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Tackles and Tinnies - E41 - Brisbane Broncos 2025 Review & 2026 Preview
10 Plays2 months ago
The Broncos were box office in 2025 — 4th, 15 wins, +172, and they could score from anywhere. The problem? The defence wasn’t always on the same level as the highlights, and that’s the difference between “contenders” and “hold the trophy.”
In this episode, Ryan breaks down the 2025 story properly — the patchy start, the Origin surge, the finals run, and what it all says about 2026 under Madge (tighten the standards without killing the chaos that makes Brisbane lethal).
We get into:
- 2025 snapshot: why #2 attack / #7 defence tells the whole story
- The spine/pack that drives the window: Walsh + Mam + Reynolds + Haas + Carrigan
- Managing Reynolds: do they go “all-in” again or start handing more keys to the next-gen
- The Haas news and what it means: if he’s genuinely leaving in 2027, the “Haas window” for Brisbane becomes very real — list management, middle depth, and how you replace something you can’t actually replace
- World Club Challenge reality check: the Hull loss and that habit of trying to run teams down late — what it says about standards and starting games properly
- 2026 projected 17/19 + selection battles (including Mozer minutes, back five shake-ups)
- Ladder call: 2nd–3rd (locked at 2nd) — still a grand final-level threat if the key guys stay healthy
Cap or Fact: “Defence is their biggest question… but the Haas window is now.”
Broncos fans — where do you have Brisbane finishing in 2026, and what’s the one thing that decides it? 👇
Chapters:
- 00:00 Introduction and Technical Difficulties
- 02:42 Brisbane Broncos 2025-2026 Overview
- 06:03 Coaching Changes and Team Dynamics
- 08:52 Key Players and Their Impact
- 11:38 Defensive Strategies and Challenges
- 14:50 Injuries and Player Management
- 17:39 2026 Season Predictions and Roster Changes
- 20:53 Payne Haas Departure and Its Implications
- 23:36 World Club Challenge Insights
- 26:35 Strength of Schedule Analysis
- 29:42 Projected Starting Lineup
- 32:28 Final Thoughts and Predictions"
Recommended
Transcript
Overcoming Technical Issues
00:00:00
Speaker
Fresh crack of the Muscle Nation tin. It's a bit annoying because i actually did this podcast yesterday. It's the 2nd of March. We've just had Vegas round. i was like, just before Vegas round, let's do the Brisbane Broncos 2025 slash 2026 preview. I was rattling off. I was on a tangent. I was going on for 45 minutes straight. And then as I was finishing off my podcast,
00:00:24
Speaker
As you know, technical difficulties always seem to happen when you're doing this sort of stuff and half the recording just disappeared. I must've dropped out my internet and then Riverside lost this connection. So it's saying it was recording, but didn't actually record any of my speaking. It only recorded the screen share. So here we are one day later, just for you guys, the fans.
Brisbane Broncos 2025-2026 Preview
00:00:46
Speaker
We're going to be doing the Brisbane Broncos 2025 slash 2026 preview. As you guys know, we've been following along on this journey. We've gone through every single team from bottom to the top, bearing a few in order. So if you want to go check out the other previews and or reviews for your chosen team, go into YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to see or listen to your podcasts. We're on all major platforms. Go share it. Go tell them, mate, I'm loving and doing this.
00:01:14
Speaker
But once we finish this last review of the Brisbane Broncos, we're going to get back more into Supercoach chat with all the um the regulars when TLT starts coming out. We're going to do a a weekly review. and if there's any other segments that you think you want me or my mates to be talking about, please let us know. More than happy to accommodate that as well. but Enough on that. listsa Let's get straight into it. So again, the 2025 slash 2026 preview for the mighty, the champions of the season, the Brisbane Broncos.
00:01:44
Speaker
So they're back. Who would have thought? Madge Maguire comes into the helm after Kevin Walters all but said that, yeah, their team's all good to go. Madge Maguire took them to another level.
00:01:57
Speaker
They had 15 wins, 9 losses on 36 competition points, which actually ended up to fourth place only by a bee's dick. But hey, that's all you need. So another finals run, and we're going to get to that. That finals was absolutely insane, but let's keep going. 172 point differentiation, only second to Melbourne Storm.
00:02:18
Speaker
Their attack, particularly in the second half of the season, was Dynamo. However, defense was seventh. That was a little bit concerning and we're seeing those consistent consistent trends that we saw from the final series where they were constantly trying to run down teams. Well, trying. They did.
00:02:34
Speaker
They ran down every single team. um But more recently, the World Club Challenge, which was very, very concerning. You would hope if you were Magic Maguire, you were going to stamp them out in the offseason. I don't take too much from the...
00:02:46
Speaker
um the world club challenge due to the fact that one, you're traveling overseas. The boys were on Contiki tour. Let's be honest. They're on Contiki. They're having a good time. Also was two degrees.
00:02:56
Speaker
F that. Imagine playing at two degrees Celsius when you, I'm a Queensland, I'm a Gold Coast boy myself. Brisbane's just up the road. It is sweltering heat with high humidity. Now you've gone to the complete polar opposite.
00:03:09
Speaker
A bit of slack there. Obviously bit of slack. But the premiership window is right now. Can they go back to back?
