the attitude of the players. I think a few egos need to be dropped to the Qld cup. I'd rather us not win another game this year with 17 blokes dedicated to the team than continue with some of the players we're using right now who aren't even trying to hide that they clearly don't give a sh*t.

 

[Pierced Soul]

well Salivor and i ahev the same opinions about the football side of things and i've stated these problems have been evident form the time bennett was the coach so i cant blame henjack for that.

my issue over the past few years has been retention and recruitment and it's become more glaringly obvious. the broncos previous would only pick up one or two 'name' signings, now they'res been heaps of turnover, but the owrst part of it is it seems to be "we'll let petero go and buy two players in his place i.e. Simms and Clinton" but the problem is the two repalcements arent equal to the one we lost. we let hannant go and buy te'o and setu-wtf????

what worries me when you promote someone from within is that you're going to get a very simialr approach, and if the previous approach has limiting success (like previous seasons and '06 was saved by a good run at the back end of the year) then you arent going to change that by promoting the 2IC. this is soemthing the knigths will find out next year if they promote from within as well.

the broncos with the bennett/henjack combo have had poor defensive structures and predictable attacking structures - how was that ever going to change with henjack as coach? a new coach would have come in with new ideas and tried different things. I fear for the future if they go with this plan to have locky step straight into coaching as well...looks good on paper but in practice young coaches havent been all that successful and they've often struggled coaching players they were playing with a year or so earlier -fittler and brown

on the footy show earlier this year seeing Greenberg next to Cullen shows why the dogs have improved so rapidly...cullen looked like some bloke they pulled from a dinky office in an abandoned warehouse

 

[Pierced Soul]

I'd rather us not win another game this year with 17 blokes dedicated to the team than continue with some of the players we're using right now who aren't even trying to hide that they clearly don't give a sh*t.

i'm the same, i can take losing, but i get the sh*ts if i dont think the players are putting in. some of these loses have just been about the team giving up and not putting in. at least with the titans game the palyers kept trying and scored some late tries

 

[salivor]

what worries me when you promote someone from within is that you're going to get a very simialr approach, and if the previous approach has limiting success (like previous seasons and '06 was saved by a good run at the back end of the year) then you arent going to change that by promoting the 2IC. this is soemthing the knigths will find out next year if they promote from within as well.

the broncos with the bennett/henjack combo have had poor defensive structures and predictable attacking structures - how was that ever going to change with henjack as coach? a new coach would have come in with new ideas and tried different things. I fear for the future if they go with this plan to have locky step straight into coaching as well...looks good on paper but in practice young coaches havent been all that successful and they've often struggled coaching players they were playing with a year or so earlier -fittler and brown

Agreed which is why I didn't and still don't understand why there was so much resistance amongst some fans of the club to our attempts to sign Bellamy. This club is in dire need of fresh ideas as you say.

 

[Dazzat]

what worries me when you promote someone from within is that you're going to get a very simialr approach, and if the previous approach has limiting success (like previous seasons and '06 was saved by a good run at the back end of the year) then you arent going to change that by promoting the 2IC. this is soemthing the knigths will find out next year if they promote from within as well.

'C'mon ... this argument would be laughed at by many fans from other clubs. Calling our run in the last several years as "limiting success" (sic) is pushing the boundaries.

Broncos fans can be so spoilt ... welcome to reality.

ANY coach will struggle to follow a 21 year foundation coach ... ANY coach.

 

[salivor]

The stats speak for themselves that we're a boring and one dimensional team. These issues didn't just spring up overnight.

 

[Dazzat]

The stats speak for themselves that we're a boring and one dimensional team. These issues didn't just spring up overnight.

I've seen teams change from boring to exciting football from one week to the next ... Broncos included. It only needs a few words from the coach, for example, "OK guys, let's offload and look for some second phase play."

No, this is about attitude and something far deeper than game plans and method of attack - although I agree with your point to some extent.

If defence is about individual attitude, attack is about team dynamics - trust between players, and wanting each other to succeed.

Its obvious that the Broncos have neither the right attitude, and very limited trust between the players at the moment.