Corey Parker: I have huge concerns for the Cowboys and Broncos but high hopes for Titans

Yet I can only have confidence in the Titans heading into this season. Gold Coast are clearly Queensland’s No.1 team at the moment, with the Broncos and Cowboys having fallen off their perch. Who would have thought?

It’s a dangerous season to struggle as a club. As of November this year, Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins will be preparing to play in season 2023. They’ll be recruiting players aggressively and acting as a big carrot to anyone who isn’t happy with their current club.

The Dolphins only have a handful of a players so far, mostly from Melbourne, but I reckon there could be some collateral damage this season among the existing Queensland clubs.

If the Broncos and Cowboys again have poor seasons, their rosters could get pulled apart. Players will want an opportunity to go and play somewhere new, under Wayne, with the opportunity for greater success.

Here is how I see each Queensland club heading into season 2022, with major issues facing Brisbane and North Queensland, and further upside for Gold Coast after making last year’s finals.

COWBOYS (15th last season)

BIG ISSUES

I have enormous concerns over the Cowboys. For starters, they were the NRL’s worst defensive team last year, yet the problems go much deeper.

I always look at a club three ways: where they were, where they are and where they’re going. Where they were last year was pretty ordinary. Where they are and where they’re going … I’ve tried very hard and cannot get my head around that.

Their roster needs an overhaul, which takes salary cap money, yet they’ve got several guys there taking up a huge amount. It’s a massive issue before a ball is even kicked.

The Cowboys need to have really hard conversations with some of those individuals on long-term deals for huge money.

Jason Taumalolo, for one. I love what Jason is able to do but take the emotion out of it … I’d be having a conversation about a payout to release him from his contract. Or, as clubs are often forced to do, have him move on to another team while still paying a fraction of his salary.

He’s got six years left at one million bucks per season. By no means is that his fault but I’m sure it’s a headache for his coach, Todd Payten. If I’m outlaying $1 million for a player, they need to have a bearing on the scoreboard. Tom Trbojevic, Nathan Cleary, Latrell Mitchell, James Tedesco, Luke Keary – those are the types of players that deliver what you need in return for big money.

Jason Taumalolo, no. Valentine Holmes, no.

Taumalolo’s style of football alongside Johnathan Thurston, when the Cowboys were at their peak, was terrific. But to now be paying a bloke $1 million to play in the middle of the field, who doesn’t offload or pass, who plays between 50 and 60 minutes, just seems too steep.

The game has moved beyond him warranting that level of contract. Six years, $6 million left to go. Far out, that’s a lot of money. A release is the only fix; you can’t just ask him to cut his pay.

Holmes was bought for around that $1 million per season figure to play fullback, yet the game’s evolved and he’s not their best option at No.1; it’s now Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and that’s put Val into the centres. A million bucks is pretty decent cabbage for a centre, about double the going rate.

Contracts like those make it really difficult to attract other players and build a healthy roster. You’re really getting strung up by a few players on a lot of cash.

Jordan McLean is on his last year, also on a lot of money after being recruited from Melbourne. I don’t know that he’ll be re-signed and if he is, it will be for much less than he’s currently on.

Again, the Cowboys really need to have a hard look and give that roster a big shake-up, which they haven’t since winning the comp in 2015. This season, I find it hard to see how this team will play and how it can get better.

If I’m a Cowboys fan, looking at the roster and wondering how we’re going to go this year, I’m not feeling good in the stomach. And no disrespect, but all they’ve added is Brendan Elliot, Chad Townsend and Peta Hiku.

I know what they’re like up in Townsville. It’s a parochial town that gets behind its team. They’ve done plenty of good things in the past decade, including winning a comp and playing in another grand final. But as for the future … it’s hard to see.

THE COACH

Todd Payten spent much of his first season trying to work out how he could best get JT through the rest of his contract without him breaking down – and he couldn’t. He played on an edge, he played in the middle. He played less time, he played more time. All that and Payten was really unable to find the solution.

It’s a big headache – one of many heading into his second season.

As a new coach, the hardest thing is getting your start right, trying to cement yourself in the NRL on your first go. I’m sure that if you asked Payten if he saw the North Queensland job turning out as it has, when he first started, he’d say absolutely not.

He’s another coach who will be under enormous pressure this season. It’s a tough one; the easy option is always to say that the results are on the coach but honestly, if you put in another coach with this same roster, would the results be much different?