Madge Maguire's Impact on the Broncos
00:03:17
Speaker
And that's what we're going to be talking about today. Defense is their biggest question.
00:03:22
Speaker
So Madge McGuire, as I mentioned before, took over the helm from Kevin Walters. I thought Kevin Walters was a little bit hard done by, but I liked, I said this in yesterday's podcast when I did this, but Steve Kerr, I like to use that analogy for the Golden State Warriors.
00:03:38
Speaker
the previous coach before Steve Kerr came there, he was very good. He had a championship or almost championship caliber team, very strong roster. But then when Steve Kerr came along, he took those um Golden State Warriors with Curry, Draymond, Klay, and took them to another level. Magic McGuire, I guess arguably say he did the exact same thing. So I think that's a good one-to-one comparison in that regard. But Magic McGuire has been consistently known as a hard-nosed, my way, the high way, drill sergeant and I think this ah flamboyant ah not ego driven I don't want to say that it's not the right wording but very strong personalities flamboyant type team Maja Maguire with that more steady hand I think
00:04:23
Speaker
That was what took him over the top. Obviously, he got absolute guns. Guns galore all across the park. But Madge McGuire, this is his type of team. And there was a bit of growing pains, obviously. People were commenting, is they working too hard? Were they...
00:04:39
Speaker
um not buying in completely, was a boat cruise, like a last ditch effort. People were calling at the door through the media. I ah thought he was great, honestly. And the culture said it all at the very end of the season when they all were playing for him.
Challenges from Player Injuries
00:04:55
Speaker
I think also worthy to note that... There had to be some change. There was a little bit of disappointment. Obviously, they were growing the Brisbane Broncos over the past few years with Kevin Maldon's at the helm. But I think a little bit of change was necessary to get him over the line.
00:05:10
Speaker
um But can they continue it? And I think there were some growing pains because there was players in and out in and out of that team. We're going to go through that very soon. But Ben Hunt injured.
00:05:21
Speaker
Adam Reynolds injured. Ezra Mam. That... whole off-season ins incident. I dug a deep dive in that to yesterday, but I think the Ezra Mann situation played a a pretty big, significant ah impact on the start of the season. Obviously, he was missed like the first 10 or so games. Then he was injured with his hamstring injury, the triple sniper rifle hamstring game. There was another factor.
00:05:44
Speaker
There's a lot of hurdles thrown at Madge McGuire, and he took every single one of those ah bullets, and he missed every single one of them. ah So... Hats off to Magic Maguire. But can he reignite that same flame?
00:05:57
Speaker
Early signs said yes. They started slow in the World Club Challenge, which I'm going to talk about soon, but they can't rely on that offensive juggernaut that's deeper with them with all that experience they've had. Magic Maguire has a big job to get this into a top four defensive team, which is going to help them a lot.
00:06:18
Speaker
Let's just do the 2025 season storyline. So early season, patchy, defensive lapses, chemistry issues with Hunter Reynolds. As the saying goes, too many cooks in the kitchen. I'm going to talk about that too many cooks in the kitchen analogy very soon, but Two very board dominant players. Ben Hunt obviously came from the Dragons. Required, well, he was their halfback.
00:06:38
Speaker
Reynolds, obviously very proven halfback as well. Took a bit of time. i don't think Ben Hunt was always going to be the number one 5'8 as well. Obviously, Ezra Mam had that ah position on lock until that incident happened.
00:06:50
Speaker
So that was a bit of a hurdle there. But the birth of Gamut Shibasaki, he's on my screen right now. He deserves a full bloody picture. I'm Jesse Arthurs in the background. I'm glazing. I'm glazing so hard. Shibasaki out of nowhere. And I've actually got a full little um slide for Shibasaki coming up. So I don't want need to dig too deep there. Let's just keep talking about their ah mid-season grind. um They caught a bit of fire, obviously, during that origin period with Hearth and Carrigan.
00:07:18
Speaker
Haas and Carrigan dominating. Ezra Mann finally coming back. However, definitely didn't look like he was really ready to go. sort of looked a bit underdone, obviously, due to the fact he hasn't played many games. Hamstring again.
00:07:33
Speaker
um But yeah, they were just running six. But again, managing the Stars to origin was a key part as well. The final series, my god. My God.
00:07:44
Speaker
Walsh's grand final, let alone his prelim against the Panthers, the ah quarterfinal against the Raiders.
Reece Walsh's Grand Final Performance
00:07:55
Speaker
My God. All three of those games, arguably games of the year, that Raiders game for me was the best of the three, regardless of the championship. They lost three times. They literally lost the game three times and they still won. I remember where I was, all three games actually.
00:08:10
Speaker
First one was the Raiders game. I was upstairs with my dad. Raiders are up like 20 points, what it felt like, with 20 minutes to go. while she's off the field, Simbin, Patty Carrigan's off the field, Simbin, like, we're cooked.
00:08:24
Speaker
V4, we got a second chance. I had no hope. And then all of a sudden, while she comes back in the field, firecracker app is bummed and then bang, bang, bang. Like felt like three or four sets in a row, they scored a try. I'm like,
00:08:36
Speaker
There's no way. There's no way we're winning this. And then all of a sudden, another try. and then I think we were down by two points with one set to go. We're 40 meters out.
