Squad Breakdown: Brisbane Broncos SC roster analysis

• SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: SC Spy drops his 2022 team
• BREAKDOWN: How the 2021 title was won and lost

The Brisbane Broncos will be hoping to bounce back after the dismal past two years they have thrown up.

They have recruited well and hopes in 2022 are high for supporters. Like 13^th or 12^th high.

The recruitment officer has been busy at Red Hill and no signing has been more important than Mr NRL360 Ben Ikin. I haven’t seen him mentioned in any team lists yet, I can only assume he is injured.

The signing of Adam Reynolds however has been the light at the end of the tunnel for Broncos supporters as he brings a wealth of experience, a premiership and leadership, something that Brisbane have desperately missed over these past two years.

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Despite the Broncos not threatening the top sides anymore, they are still very Supercoach friendly fielding a number of Supercoach relevant players.

It remains to be seen whether the likes of Staggs, Haas, Cobbo and Carrigan can find their Supercoach mojo which would go a long way to Brisbane putting together some wins.

Their draw to start the year is quite friendly, if you take the Rabbitohs out in Round 1. After that, they take on the Bulldogs (A), Cowboys (H), Warriors (A) and Roosters (H).

With our predicted teams, for SuperCoach purposes we’ve included any players returning from injury/suspension in the first three rounds in the starting line-up.

This combines both the likely starting teams and best 17s, as initial price changes occur after Round 3.

Let’s take a look at the Broncos’ SuperCoach prospects to begin the new season.

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PREDICTED TEAM

1.     Tesi Niu 2. Selwyn Cobbo 3. Herbie Farnworth 4. Kotoni Staggs 5. Jordan Pereira 6. Billy Walters 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Pat Carrigan 9. Corey Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington

Bench: 14. Jake Turpin 15. TC Robati 16. Brendan Piakura 17. Ryan James

Injuries/suspensions: Brendan Piakura (suspension, Round 2), Thomas Flegler (suspension, Round 4), Xavier Willison (knee, mid-season), Tesi Niu (Hamstring, Round 1-4), Adam Reynolds (COVID, Round 2), Kobe Hetherington (COVID protocols, Round 2).

Analysis: Prior to Adam Reynolds going down, the partnering five-eighth spot seemed to have been won by Billy Walters as he edged Tyson Gamble and Albert Kelly.

Ezra Mam also looms as an option down the track. Reynolds is due back in Round 2 according to reports. Kelly will likely partner Walters in the opener.

Tesi Niu will play fullback upon his return from injury with Cobbo moving back to the wing.

The hooking role is also a hot seat with Corey Paix playing his way into the 9 jersey over Jake Turpin with his trial form.

Depth doesn’t seem to be a problem for Brisbane with a number of their young guns getting good minutes at the back end of last year, whilst players like Isaako, Lee and Ryan James will be lurking and putting pressure on for spots.

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GUNS

Payne Haas // $595,000 // FRF // 2021 Ave: 60

Priced at $595k and owned by a massive 51% of players at time of writing. He will bang out your 70s with ease this year. A must-have.

MID-RANGERS

Kotoni Staggs // $433,100 // CTW // 2021 Ave: 62 (in 4 games)

Lets not get too excited here.. Kotoni has an injury history.

Trust me if you listen to the SC Playbook podcast you can catch the Overlord Tim talking about his injury woes over the past few years.

Although it did cost our illustrious leader his shot at $50k. He will be coming back from injury again so we can’t assume he will set the game alight from round 1.

So why do I have him in my side? With the new big name signings of Capewell and Reynolds, 2022 shapes as Kotoni’s year.

His past few seasons he has had to do it all himself when he was on the field. We know what a destructive runner he can be and early ball from Reynolds will only open up his game to new levels, something we all know he is capable of.

Should he stay injury free I can only see his price going up. He will give you the odd 30 point game here and there, but the Broncos draw is good and I can see a lot more points in them this year.

He averaged 59 in 14 games in 2020.

