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Nick Kenny ruled out of Friday night's clash
At least Peter Wallace still has his sense of humour. When asked if Brisbane would fare better during the always troublesome Origin period, the red-haired half was able to peer through the haze and see the upside of his club's downward spiral.
"I suppose the way we're going, there might not be as many (missing)," Wallace replied.
It was a light moment in a otherwise gloomy week for the Broncos. After four rounds of the NRL, they sit on the bottom of the ladder, with one win from four games. The side they take to play the Dragons in Wollongong on Friday night is so young most of the backline look like they could be working at K-Mart after training.
To compound matters, two of the few established first graders they possess - Ben Te'o and Antonio Winterstein - were dumped after inexplicably turning up late to training. It's an admirable stance from coach Ivan Henjak, who would rather maintain longterm standards than bolster his side's slim hopes against St George Illawarra.
Wallace supports the decision, even if it robs Brisbane of two of its better backline options. Te'o, usually a backrower, has been masquerading in the centres as cover for the injured Israel Folau, one of the club's legion of hobbled stars that includes Corey Parker (knee), Jharal Yow Yeh (knee), Justin Hodges (knee), Denan Kemp (ribs) and now prop Nick Kenny, who was ruled out late today with a back complaint.
"They're the rules. Everyone's clear on the rules. That's the standard we set," Wallace said.
The former NSW halfback admits his efforts with ball in hand have been flat thus far and he will be required to produce a bottler against the Dragons if Brisbane is to have any hope. Bookmakers have given them as much as an 18.5 point start and listed them at $6.50 in a two-horse race.
Wallace is acutely aware of the immense challenge he faces on Friday night but Brisbane have pulled rabbits from hats before, notably against the Dragons last season in an upset win that sparked the Broncos' late run to the finals.
More famously, the "Baby Broncos" side that featured two 17-year-olds and six rookies that beat a full-strength Wests Tigers in 2002 have gone down in the club's folklore. Some of the players from that side, like Scott Prince and Corey Parker, have gone on to forge decorated careers. Others like one-game wonder Steve La Caze faded into obscurity.
Such are the odds against the Broncos that victory against Wayne Bennett's side, an outfit regarded as a genuine grand final prospect, will be every bit as memorable as that remarkable night in Sydney eight years ago.
It's the Baby Broncos every week for Brisbane at the moment, with a three-quarter line of Corey Norman, Mitch Rivett, Dale Copley, Alex Glenn and Gerard Beale big on enthusiasm but short on big-game smarts. The one plus may be the Dragons know almost nothing about them.
Wallace is not offering any ready-made excuses. This is Brisbane's lot at the moment and everybody is expected to come up with an effort befitting the club's proud history of performing no matter the roster.
"We're staying positive. The young blokes are expected to do a job and that's what we're going down to do," Wallace said. "It's a young team. It's younger again this week than last. But that's no excuse. If we put a performance in win, lose or draw where we compete for the full 80, we're happy with that."
Winning won't be everything for Brisbane on Friday. It's the effort Henjak is wanting after Brisbane hardly fired a shot in last week's 25-6 loss to the Roosters. If he can extract that from his young band, when the stars roll back in the tide could yet turn.
Wallace isn't concerned about Brisbane being tipped to miss the finals for the first time in 19 seasons or whether the Broncos, so long the NRL benchmark, have somehow become the competition battlers.
"I'm sure they do (write us off). I'm sure they have the last couple of weeks with our injuries. We can't look at it like that and we have to stay as positive as we can and perform as best we can on Friday night."
While many have been quick to condemn Brisbane to the nether regions of the ladder by round 26, they are hardly alone in having a sluggish start to the season. Canberra, Newcastle, Cronulla, Parramatta and Canterbury are all sporting just a solitary victory from a quartet of outings.
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/wallace-says-broncos-have-no-excuses-against-dragons-20100407-rry9.html
At least Peter Wallace still has his sense of humour. When asked if Brisbane would fare better during the always troublesome Origin period, the red-haired half was able to peer through the haze and see the upside of his club's downward spiral.
"I suppose the way we're going, there might not be as many (missing)," Wallace replied.
It was a light moment in a otherwise gloomy week for the Broncos. After four rounds of the NRL, they sit on the bottom of the ladder, with one win from four games. The side they take to play the Dragons in Wollongong on Friday night is so young most of the backline look like they could be working at K-Mart after training.
To compound matters, two of the few established first graders they possess - Ben Te'o and Antonio Winterstein - were dumped after inexplicably turning up late to training. It's an admirable stance from coach Ivan Henjak, who would rather maintain longterm standards than bolster his side's slim hopes against St George Illawarra.
Wallace supports the decision, even if it robs Brisbane of two of its better backline options. Te'o, usually a backrower, has been masquerading in the centres as cover for the injured Israel Folau, one of the club's legion of hobbled stars that includes Corey Parker (knee), Jharal Yow Yeh (knee), Justin Hodges (knee), Denan Kemp (ribs) and now prop Nick Kenny, who was ruled out late today with a back complaint.
"They're the rules. Everyone's clear on the rules. That's the standard we set," Wallace said.
The former NSW halfback admits his efforts with ball in hand have been flat thus far and he will be required to produce a bottler against the Dragons if Brisbane is to have any hope. Bookmakers have given them as much as an 18.5 point start and listed them at $6.50 in a two-horse race.
Wallace is acutely aware of the immense challenge he faces on Friday night but Brisbane have pulled rabbits from hats before, notably against the Dragons last season in an upset win that sparked the Broncos' late run to the finals.
More famously, the "Baby Broncos" side that featured two 17-year-olds and six rookies that beat a full-strength Wests Tigers in 2002 have gone down in the club's folklore. Some of the players from that side, like Scott Prince and Corey Parker, have gone on to forge decorated careers. Others like one-game wonder Steve La Caze faded into obscurity.
Such are the odds against the Broncos that victory against Wayne Bennett's side, an outfit regarded as a genuine grand final prospect, will be every bit as memorable as that remarkable night in Sydney eight years ago.
It's the Baby Broncos every week for Brisbane at the moment, with a three-quarter line of Corey Norman, Mitch Rivett, Dale Copley, Alex Glenn and Gerard Beale big on enthusiasm but short on big-game smarts. The one plus may be the Dragons know almost nothing about them.
Wallace is not offering any ready-made excuses. This is Brisbane's lot at the moment and everybody is expected to come up with an effort befitting the club's proud history of performing no matter the roster.
"We're staying positive. The young blokes are expected to do a job and that's what we're going down to do," Wallace said. "It's a young team. It's younger again this week than last. But that's no excuse. If we put a performance in win, lose or draw where we compete for the full 80, we're happy with that."
Winning won't be everything for Brisbane on Friday. It's the effort Henjak is wanting after Brisbane hardly fired a shot in last week's 25-6 loss to the Roosters. If he can extract that from his young band, when the stars roll back in the tide could yet turn.
Wallace isn't concerned about Brisbane being tipped to miss the finals for the first time in 19 seasons or whether the Broncos, so long the NRL benchmark, have somehow become the competition battlers.
"I'm sure they do (write us off). I'm sure they have the last couple of weeks with our injuries. We can't look at it like that and we have to stay as positive as we can and perform as best we can on Friday night."
While many have been quick to condemn Brisbane to the nether regions of the ladder by round 26, they are hardly alone in having a sluggish start to the season. Canberra, Newcastle, Cronulla, Parramatta and Canterbury are all sporting just a solitary victory from a quartet of outings.
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/wallace-says-broncos-have-no-excuses-against-dragons-20100407-rry9.html