00:08:47
Speaker
was like, there's no way the ball was like not in very good position. Walshie has a strike and then Hosking hits his leg. I'm like, oh my God, he's injured. He's hurt. like We're cooked for next week. And then the ref blows the whistle and says, penalty, taking out the kicker, hitting his leg, penalty right in front.
00:09:05
Speaker
My God. Like that was just unreal. I was screaming. I can hear my bloody neighbors who have felt like 40 meters away where they were screaming. I think the whole world was screaming. ah um But that was unreal. And then obviously Golden Point spoke for itself. Ben Hunt with the redemption arc, getting that field goal.
00:09:23
Speaker
That was nice. That was really nice. Obviously we can think back to the... ah The Cowboys Broncos grand final many years ago, back in 2016, that redemption there where Thurston got that field goal. Now Ben Hunt got a bit of redemption there, getting them that week off, which i think was a much needed week off.
00:09:41
Speaker
Then we fast forward into that prelim final against the Penrith Panthers. Panthers found some red hot form in the back end of the season. They looked like they had the game by the horns. And then Walsh decides to like barnstorm through three different guys and do a like a cutout ball to Mariner. And Mariner had so much to do and he scores in the corner.
00:10:03
Speaker
Walsh has missed like three kicks um throughout the game terms goal kicking and then bang. Adam Reynolds steps up, bung hamstring and all, and slots it from the sideline. I thought that was amazing. That was an awesome moment.
00:10:16
Speaker
And then another moment, obviously, was the grand final. It was the complete 80-minute performance by one player. It was the best purple patch of form i've ever seen. I'm going to talk about that purple patch of form. That's a tongue twister in itself.
00:10:29
Speaker
But while she chasing down guys, reading the defense with those two-on-ones, knocking those balls down, um but definitely through that grand final with the, give me the ball, I'm going to run through six guys about 35 meters out. That was the defining moment for me. That was, my God, I do not know what I've just been seeing. He's out body sort of experience.
00:10:52
Speaker
But guys like Shibasaki standing up. And we're again, we're going toli to glaze Shibasaki again very shortly. But the Broncos attacking was the best in the comp within the final series by far. Coming back from three deficits to get to the grand final win.
00:11:08
Speaker
So the glaze continues. Who stood up and who slid? Recy Walsh. The glaze continues. What more can we say? Bonafide superstar. Game breaker every single week. He had that eight week of purple patch form.
00:11:21
Speaker
Yesterday when I did this podcast, I made reference to who's had the best purple patches of form. Definitely Benny Barber. Definitely Tommy Turbo. Jared Hayne. Jared Hayne 09. That rubbish Parramatta team. And he had that great run of form. Um,
00:11:37
Speaker
Cleary a couple years ago and obviously he had that ah game against the the Broncos in the grand final when it was like 20 minutes left. had Luai and Isaiah Yeo off the field.
00:11:49
Speaker
Reece Walsh, those last eight or so weeks, was the best purple patch of form of all time. Guys, let me know in the comments, do you agree or do you disagree? Reece Walsh's last eight weeks of form was the best we have ever seen in the NRL. Let me know in the comments.
00:12:06
Speaker
I thought Ben Hunt was unreal. Again, I glazed him again in the Raiders game. I thought he was very steady. He's played multitude of different positions. He's played halfback, hooker, utility off the bench. um Can even play a little bit of middle forward if need be.
00:12:20
Speaker
I thought he was great. And again, he got that field goal, which was so pivotal for that Raiders game when they lost literally three bloody times. um He was great. He was great. Haas and Patrick Harrigan, one word for Payne Haas, GOAT, enough said, best front row of all time, arguably one of the best players of all time, probably top five players of all time. He is that good.
00:12:45
Speaker
And I know, I know, guys, he's not there in 2027, but don't worry, don't threat. We'll talk about him very shortly. But Patrick Harrigan, he's next man up. He's amazing.
00:12:56
Speaker
is He's been through the ringer with Payne Haas. was so nice to see when they got that grand final win, them embracing and having a little cry and a moment together because they have gone through everything from the very bottom to a wooden spoon all the way to finals glory together. He's a future captain to me, Patrick Carrigan. Big minutes, played front row alongside Payne Haas, then shifted back to his natural position at lock.
00:13:21
Speaker
started at front and row slash lock in origin for Billy Sater, then got shifted to the bench, did very servicing job there. You put him any in any position, Patrick Kerrigan will do a job. That's what leadership is all about.
00:13:36
Speaker
And I told you before, the Glaze is here. But damn it, Shibasaki, out of nowhere. Madge Maguire, hats off to you, my friend. You unbirthed the next best center in the game, out of nowhere. He was a bit of a rising star and then sort of fell off into the abyss.
00:13:56
Speaker
He was an under-19 Queensland representative and then fell off. But what I've got on the screen, I'll quickly read it to you. Shibasaki came in on a training trial and went nuclear in 2025 with a round one try, locked him into my supercoach very early on.
00:14:13
Speaker
Chef's kiss, very happy. um Battle medal, medal match. Multiple double try games. Match winner against the Sharks. Origin debut in game three. Huge shoes to fill there. And then scored in the NRL Grand Final, which was their match winner. And got picked for the Kangaroos Tour upon that reward.
00:14:32
Speaker
um He also had a club breach near the back sort of two-thirds of the season. But... I think you've got to have a little bit of controversy when you're trying to climb the top of the mountain, and Shibasaki overcame that and still delivered.