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Pat Carrigan // $462500 // 2RF // 2021 Ave: 53 (8 games)

One of my favourite Supercoach players of the past few years. Carrigan was a must-have in 2020 playing all bar 1 of Brisbane’s games and averaging a solid 67 pre-rule changes.

His 2021 season was derailed with a knee injury, sidelining him after only eight games.

Can 2022 produce some more of what we saw in 2020? I’m yet to believe otherwise.

His minutes should be around that 60-65 mark, but he is coming back from that knee injury.

I think he is favourite of Kevvies – he was captain in 2021 and that coveted 13 jersey for the Broncos has been a security blanket for Supercoaches over the years with the great CP13.

Why can’t we move on to a new and fresh PC13? Would love to see some increase in minutes.

He may start at prop while Flegler is suspended, but would return to lock afterwards.

The only concern I have with him is his lack of attacking stats. With the game changing so much over the past season, is there room for a 60 minute forward who makes 40 tackles and 10 hit ups?

His base in 2020 was great – around mid 50s but he needs to add some offloads otherwise he will be left behind.

Priced in the mid $400s, he is a player we can watch for the first month. I don’t think he will explode in price, but I would say come seasons end he will be around that $550K.

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Selwyn Cobbo // $320,100 // FLB/CTW // 2021 Ave: 40.7 (7 games)

One of the rising stars in Brisbane’s squad is their versatile back Selwyn Cobbo.

For Supercoachers, he finished last year with a 40 point average in a well beaten Broncos side and seems to have the NRL world at his feet.

He has some massive wraps on him, some comparing him to a young GI or Latrell Mitchell. The Athletes Foot couldn’t fill shoes that big!

For 2022 he does have some strong competition for spots with players like Farnworth, Brenko Lee, Niu and Corey Oates but he should win the right win spot that has opened up since Coates left for Melbourne.

He’s also expected to get first crack at fullback while Niu is out/

He is quite awkwardly priced though based off last year’s performances, but if his trial form was anything to go by, he will be in most sides come rounds 4-5. You can afford to start without him but if he bags a few tries early jump on because I can see his price going up.

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BARGAIN BUYS

Cory Paix // $205,100 // HOK and Brendan Piakura // $199,700 // 2RF

Going by all reports, it appears Cory Paix has come from the clouds to take the number 9 jersey off Jake Turpin.

If that’s the case, he is straight into my side alongside Randall. The Brisbane hookers of past years have been real workers i.e. McCullough and Turpin, but Paix looks to have broken that mould and was one of the Broncos best in their trails v Wynnam and again v the Cowboys.

Jordan Pereira // $266,500 // CTW // 2021 Ave: 38

Slightly awkwardly priced, but not too bad.

The bigger issue is the Broncos and whether they’ll be good enough to create opportunities for Pereira.

He averaged 50 just a few seasons back, so there’s money to be made, but it’ll really all come down to what the men inside him can do for him.

Hard to leave out at the price, the friendly early season draws helps his case a lot.

The absence of Adam Reynolds early on won’t help.

The other cheapie to keep an eye on is Brendan Piakura. Brisbane have some huge, huge wraps on the young back-rower.

He will miss the first round through suspension, but after that I can see him featuring heavily.

He was sin-binned in his debut last year just for good measure, but the Broncos have obviously seen something in him, offering him a $1.2 million dollar contract to keep him at Red Hill. Don’t sleep on him!

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AVOIDS

Adam Reynolds // $509,700 // HLB // 2021 Ave: 58.1

It has to be Adam Reynolds doesn’t it? He has never really been a massive Supercoach player but playing behind that Souths pack, there were always attacking points to be had. I can’t see him replicating that with Brisbane.

He won’t have the Cody Walkers and Latrell Mitchells around to take the attacking points off him, but he will rely heavily on early ball and finding Staggs, and early ball doesn’t come if you can’t win the ruck.

He may bag a few TAs but this side will take weeks to gel, that’s providing they stick solid. He is set to miss week one but unless his base increases dramatically, I can’t see him featuring ion too many of the top sides.