Kevin Walters has hailed Adam Reynolds as a prized playmaking signing to rebuild around as Storm and Queensland Origin centre Brenko Lee prepares to join him at Red Hill next year.
Reynolds s three-year, $2 million-plus Broncos deal was confirmed on Thursday after the 2014 premiership winner had knocked back a similar three-year offer from Cronulla.
The 30-year-old halfback will join Brisbane next season until the end of 2024, after being pursued hard by the rebuilding Broncos, who are also in the final throes of luring Lee north after reviving his career at Melbourne.
Lee is understood to be close to sign-off on a two-year deal with Brisbane next season, travelling in the opposite direction as Storm-bound star and Maroons teammate Xavier Coates.
Rugby League by Peter Badel, Travis Meyn, Chris Honnery 10th May 2021 10:32 AM
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Subscriber only Broncos coach Kevin Walters says the departure of star winger Xavier Coates to Melbourne next year will not de-rail his plans to rebuild the struggling Brisbane club. The Coates signing saga was finally confirmed on Sunday, with Melbourne announcing the 20-year-old to a two-year deal from the 2022 season in a huge coup for the club. The Maroons winger told his Brisbane teammates in the aftermath of Saturday s 19-18 loss to the Cowboys that he will be linking with the Storm next season, despite their attempts to urge him to remain at Red Hill.
Roosters rookie Sam Walker has been touted as one of the future stars of the NRL. Obviously money would have played a little bit of a part in it but boy . you know players, when you grow up in the state of Queensland and when both of these guys were in the most exciting time of their life, when they were around 12, 13, 14 years of age, they would have wanted to be Brisbane Broncos. There s no doubt about that. To see them opt for a different pasture is confusing. Obviously managers would have played a fair bit of a role in that, but the player has the last say.
There is a struck match between the trio in most statistical categories, though if Ponga had played eight games rather than four his totals in terms of tries, assists and busts would likely stretch ahead of the other two.
The Knights custodian has also been the safest fielding kicks and is the only genuine general play kicking option of the three. Brimson and Holmes each had a slow start to the year statistically before picking up the pace in recent weeks.
NRL.com verdict: Ponga
Candidates: Cameron Munster, Ben Hunt, Ash Taylor
Storm five-eighth Munster produced one of the finest ever performances by a Queensland No.6 in last year s decider – not something you say lightly given the jersey was worn by all-time Origin legend Darren Lockyer and Origin s greatest ever player in Wally Lewis.
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Sam Walker and Reece Walsh are prime examples of the Brisbane Broncos decline as the dream club for Queensland rugby league juniors, Wally Lewis says.
Walker is a rising superstar with the Roosters after his botched recruitment by Brisbane, while Walsh has starred for the Warriors after being released by the Broncos this season. Both are just 18, with massive futures looming. Walsh and Walker both, they were players that should have been in a Brisbane Broncos jersey, there s no doubt about that whatsoever, Lewis, the Broncos inaugural captain and a rugby league Immortal, said on Wide World of Sports