00:14:45
Speaker
So Shibasaki,
Selwyn Cobbo's Departure
00:14:47
Speaker
amazing. Arguably one of the best centers in the game now. He's a top five center. um Him and Katoni Staggs both represented Australia in the final series.
00:14:56
Speaker
Shibasaki is going to be a... Fighting Robert Toya in my eyes for that final center spot for Queensland. We'll talk about that maybe later on. Question marks. Selwyn Cobbo. So still quality but inconsistent.
00:15:09
Speaker
Hamstrings. Hamstrings are bad. Couldn't manage to ah lock down a spot. Played a bit of fullback. Played center. Played wing. Obviously the versatility is very handy for a team. However... He's gone to the Dolphins. So best luck to Selwyn Cobbo. Very serviceable. Still in the Brisbane region for his family. But I do project him starting outside Herbie Farmworth. He's going to get some very, very good ball there. Maybe super coach worthy for some of those guys out there.
00:15:35
Speaker
Another question mark is around Adam Reynolds. Had some great moments, obviously, that sideline conversion, as I mentioned in that prelim final against the Penrith Panthers, was one of the highlights. But as we talked about before, too many cooks in the kitchen.
00:15:48
Speaker
So it is Rhys Walsh's team. We know this now. Does Adam Reynolds know that? That's what I want to know because the whole game plan needs to be structured around Walsh and at times, particularly in the first two thirds of the season, it was Adam Reynolds ball when he was on the field.
00:16:05
Speaker
Now Reynolds needs to be more facilitator. It's his final season. Let's get Reno out on the high here. Give them early pill. That's all I'm asking for. Lay that platform for Walshie to do his thing.
00:16:17
Speaker
Will they maybe give Renault every four games every month? Here's another break, mate. Take a week off. I don't hate that idea. We've got enough depth, which we'll talk about soon in their best 19. But it's not a bad idea giving Renault an extra week here and there.
00:16:32
Speaker
if we Especially if we're starting strong and we don't need make up wins, I think that's a really good idea. And the middle rotation, a little bit of drop-off. Definitely a little bit drop-off. Haas and Carrigan obviously are elite, particularly Payne Haas. He is the best front row of all time. Patrick Carrigan, top 10, probably lock of all time. He's very good, very serviceable. Australian Queensland representative in his own right.
00:16:55
Speaker
When those two guys, if they go off the field... Who's standing up? Xavier Willison, when he was available, started slow, finished very strong. Obviously had injur injury concerns, ruined his forearm.
00:17:08
Speaker
But who's going to be next man up when Payne Ars is not there? That is a very good question. let me know in the comments, guys.
00:17:15
Speaker
So our major 2026 ins and outs and the Haas bombshell, which we'll talk about in the next slide. But for 2026, you've got Grant Anderson. Amazing pickup for Melbourne Storm.
00:17:27
Speaker
That was murmured on quite early on in the season, but didn't get confirmed until later. But I think Grant Anderson is going to provide great depth for this team. ah Maybe we'll be in that top 19. Time will tell. But can definitely be next man up mentality.
00:17:42
Speaker
If there's an injury to the wing or center position, he's definitely in. Potentially, Carapane doesn't get into the team if there's a little bit of a form drop. But I think as the incumbent, Carapane is a lock there. But Grant Anderson is definitely going sniffing at the heels.
00:17:58
Speaker
Tom Duffy, he got picked up by the North Queensland Cowboys. He's out of Reynolds Insurance. Obviously, Kobe Black signed with the Canberra Raiders, which we're going to talk about very shortly. But Tom Duffy started last year out of nowhere.
00:18:13
Speaker
So it's kind of good to get another young fella getting developed, particularly you've Ben Hunt and Reno there to mentor a guy like Duffy. But a guy like Jonah Pezzet is coming in 2027. So can Tom Duffy find a spot in that team?
00:18:28
Speaker
I'm not sure. That's a very good question. Maybe a depth piece, maybe a development piece. We will see. As I mentioned, not too relevant 2026, but definitely worthy to note that Jonah Pezzet has signed for 2027. And major outs, we already talked about Selwyn Cobbo. His versatility is going to be sorely missed, but as the Broncos do, they have a fantastic nursery of young fellas coming through.
00:18:52
Speaker
Underrated loss, I think, is going to be Kobe Hetherington. Tongue twister again. Kobe Hetherington has gone to Manly. I think Manly's got a fantastic pickup there. He's the best version of the modern-day middle.
00:19:04
Speaker
Fantastic leg speed. Finds his front. I'm not trying to diss him at all, but it's like Timu Cameron Murray. Is that too harsh, Timo Karamari? But yeah, very good. He's very good. He's very, very good. um Yeah, he's going to miss in the middle rotation. Again, he's the perfect modern day front roller in my eyes.
00:19:23
Speaker
Fletcher Baker, not overly relevant, but again, depth. And Kobe Black, as we just mentioned, Tom Duffy in, Kobe Black out. Kobe Black was meant to be the next man up. So it' very interesting that the Broncos decided to go with the Jonah Pezzett situation over Kobe Black.
