Didn't hear Lockyer say that but it was a brilliant game to watch and behold. The irony is that I didn't notice Vaughn in the Mounties that day. Was he playing? Not a trick question because I was only invested in the Cutters.[/QUOTE}
Recent story out if Brisbane.
According to former Broncos prop Ben Hannant, the solution is staring them in the face.
Jason Demetriou!!
Whoever gets him, they’ll win comps. He’s the real deal.”
Hannant was at the Cowboys when Jason Demetriou was recruited to Green’s coaching staff in 2015 and given his success since and current post with the Broncos, Hannant is in no doubt that he should be given a chance to prove himself at the NRL level.
“Jason Demetriou is the man,” Hannant emphatically told
foxsports.com.au.
“Jason Demetriou will get an NRL gig and when he does he will kill it.
“His track record speaks for itself and after taking over the attack from ‘Kevvie’ (Kevin Walters)
I could notice a change even against Newcastle with how the forwards were using the ball and playing to their strengths.
Assistant coach Jason Demetriou has once again assumed control of the Broncos attack following the sudden departure of Kevin Walters. Photo: Richard Walker
“I have nothing but massive raps on Jason Demetriou as not only a man manager but as a tactician as well.
“Blokes want to play for him and tactically he knows rugby league so well.
“I wish I could have been coached by him in first grade.
“Whoever gets him, they’ll win comps. He’s the real deal.”
Like batting after Bradman or following ‘The King’ at karaoke, coaching the Broncos in the post-Bennett era is viewed by some as an unwinnable assignment.
The biggest brand in the NRL demands a head coach with a high profile and the gravitas to match, an argument that falls on deaf ears when put to Hannant.
“You need whoever the best man for the job is,” said Hannant, who spent three seasons under Bennett in his 245-game career.
“Would you have been happy at the Roosters when they got Trent Robinson from Super League?
First year, won a comp. What more can you ask for?
“The game changes and evolves.
“There’s a reason why Wayne has been involved in this game for more than 30 years. He’s an outstanding man manager and he gets good people around him.
“He gets smart people around him who are experts in their field and that’s what the Broncos need.”
Contenders to succeed Bennett at Broncos
Kevin Walters
A Broncos legend who has had three separate stints working on the Brisbane coaching staff, Walters is contracted as coach of the Queensland Maroons through the 2020 State of Origin Series. A head coach in Super League with the Catalans Dragons and a former assistant to Craig Bellamy at the Storm, Walters would likely receive permission from the QRL to leave his post early if offered the Broncos role.
Kevin Walters at training with Wayne Bennett during his first stint as an assistant coach at the Broncos.
Jason Demetriou
After a 13-year playing career in England and international appearances for both Canada and Greece, Demetriou began his coaching career with the Keighley Cougars before returning to Australia in 2013. In his second season at the Northern Pride he took them to the Intrust Super Cup and NRL State Championship titles and was a member of Paul Green’s coaching staff in the Cowboys’ 2015 premiership season. He had further lower grade success with the Illawarra Cutters before joining Bennett at the Broncos last season and guiding an attack that scored more points than every side other than the Storm.
Craig Bellamy’s first coaching appointment was performance co-ordinator with the Broncos way back in 1997.
Craig Bellamy
Began his coaching career under Bennett at the Broncos and with his current contract with the Storm expiring at the end of the year could be enticed to finish his career at Red Hill. One of the most successful coaches in the game’s history, Bellamy could command immediate respect from the playing group with a profile that will impress the big end of town.
Chris, Ben and Shane Walker during their time together with the Broncos in 1999.
Ben and Shane Walker
The unconventional Ipswich Jets co-coaches are busting to be given an opportunity to apply their methodology to the NRL and both began their NRL careers at the Broncos. When you are trying to succeed someone such as Wayne Bennett you can never hope to make a like-for-like replacement so perhaps the best option is to try the polar opposite and see what happens. The pair have achieved remarkable results with little resources at Ipswich; watching them apply their rugby league beliefs on a full-time basis would certainly be entertaining.