Todd had his first season with North Queensland last year and a lot of coaches probably got some grace due to the challenges of operating through Covid. This year, when it’s mostly back to normal, I don’t think that will be the case. Coaches who aren’t delivering wins for their clubs won’t be shown much generosity, Payten included.

THE SPINE

Chad Townsend played his best football in 2016. He’s now also on a lot of money up in Townsville.

He’s a premiership-winning halfback and there was an opportunity for him to sign a three-year contract on big cash. Good luck to him … but is he going to have a major bearing on the scoreboard?

It’s potentially another very heavy contract for the team to carry.

Tom Dearden was brought up there from Brisbane to play in the halves. He played a decent number of games last year and began to find his feet, so you’d think he may get first crack alongside Townsend.

With the experience Townsend has had in the NRL, he should help Tommy. They’re in that difficult situation where on one hand you need continuity and time to build the combination, yet there’ll fast be pressure to change things if they aren’t winning games.

Tabuai-Fidow will play fullback and you can’t help but he excited by him. Reuben Cotter will be at hooker and I like him. He’s still developing his craft in the NRL but he offers some spark.

That’s the issue for this spine: Tabuai-Fidow, Dearden and Cotter are all still young players who are finding their feet. It shows the mess that’s been made of the roster; the guys in the spine are the ones who should be on big money and leading the team.

MUST LIFT

I have to circle back to Taumalolo. McLean and Holmes, plus Townsend. You have to hope that they’re at least at their best this season. The Cowboys need them to be.

There’s a lot of youth in that team and those guys can’t carry the club. You need your senior players leading the way.

Are those senior players the right guys to do that, in the current circumstances? I have my doubts.

It’s likely to be extremely difficult for this squad to keep up with the kinds of sides that will be challenging for the top eight, let alone the top four.

VERDICT

I can’t see it being anything other than another tough season for the Cowboys.

You go back to that big question: where are we going? With the current roster, things don’t look good.

If you’re a Penrith, Melbourne, Manly, Parramatta or Roosters, playing against North Queensland … while no opposition player will come out and say it, I doubt any of them are sitting there thinking, ‘Shit, what a bunch of superstars the Cowboys have, look at their strike right around the park’. It’s a far cry from lining up against James Tedesco, Luke Keary, Victor Radley and Joseph Manu, before you even worry about all the other blokes in the Roosters’ line-up.

The Cowboys are a long way from that and need to start having tough conversations about how they might get there.

BRONCOS (14th last season)

BIG ISSUES

I can’t remember a season where there’s been this much pressure on a club to perform.

Taking into account the Dolphins’ looming arrival and also what the Broncos have dished up over the past two seasons, it’s an enormous year for Brisbane. Enormous for individual players, the coach and the club.

This will be Kevin Walters’ second season as head coach and I’d like to think that over the summer he’s been homing in on his side’s biggest deficiency: defence. In a 7-17 record last season, their defence was the biggest let-down, leaking 29 points per game; the fourth-worst in the NRL.

That’s un-Bronco-like. But it doesn’t matter who you’ve got in your team, if your defensive structure isn’t on point, it’s going to be very difficult. Defence wins competitions and as it stands, the Broncos are a long way off the pace. They were also the third-worst attacking team in the NRL last year, averaging just over 18 points per game.

So how much improvement can we expect? With no disrespect to the players signed, I see just two standout recruits who you’d expect to be in the 17 on a weekly basis: Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell. There’s no certainty around Corey Jensen, Ryan James, Billy Walters, Brenko Lee or Jordan Pereira holding down a spot and consistently strengthening the side.

You’d like to think that Reynolds and Capewell, both premiership players, will bring a bit of confidence; especially to the defensive structure. While Reynolds isn’t noted as one of the game’s best defenders, he’s been part of a Rabbitohs team that has delivered year after year as a defensive unit. Capewell was part of a Panthers side that conceded a touch under 12 points per game last season and duly lifted the trophy.

Defence has to be priority No.1. No ifs or buts, no negotiations. Defence is king and the structure has to stand up under duress. Look at the Roosters last year: they had a wretched run of injuries where time after time, little-known players were being called up or guys were playing out of position, yet the system worked. Coaches like Trent Robinson and Craig Bellamy know that it doesn’t matter which player is in any given position, their structure will work.