00:19:39
Speaker
Is this something we're not seeing? I'm not sure. Kobe Black also going to the Raiders with Sanders being sort of the New South Wales equivalent to Kobe Black's Queensland equivalent. And along along with Ethan Strange at the 5'8 position, does Ethan Strange move in 2027? That's another conversation to have, but it's a sohar oh sorry it's a good dilemma to have if you are the Canberra Raiders, that's for sure. But Kobe Black, high upside halfback, will be sorely missed, was the under-19s Queensland halfback as well.
00:20:11
Speaker
And then the biggest one happened very recently, probably within the past month, was the Payne Haas signing with the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2027 on a three-year deal.
Payne Haas's Future Move
00:20:20
Speaker
Huge.
00:20:22
Speaker
Arguably the biggest signing of all time. Again, we've got guys like Greg Inglis who have left teams from Melbourne Storm. You've got like Folau leaving the Storm. You've got Burgess signing from overseas. You've got all these different guys over the years. But Payne Haas is so monumentally important to the Broncos, it's insane that he left. yeah I thought he would be a Brisbane Bronco for life. There was murmurs. or Let's just get straight into it.
00:20:50
Speaker
I've got right here. So Paynehouse, again, confirmed three-year deal with South Sydney Rabbitohs. Brisbane decided to waive the cooling off period in recent times. So that's definitely confirmed.
00:21:03
Speaker
The Haas window is now. What is the role the Brisbane Broncos is going to do with Payne Haas? Are they going to run him into the ground? In the World Club Challenge, it was kind of hard to give a definitive answer because Corey Jensen got that HIA in the first 90 seconds, which meant Paddy Carrigan and Payne Haas had to play a full game, and obviously they were down.
00:21:22
Speaker
But what will Magic Maguire do with Payne Haas? um Will they run him into the ground early on? Will they give him about 60 minutes and then look for that 80-minute performance later on because it's not the there next year?
00:21:33
Speaker
Time will tell. Payne Haas is always going to be a guy who's going to work his ass off regardless what team he's going to. So I'm not worried about his effort. And I think the Broncos are gonna have to go very, very well.
00:21:47
Speaker
um in regard to their recruitment. And there's a guy by the name of Mitchie Barnett who's asked for a release to get closer to the southeast or the Gold Coast sort of area. His parents or not his daughter or something is in Newcastle. So he needs to get into that sort of region. I'm hearing murmurs that Mitch Barnett might sign the Broncos, Titans, Newcastle Knights.
00:22:11
Speaker
um as a potential middle replacement. A one-for-one if Mitch Barnett can sign. Obviously, not nowhere near the same caliber as Payne Haas, but it's a very handy pickup for the Broncos if they could do that.
00:22:22
Speaker
But Payne Haas with Magic Maguire, he got the licensed offload. It's huge. He's going to be such a big loss. We'll see. What are they going to do with their cap space as well? Like Mitch Barnett, maybe a one-to-one signing.
00:22:36
Speaker
Just dropped half of that on my shirt. Fantastic. ahs But yeah, any form slump, I would say, would not be due to Payne Haas. Payne Haas is the GOAT. Very good signing. Probably one of the main reasons he left what I've heard from the media, i'm just regurgitating what other media outlets have said, is that Payne Haas got called by guys like Dave Fafita. He used to play with the Broncos, Latrell Mitchell, or both similar ages. um Pretty much did the recruitment.
00:23:05
Speaker
come sign with the Rabideaus, we need another middle. I've also heard that Payne Haas' dad's a diehard Rabideaus fan. I've also heard that before Brisbane committed and locked in with Payne Haas back in one of his son in 2016, Payne Haas was looking to sign with the Rabideaus when Madge McGuire was actually at the helm and Sam Burgess was meant to attend one of Payne Haas' youth games. Didn't attend, got blown off and Payne Haas pretty much implied, see you later champ, I'm going to go... ah Got a call from Wayne Bennett and Wayne Bennett said, come to the Broncos. And then that's when he went to the Broncos. So something you to note, but let me know in the comments what you think about the Paynear situation. I think it's the biggest loss of all time, honestly.
00:23:48
Speaker
Monumental. But Broncos, if one thing they can do is recruit. They're a mecca. I'm not going to go too much in the World Cup Challenge because take it with a grain of salt. Australian teams have never done really well. Think about the dynamic Pembroke Panthers team. They've lost a few of those World Cup Challenge. But the bad pattern that we've seen within the Broncos when their final series was they get down and they'd like to come back.
00:24:14
Speaker
Brisbane did it again in the World Club Challenge. They obviously lost to Hull, who also lost at Vegas. So what does that say? Pardon me. But you can't be trying to run down four tries in 20 minutes every single game.
00:24:28
Speaker
It's not feasible. It's not sustainable. What can they do differently? We'll see. But I thought Reece Walsh played very well. ah Corey Jensen got injured very early on, but so did, I think, the fullback.
00:24:41
Speaker
for Hull as well when the bronco not yeah when the Broncos made that big comeback. Shibasaki, the glaze again, was fantastic. His counterpart in regards to Ketone Staggs, I thought he was awful. Shocking ball control. But when the Broncos want to score points and they're running downhill, they are very, very hard to stop. But again, as I mentioned before, Magic Maguire needs to focus on that defense. They need to be a top four defense in my eyes this year.
