Yeah, me too. I'm not expecting us to be that great, i'm just optimistic that we can return to playing some exciting football. I think the attitude in defence is there and has been for years. If we're fighting in most games, and playing with better attacking structures, ill be happy.
The pre-season 2026 thread
- Thread starter Billy
- Start date
mozza
Game on broheim
We are an easy choice for last based on our thoroughly deserved spoon this year. I don’t think it’ll happen unless injuries completely ruin us.
I think our roster is better than 2025 but there are definitely questions marks over our middles and depth. No doubt there’s plenty of talent there though and having an attacking minded coach gives me optimism. If our young guys aim up and the key players stay on the field I think we’ll play finals footy.
I think our roster is better than 2025 but there are definitely questions marks over our middles and depth. No doubt there’s plenty of talent there though and having an attacking minded coach gives me optimism. If our young guys aim up and the key players stay on the field I think we’ll play finals footy.
frankLauda
Matthew Gidley
Cody Hopwood is still only 19, turns 20 in may next year. I didn’t realize he was still so young.
Just checking Pat Carringians playing career. He was 21 when he started playing for the Broncos, and played 19 games. His second year played 19 and co-captained for 12 games.
Just checking Pat Carringians playing career. He was 21 when he started playing for the Broncos, and played 19 games. His second year played 19 and co-captained for 12 games.
Junior
Tony Herman
I'm gonna be honest, we aint winning no comp in 2026, should be aiming for the 8 of course but should really be aiming for our future. We finally have a young highly touted spine locked in of Brown, Smith, Sharpe, Crossy and maybe KP (but a lot of talent without).
That last bench spot should be alternated between our junior forwards, let's not burn any one individual out especially the young middles. Hopwood, Crouch, ESL could all alternate the roll playing 7 or so games each give or take. Would be great for development
Les Misérables
Mark Hughes
Yea, the aim for 2026 isn't to 'make the top 4', necessarily, it's to perform in a way which demonstrates that we have the fundamentals to get there in 27'.
I'm hoping to see a team that can mix it with the best on their day but fall short in certain areas that can be addressed or are being addressed by means over which we have control e.g. middle forwards - we have Hopwood coming through.
I expect us to challenge for the 8 in 26'. I expect Mooney to be a quality replacement for Thompson, though different and perhaps more effective in his own way. I expect our brand of footy to make our middle forwards look better than they did under O'Brien, less labour more natural go-forward created by the spine/style of play. I expect points to come a lot easier and I expect to have that old feeling back where we could defeat any opponent on our day.
For pundits like Cam Smith to predict we run last, again, is an embarrassing underestimation of our current roster, not least our emerging roster. These people have no idea
Grandpa Joe
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
It is very understated how draw dependent a teams finish is, also how often do 4 teams out of a top 8 suck the year after.
We could go anywhere from last to 6th IMO.
Newygirl
Adam Woolnough
That’s one thing they shouldn’t have to worry about. The Knights pretty much always get an easy draw, they just generally fail to make the most of it by losing games to the likes of the Cowboys, Titans and Dragons
It would be nice if they could actually start the season off with a few wins, beat the Cowboys for a change and actually beat the Titans twice. Actually winning the games they should win would be a nice change of pace
It would be nice if they could actually start the season off with a few wins, beat the Cowboys for a change and actually beat the Titans twice. Actually winning the games they should win would be a nice change of pace
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Mate the point is that the other guy straight up barely kicks and did not look good doing so. If we’d signed Jamal Fogarty I’d be more comfortable trying to bed Sharpe in at 6. Some halves can do about 90% of the kicking for their team. We don’t have that kind of half.
Sandon’s stats are weird because Savala or Townsend was the main kicker in a lot of his games but unlike Brown he has never shown *reluctance* to shoulder kicking load.
The point though, which you’ve basically noted in your post so I don’t get why you seem to be in disagreement with me, is that Brown being a reluctant general play kicker, for whatever reason, makes him a very questionable fit with *checks notes* the worst general play kicker out of all starting halves in the NRL. All of a sudden almost all the pressure re: the kicking game is on Brown and Ponga, and I’m not convinced either is an ideal player to put that kind of pressure on.
My stance is that when you don’t have an elite kicker you need more of an “all hands on deck” approach and can’t carry a guy at 6 or 7 who just doesn’t kick.
Relax bud, i brought up one stat, you can say whatever you want. I'm willing to back in Sharpe to get better personally at the position, he's played 10 or so games in a disjointed team/spine. Crossland was straight up awful at hooker for a while when starting out there, but he got better.
Les Misérables
Mark Hughes
If Brown was capable of being 'that guy' at halfback, Id be all for playing Sharpe at 6.
But without question, Brown is not that guy at 7. He is however 'that guy' at 6. And Sharpe isnt a halfback.
So this whole thing kinda decides itself in a way.
But without question, Brown is not that guy at 7. He is however 'that guy' at 6. And Sharpe isnt a halfback.
So this whole thing kinda decides itself in a way.
frankLauda
Matthew Gidley
I really like to see them try Sharpe in centre. Look at how Brown and Casey McClean have linked up for NZ. My only concern could be his defence. If they decide to go Sharpe at 6, Sandon hooker, or 14 I won’t be overly disappointed. The coach’s saw something in pre-season to say Brown and Sharpe are the halves.
Genuine question:
Did they see something or was that the best combo we had (Sharpe & Brown) given our other halves options at the time?
Im not criticising Sharpe, I thought he was doing a really good job and improving each week. It was a shame he got injured. He was clearly our best half last season, but now we have Sandon who wasn’t in the initial plans
Holbrook will see how Sharpe and Sandon go in preseason. As well as how Brown and Crossland fit into the mix, as they’ll factor into his decisions as well
I personally think Holbrook’s will want to get off to a good start, so having Sharpe learning in the halves compared to Sandon who is more experienced in the halves might be a deciding factor
I just feel that our strongest combo right now is
1 Ponga
6 Brown
7 Sandon
9 Crossland
With Sharpe having a roaming role so he can pop up through the middle of the field
Treadly
Clint Newton
Actually yeah, I'm with ya. Win the easily winnable games and be in the fight for the rest. Also not getting demolished be the best. Or the last round eels
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
No he wasn’t.
Fletcher is a better player than Phoenix, but Phoenix took to the actual core requirements of effectively playing hooker a lot more quickly than Sharpe took to the core responsibilities of a half.
Junior
Tony Herman
Sharpes played a whopping 15 games in the halves and Crossy is at 50 starting hooker games and 41 on the bench... Think Crossy is great but he didn't take to it in 15 games, bit wrong on this point Harv
And as for him not being our best player in 2025, we were tied on wins with 8th pos when he got injured in round 16... He definitely was our best for that first 16 rounds and still won our Marathon voted player of the year having played 10 less games than gags, 4 less than Best, and 1 more than both Ponga and Lucas who rounded out our top 5 players of the year.
So in simple, YES he was our best player!