Corey Parker has called on the Brisbane Broncos’ veterans to show more leadership and stand up.
Corey Parker has rejected suggestions Reece Walsh was solely to blame for the Broncos’ loss to Parramatta on Friday night, saying the club’s veteran leaders should bear the brunt of the backlash. Brisbane were expected to trounce the lowly Eels at Suncorp Stadium, but instead came away with a 22-20 loss.
Walsh made a number of costly errors at the back, most notably when he failed to catch a bomb on the full which led to a Parramatta try. He was then found to be marginally off-side on what would have been the winning for the Broncos at the death.
The young fullback has copped plenty of criticism for his performance, but according to Parker it’s his veteran teammates who should take more responsibility. Parker pinpointed halfback Adam Reynolds and hooker Ben Hunt as two leaders of the club who didn’t stand up on Friday night, and didn’t pull Walsh into line when he went a bit erratic.
“There are moments in any sport when you need leadership,” the Broncos legend said on SEN radio on Monday. “There comes a time when your most experienced players and your leaders have to stand up and make some bold calls, and they have to stay on task.
“The Broncos have got Adam Reynolds at 35 years of age and over 300 games of experience. He’s the No.7. He’s what you would think is the leader of the football side. He’s the captain, and he plays a real pivotal position.
“Then you’ve got Ben Hunt at No.9 with just shy of 350 games. So between those two individuals you’ve got a collective 651 games between them. We hear so often when the Broncos win or don’t win, it’s either Reece Walsh has had an ordinary game or Reece Walsh has had a great game. [But] experience in big games and pivotal moments is paramount.”
Did the Broncos’ leaders stand up?
Parker pointed out some of the leaders at other clubs who make sure their teammates are held accountable. Parker mentioned Stephen Crichton at the Bulldogs, Tom Dearden at the Cowboys and Harry Grant at the Storm, who stepped up and led his side past the Roosters with Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes out.
He added: “You look at the team atop the competition – the Canberra Raiders – wonderful leaders in their football side that don’t deviate. Jamal Fogarty has plenty of youth in his team – Xavier Savage and Kaeo Weekes – but he does not deviate from what is required. Kicks to the corners really well and steers his team around the park when they start to get a little shaky.
“I want to see the leaders of the Broncos really stand up over the next four or five weeks, and if they can do that, what flows off the back of it will certainly be warranted. You need talent and your best players on the field, but some of the leadership we’ve seen so far this year has been exceptional (at the top clubs).”
Did the bye halt the Broncos’ momentum?
Parker said the Broncos may have suffered from having the bye in Round 20, which halted their momentum and eventually saw a six-game losing streak snapped. Coach Michael Maguire made a conscious decision to give his players a five-day break, but it might have cost them.
The Broncos were leap-frogged by the Panthers and fell to sixth place with the loss – four points behind the Warriors in fourth. Maguire’s side will need results to go their way if they’re any hope of a top-four finish.