00:25:07
Speaker
Now, the guys have been following along in recent episodes. We do the strength of schedule, which is from Fox Sports. They look at um teams A-verse in 2025 who are top four, top eight, bottom four, when the buy rounds are, when origin is, when the buys are actually scheduled as well. And they synthesize that to provide a tangible number. And the Brisbane Broncos have got the fifth hardest schedule with a brutal start.
00:25:31
Speaker
So in the first month, they got the Panthers, who Nathan Cleary managed to dodge that suspension. The Parramatta Eels, I have no idea what to think about them guys. The Parramatta Eels could be anywhere between bloody, I said 17th at one stage, but they're looking better than that. But Parramatta Eels may be anywhere between 16 and 6.
00:25:50
Speaker
who Who knows? I don't think they've got the strike power get the top eight, but we'll see. Melbourne Storm, they're always going to be there and about. If they can sign Zach Lomax with that whole debacle, well that's another... Who knows? What if situation?
00:26:02
Speaker
Go check that out on my um Melbourne Storm review guys and Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, if you get your podcast. That's a very interesting listen too. he's get The Melbourne Storm, Zach Lomax and the Eels are all getting subpoenaed from the Supreme Court. So watch that space.
00:26:16
Speaker
um They're going good regardless. And obviously the Redcliffe Dolphins, unreal. I think they're going to be a top 16. They're finally going to make the top eight. So close. So close last year. But I think the Dolphins are going the top eight. They've got depth galore in all positions. Guys like Nafar, who would be a starting ringer on other teams, not going playing.
00:26:37
Speaker
Guys like even like Avarilo, Fuller, depending on how they to their back line. Fene Fouillaki, Lemu Lemu, they might not even be starting. You've got Flegler back, Gilbert back. Yeah, I think the Dolphins are definitely to be top 16.
00:26:49
Speaker
um They've got all three bars crammed into an eight-week block. Good, bad, I think it's probably a good thing. They probably need that extra bit of rest and then they can obviously, depending where they are on the ladder, they might be able to get another week off at the back end of the season.
00:27:04
Speaker
And then they go eight straight games in that final. So again, if they're locked in a top four position um with one game to go I highly predict them to rest for sure.
00:27:17
Speaker
they've got only one buy before an Origin game. So take that as you will. So as we can see in my little bar graph, guys, pretty snazzy, isn't it? They've got 12 games versus 2025 top eight teams, five games against 2025 top four teams, and five games against 2025 bottom four teams. Yes, I know how good is Gamma. Huh.
00:27:41
Speaker
Take it as you will. I think every team's better. And are guys like the Dragons, for example, they're predicted one of the be the bottom four teams. They look very good against... Well, actually, they didn't look very good, but they were very competitive against the Bulldogs, who are meant to be a top four team.
00:27:57
Speaker
Cowboys, ah don't know. They're not looking very good. But take that as you will with Scott Drinkwater getting injured. I think that's a big miss. McKaylee as well with the MCL sprain. But...
00:28:07
Speaker
That wasn't looking very good. But again, I think any, what i'm getting at guys, anyone on their given day can win. And that's proven in recent years. Transparency throughout the league is what we want. And I think that's what we got. And i think it's going to be even closer than it was last year.
00:28:24
Speaker
Broncos fans, what are your thoughts on their strength of schedule being the fifth hardest? Let know in the comments. Now, we've got their projected 17. But again, it's a 19-man squad because only two, or sorry, four out of the six guys on the bench can only be played. Hence why it's the best 17.
00:28:40
Speaker
But their starting 13 is absolutely elite. Now, guys, let me know in the comments if you have any differentiation in regards to who makes that top team.
00:28:50
Speaker
And do you think their strategy changes week to week, obviously, with injuries? We saw in the Vegas round that when Scott Drinkwater went off the team, I thought Robert Derby was going to comment come on as an outside back replacement. They actually put Kyle O'Donnell on.
00:29:05
Speaker
And they put Sam McIntyre to the centers. So just because they're now side back on the bench doesn't mean they're necessarily going to be replacing them. I think that's a stupid move, personally. But as you guys can see in my top 13 on screen, ah we got something a little bit different.
00:29:20
Speaker
But... Majority of the squad doesn't change from their grand final win. Of course not. Why would it? So in their back five, back five, Recy Walsh, he's your starting fullback.
00:29:32
Speaker
He's your bona fide superstar. He's your weapon. He gets the picture for a reason. You got to get him the ball and you got to get him good ball. We don't want to get him overworked for no apparent reason. We want him getting good space. um Hopefully the Broncos work down in the off season.
00:29:49
Speaker
Carapane and Mariner on the wing, very athletic, very dynamic, very good in contact and very good meter readers for their sizes. Very athletic as well. Shibasaki, Ketone Staggs, both origin caliber slash Australian caliber representatives.
00:30:03
Speaker
They were guns. They were fantastic. Their on Supercoach explains everything. I think that left-hand side with Shibasaki, Carapane and Ezra Mam is absolutely dynamic.
00:30:14
Speaker
And I think as a man now at the number six jersey in the spine with an off season without that lingering incident that he had, hamstring injuries behind him, a shitty, it was a really shitty game he had in the World Club Challenge. That game behind him, I think he's due for a breakout and I'm praying because he must be coached draft.
