I would love to see Billy Slater coach the Broncos.
Brisbane are the biggest club in the land, have the most resources and their current roster is stacked with Origin players.
Queensland coach Slater has picked five Broncos players in his squads this series, while Payne Haas is arguably the Blues’ best player.
I understand it’s unlikely to happen, but with Brisbane underachieving at the moment it’s a question the club may need to ask considering Slater’s already-established connection with their best players.
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Slater’s rapport with Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam and Pat Carrigan is clear to see, while he’s also close with Selwyn Cobbo and has big raps on Brendan Piakura.
The Broncos need to maximise having all that talent around premiership-winning halfback Adam Reynolds while they still can – which is probably only until the end of next year.
Because let’s be honest, if the Broncos miss the top eight this season then Kevvie Walters will be under huge pressure to keep his job.
Kevvie is one of the most likeable blokes in the business but Brisbane are simply too big a club to tolerate playing finals just once in five years.
It might sound harsh to say Walters’ job is on the line less than nine months after guiding the club to the grand final, but look at Parramatta.
Brad Arthur took the Eels to the 2022 grand final but they missed the finals in 2023 and just 11 rounds into this season he was gone.
There are very few coaches the Broncos should consider moving Kevvie along for, but Slater is one of them and they should make him an offer he can’t refuse.
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Slater has got a great work-life balance at the moment between coaching the Maroons, breeding horses, commentating on NRL games and hosting a podcast.
He’d almost be crazy to give it up and enter the super stressful world of NRL coaching, but the Broncos are just about the one club you can’t knock back.
Is the club going forward under Kevvie? Are their players improving? Those are the questions the club needs to ask itself.
BULLDOGS FIND THEIR BITE
I wrote earlier this year that the Bulldogs were a mess and that I couldn’t see the direction they were trying to head in this season.
But I have to admit, Cameron Ciraldo and his team sure have implemented an identity at the club and they look set to play finals for the first time in years.
Ciraldo clearly has a style of play and mantra he wants the Bulldogs to adopt and the players are buying in.
I feel like every year they make big signings but it’s their middle-tier recruits which I’ve been most impressed with this season.
Of all the players that have gone there, and they’ve had a huge roster turnover under Ciraldo, everybody has improved.
Guys like Connor Tracey, Kurt Mann and Jayman Salmon have all taken their game to another level.
A sign of a good coach is to make ok players good and good players great and Ciraldo has been able to do that and get his side playing consistent football.
I was quoted in an article over the summer saying it’s a long year and the NRL is the toughest rugby league environment in the world so you need tough players.
Ciraldo has brought in blokes with a positive attitude who stay upbeat and willing to work week in, week out.
He’s built a resilient roster filled with guys who have high standards, work hard and don’t get distracted with flashy plays.
The guys who were sucking the energy out of the building at Belmore are gone and Ciraldo is building a culture set for success.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next at the Bulldogs and who they sign next. Is it a half? Is it a front-rower?
Ciraldo needs to launch the club off this foundation he’s built and make them premiership contenders again.
KNIGHTS SIGN BEST IN THE BUSINESS
Everyone is talking about Souths bringing back Wayne Bennett, who has a reputation for pulling apart teams and building premiership rosters.
But you know who else has just signed at a new club and is capable of doing the exact same thing?
Dolphins recruitment guru Peter O’Sullivan who will join the Knights ahead of next season.
As much as the Knights have been keeping their head above water with their current roster, I’m looking forward to seeing the changes that Peter O’Sullivan makes.
Clubs sign O’Sullivan to get the job done, he simply makes decisions.
He had plenty of success at the Storm, he built the Roosters’ Boyd Cordner era, he did the same thing at the Warriors and the Dolphins.
It’s all well and good that Sullivan is coming to the club but am I in his plans? Will be good to see their response.
Knights chief executive Phillip Gardner said O’Sullivan is the last piece of the puzzle and I think he’s right.
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It will be interesting to see the response of the players because some will be nervous knowing that O’Sullivan will come in and make changes straight away.
O’Sullivan simply gets what he wants because he’s bloody good at his job.
The Knights have a healthy roster with emerging talent, points scorers and workers… but I think there’s a good chunk of that roster that he’ll turn over.
The signing of O’Sullivan is one the fans should be excited for, he loves his footy and knows how to transform a club.