Another Brisbane Broncos injury as Brendan Piakura leaves training
Broncos coach Kevin Walters said he would not rule out bringing the one-time State of Origin prop back into the fold – having been the man to sign off on his release in 2021 – but declared the depth of his forwards was not the issue.
“No, not yet. We’re still comfortable with where we are,” Walters said, when asked if he would be on the hunt for another middle.
Tevita Pangai junior has not played for the Broncos since 2021.Credit: NRL Photos
“Even with all those players we still could’ve lost two games. We played some quality teams, and we have had some changes to our squad and our list, so we’re still adjusting a little bit to that.
“But a lot of the work that we need to do is about ourselves and making sure we get our defence right. I’m just disappointed with that 20-minute period [after Walsh left the field] where we didn’t adjust as quickly as we should have.”
Beyond the Broncos’ starting side, depth throughout the pack is limited.
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Xavier Willison, Corey Jensen, Kobe Hetherington, Marty Taupau and Baker all took the field last week, with only Hunt and teenage giant Ben Te Kura yet to play.
At just 19, Te Kura stands at 205 centimetres and possesses the frame and offload that could one day make him the X-factor needed to inject spark off the bench.
He ran for 135m with four tackle busts for the Magpies against Norths Devils on the weekend, but was seen spending much of Broncos’ training running on the sidelines.
Brisbane champion and Souths Logan coach Karmichael Hunt believed it was too early to cast judgment on the misfiring pack.
“We’ve all got work ons and are continually striving to get better. Benny is in that boat as well – is it too soon? I’m not too sure, but what I’m seeing is his best is good enough,” Hunt said.
“I’m sure Kevvie and the coaching staff will make that call if and when he deserves it. The whole of last year they were injury free and didn’t have to face this problem.
“What we saw [on Thursday night] was just how important Payne Haas is to the team. With someone down, it’s an opportunity for someone to step up … but I think it’s jumping the gun [questioning the Broncos’ pack].”