00:30:33
Speaker
At the halfback, steering the ship is Adam Reynolds, of course. We will see. Hopefully, there's a little bit more consistency in regards to the way he's playing and staying healthy. i think that's the biggest thing. A lot of soft tissue injuries in 2025. But we do have a little bit of depth.
00:30:48
Speaker
And that guy at the depth position who would take that spot is Benny Hunt. um If there's an injury in the halves, Ben Hunt goes straight in, of course. But I think Ben Hunt starts at the hooker position. Very serviceable. um Can play a little bit of middle as well if need be. The small ball, as like they call it.
00:31:04
Speaker
But he'll be very he'll be starting there for sure. I thought x Xavier Wilson might have got a sniff, but going off the World Club Challenge and the grand final, Corey Jensen's definitely retained his spot. We'll see if he gets named round one. Obviously, he had that concussion not in 90 seconds within that first game.
00:31:21
Speaker
But I've got Corey Jensen and the GOAT paint Haas to start in the front row. Those two guys, very serviceable for sure. You've got Pierre Cora and Jordan Rickey at the second row position. If Pierre Cora is not ready to go, I've got Jack Jogjeski ready to fill that role straight away.
00:31:40
Speaker
But otherwise, Jordan Rickey, he's been fantastic. He's sniffing around that New Zealand international team as well. So kudos to him. And Pierre Cora started very, very slowly. Yeah.
00:31:51
Speaker
Coach Madge Maguire was very hard on Pierre Cora because obviously the monumental upside that it provides being that athletic beast. But he was very underwhelming in 2025, at least to start the year, finished strong that left-hand edge with Ezra Shibasaki and Karapani. That could be one of the best in the comp if Pierre Cora can feel his potential. What are thoughts on Pierre Cora, guys? Let me know in the comments. I know he got invited to camp by Billy Sater as well, so eye on that.
00:32:22
Speaker
At lock, I've got Patrick Carrigan. Again, we've been glazing him all podcast. Future captain of the club. Absolute workhorse. Yeah. Done. Absolute done.
00:32:33
Speaker
So coming off the bench, there's some other guys we could talk about. I think Blake Moser is ready to go. um Broncos have been very patient with Blake Moser. He had a bit of an injury scare last year with his shoulder. Yeah.
00:32:45
Speaker
i think it was a dislocation, if I recall, and then it was like sublaxed. Could be wrong, correct me if I'm wrong, guys. But Blake Moser, very good. And I think he's going to provide a bit more spark than what Ben Hunt can do. Ben Hunt takes the sting out of the aim of the game. Blake Moser comes in with that attacking flair.
00:33:01
Speaker
I've got Xavier Willison coming off the bench as the first forward, probably replacing Corey Jensen. Xavier Willison's the next man up. He's got big shoes to fill next year when Payne Haas leaves.
00:33:13
Speaker
Xavier Willison was one of the best on ground during that grand final run as well. So good, so big, so athletic, so strong. Big season expected for Xavier Willison.
00:33:24
Speaker
As mentioned before, Jack Drogeski can provide that second row slash a little bit of middle um coverage. He will definitely start if Pierre Corey is out. However, he provides a bit of utility off the bench there.
00:33:38
Speaker
Ben Tolte makes my jersey 17. I thought he was a bit hard done by missing out on that the grand final team. Again, he's that modern-day front roller. He's that Kobe Heatheriting-esque player. I think Ben Tolte has that really quick play of the ball, finds his front very well.
00:33:55
Speaker
um He's going to be a very regular person there. He looked very good in the World Club Challenge might as well. At Jersey 18, I've got Grant Anderson. He's your utility outside back. Can play center and wing in a pinch if need be. He can play fullback. But you've got guys like a Tony Staggs. Probably full there before him. But Grant Anderson, very serviceable.
00:34:13
Speaker
Definitely sniffing out the heels on guys like Carapane and Maronite if they underperform. And I'm going to butcher this, guys, but Taha. Taha. Taha. ta wa hu Do you remember in the comments how to pronounce that? I absolutely butchered Should have gone on a YouTube or something beforehand. But what I've been reading online, very promising.
00:34:35
Speaker
Smokey to start a Pierre Cora is not available, but can play middle, can play edge. Got that dull, got that aggression in him. And what I saw in the World Cup Challenge from him, very serviceable.
00:34:47
Speaker
And that's the main thing. Provides something different, which is good. Guys who just miss out, Jesse Arthurs, very unlucky. Again, now you've got Grant Anderson there. You've got depth galore. okay So if someone goes down Arthurs and Grant Anderson, they're straight in, which is great.
00:35:03
Speaker
Fantastic depth. Tom Duffy, as we mentioned before, he's came from the Cowboys, can provide a little bit of half depth if Ben Hunt and or MAM and or Renault aren't ready to go. We will see because he obviously got lots of guys like Tyson Smoothie. Corey Pakes is there in a bounce as well, guys. And Billy Walters had that ACL injury.
00:35:20
Speaker
So he probably will be back in the back two-thirds of the season, but he's a big loss. um Would he start? He was that good. Like every time he came off the bench, he provided that punch, can play 5'8", if need be as well.
00:35:36
Speaker
He fills that role. He fills that role of that utility. Probably a guy like Taha, Tawa, ha again, comments, guys, roast me for that. But yeah, I think he would replace a guy like him. The utility value he provides is very, very good.
