Brisbane to tackle injury woe

NEW Brisbane coach Kevin Walters (pictured) will overhaul the club’s high-performance program after an independent review spotlighted training methods that turned the Broncos into injuryprone crocks.

A forensic review, conducted by sports-consultancy expert Eugenie Buckley, explored several facets of Brisbane’s football arm, including why the Broncos suffered an alarming spate of injuries.

The Broncos crashed to the worst season in their 32year history in 2020, finishing with their first wooden spoon after enduring the most painful injury crisis since Brisbane’s foundation in 1988.

Incredibly, 14 top-line Broncos – almost half of Brisbane’s full-time squad – encountered injury this season, including David Fifita, Matt Lodge, Anthony Milford, Kotoni Staggs, Jake Turpin and Jack Bird.

Almost 30 Broncos employees were interviewed over two weeks. Interestingly, current assistant Allan Langer – the greatest player in the club’s history – was not interviewed, although incoming coach Walters, his scrumbase partner during Brisbane’s glory years of the 1990s, was quizzed.

The Broncos board has been provided a detailed report containing a number of key recommendations, including an analysis of the NRL program driven by former coach Anthony Seibold and highperformance chief Paul Devlin.

Seibold fell on his sword in August with a woeful 35 per cent win record, while the Broncos confirmed on Friday they had severed ties with Devlin.

Just one player in their entire squad, now retired veteran Darius Boyd, managed to play all 20 games this season.