00:35:52
Speaker
And then another guy in Bentukura, big boy. He's like 6'8". He's monstrous. He's probably a year away. He's probably that next guy up. When Xavier Willison gets promoted next year to the front row for Payne Haar, you'd probably think Bentukura would take Willison's impact role off the bench. What are thoughts on Bentukura, guys? Let me know in the comments.
00:36:14
Speaker
But definitely getting a chance for an origin for sure. Now, big question points and talking points for 2026.
Managing Key Players and Strategies
00:36:20
Speaker
As I mentioned before, is there too many cooks in the kitchen?
00:36:24
Speaker
So this is Reece Walsh's team. We know that. We've seen that. It's proven. But can Hunt, Mam, Renault and the likes get him the good ball that he needs to take them back to the promised land, get them back to the grand final?
00:36:38
Speaker
We don't want Walsh doing unnecessary, silly organizing. We want rosh Walsh being that sweet player on that three and two or creating a three and two or that two and one. We want him in that good ball. We don't want him being a Kalen Ponger setting up everything.
00:36:55
Speaker
um I think having Ezra Mann back in the team as well consistently is going to help Walsh significantly, having that other runner to support him. What are your thoughts on the a the spine of the Brisbane Broncos, guys?
00:37:08
Speaker
On paper, it's one of the best, but can they stay healthy? That's the question. Let me know in the comments. I already talked about this with Adam Reynolds, but how do they manage him? They have depth, particularly when Billy Walters comes back.
00:37:20
Speaker
um They got yeah Hunt to fill that role. Tom Duffy, if need be, in the wings. Do they give him an extra game or two? A little bit tired, a little bit sore.
00:37:31
Speaker
Get the week off. Get him the week off. That's my thoughts. What do you think on Adam Reynolds, guys? How do they manage his workload? think that's really important. Now, Mads Maguire and defense. So again, as I mentioned at the very start of the podcast, they had the seventh worst, the best, I guess seventh best defense in the comp, but they needed to tighten that. I think they need be top four. Again, the comp has been so tight this year.
00:37:56
Speaker
I think they're goingnna have to tighten up slightly to make it back to the promised land because they don't want to have that luck and skill, but mostly luck of chasing all these teams from behind.
00:38:07
Speaker
They get their defense right. It's going make their life a whole lot easier. And as mentioned before, when the Payne-Hast slide, the Haast uses dilemma. How are they going to use Payne-Hast? Are they going to use it for 60, 65 minutes? Are they going to run into the ground 80 minutes per game? Is it going to be game dependent?
00:38:22
Speaker
I think it's really going to depend on who they're playing. Ideally, he plays 55 to 65 minutes against a team like the Cowboys, where they don't really need them, if they're up, obviously.
00:38:35
Speaker
caveat there but guys who are probably going to be there and about within the top four maybe like the doggies maybe like the storm or the panthers you probably pay them up to 65 to 80 minutes circumstances pending what do you guys thoughts on that sort of strategy let me know in the comments now my 2026 brisbane broncos ladder prediction i've got them second definitely could see them coming first that's definitely their ceiling is first place on the ladder Probably worst case, six.
00:39:08
Speaker
But definitely don't see them dropping out of the top eight Not a chance. They've got too much depth in each position. I think a grand final berth is definitely in the cards. I think that's 100% feasible and up to their top potential.
00:39:23
Speaker
I don't see them missing the top eight. I don't see them missing the top four. So I think a top four is a lock. I project them to finish anywhere between one to three in the final ladder predictor, but I got them got second.
Predictions for the Broncos' Season
00:39:36
Speaker
got them a second. Definitely a premiership threat. But caveat, if Rhys Walsh goes down, i am concerned. they've If Payne Haas goes down, i am concerned.
00:39:49
Speaker
Obviously, two guns in your team go down. There's never going to be very good. But you've got depth in the halves now. You've got Ezra. You've got Ben Hunt. You've got Tom Duffy. um You've got depth at Hooker as well where Moes getting promoted You've got some other guys who I'm probably missing off the top of my head.
00:40:06
Speaker
But there's depth in each position. But you need Rhys Walsh. You need Rhys Walsh. But guys, that's the podcast. That's the Brisbane Broncos 2025 slash 2026 preview. How do we go? Let us know the comments.
Audience Engagement and Appreciation
00:40:20
Speaker
Do you like this new multimodal format? I've done this for um the Raiders and the Storm. So again, check those out on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. Again, we're on all major listening platforms. I'm loving you guys commenting as well um on social media through TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram. We do those reels.
00:40:38
Speaker
I love the conversation and I'm loving and super coach. um Is Reece Walsh in your team? Is Payne Haas in your team? Is there someone I'm missing? Again, give me that conversation point, guys. Let me know in the comments. But again, like, subscribe, share, tell a mate.
00:40:54
Speaker
Tell your dad, okay? um I'm loving doing this. Again, Tackles and Tinnies is popping off in 2026. I love every single one of you who is listening and engaging. it Honestly, it means a lot. I sometimes get five viewers. Sometimes I get 500 viewers. It doesn't matter if I'm getting a little bit of joy from one person. It's worth every single minute. So guys, I'm filming this on the 2nd of March.
00:41:20
Speaker
Footies finally back. I love you all. Up the mighty Broncos and the Gold Coast time. Let's go. hu