That’s what Kev and his coaching staff needed to create this off-season. If they haven’t, it will be pretty apparent within the first month and that pressure will really ramp up. All eyes will be on the Broncos. Nowhere to hide.

Injuries always have a big say in your fortunes but the Broncos have less margin for error than stronger teams. If a player like Reynolds or Kotoni Staggs cops a serious injury, it’s a massive setback.

If they have another difficult year, the flow-on effects for Brisbane’s roster could be huge. Take Payne Haas, for one. To lose him would be a tragedy for the Broncos but if he’s left to carry the load for them through another unsuccessful season, it has to be a serious risk.

Even before the Dolphins were a serious threat, the Broncos lost the likes of David Fifita, Reece Walsh and Xavier Coates in the past couple of years. Superstar young players, the type that Brisbane never used to lose.

It’s a trend they badly need to stop and the only way to do that is to start winning again.

THE COACH

Ultimately, we’re all judged on wins and losses. How safe Kev’s job is depends entirely on the Ws and Ls columns.

The Broncos reportedly changed Kev’s contract, so that he can be cut at any time with no payout; which suggests they’re covering themselves for that outcome. It’s clearly a make or break season for him.

They finished 14th last year and the coaching staff has remained the same. All eyes will be on Kev and his players, to see if they’ve rectified their issues well enough to avoid another season like the past two.

The Broncos have a good enough roster to perform better than they have. That side doesn’t belong in 14th spot. Brisbane always expect success.

That’s on the players but as we know in the NRL, the buck will ultimately stop with Kev if things again start to turn bad. This roster should be good enough to make the finals and if it fails, the heat builds on the coach.

THE SPINE

Reynolds was brought to the club to provide leadership and game management. Next, you need to find which other half suits his style of play; and as I’ve stressed with the Broncos, who is going to hold up his end defensively.

Albert Kelly has plenty of runs on the board. He has plenty of experience and I see him as a real frontrunner. I can see him getting first crack as starting five-eighth, though the noise is growing around Billy Walters.

Players need consistency and continuity in those playmaking positions in order to build combinations, which is where it gets difficult for Brisbane. If they’re losing early games, there’ll quickly be pressure to change the halves pairing; which happened quite a bit last season.

You’ve also got Tyson Gamble and Te Maire Martin. Ezra Man is still miles away, in my opinion. He’s a great talent but you can’t throw a kid into the NRL with the circumstances the Broncos are in at the moment. He’ll just get eaten up and won’t be able to develop in the way that’s needed.

Jake Turpin will be the No.9. Tesi Niu played most of his games last season at fullback, though he’s just been injured, bringing David Mead and Jamayne Isaako into calculations.

Selwyn Cobbo is hugely talented and a terrific kid who will probably end up in that role. I think he’ll probably play centre/wing for now, with the ability to drop back for stints at fullback like we’ve seen previously from Latrell Mitchell and Greg Inglis. Moving to No.1 is inevitable for Cobbo in the future but is it the right time to put him there permanently? I’m not sure.

MUST LIFT

Turpin is one of the most important players on the Broncos’ roster.

The stronger forward packs in the competition – the Panthers, Eels, Roosters and Storm – much of their play around the ruck is dictated by a crafty No.9.

While I’m not saying that Turpin isn’t crafty, it will alleviate pressure on Brisbane’s halves if he’s able to form better combinations with the pack and provide real spark in the middle third of the field.

Look at what Api Koroisau is able to provide for Penrith. Reed Mahoney for Parramatta. Harry Grant for Melbourne. You need real strike at No.9, it just gives you another tier to your attack.

Turpin needs to have a huge year and bring the likes of Haas, Tom Flegler and Pat Carrigan to the fore. If you get the best out of them, then you give Reynolds the platform to spark players such as Staggs and Cobbo out wide.

VERDICT

The Broncos themselves have been very vocal: anything less than playing in the finals is a failure. I agree with that.

I spent 16 years playing at the Broncos and we missed the finals once. It was devastating. You are expected to play finals football at Brisbane and this year will be no different.

So will they? I really hope so but going head over heart, no, I can’t see it.

History tells us that typically two teams drop out and two teams go into the top eight from one season to the next. I can’t see Newcastle staying in the eight, having lost some key players like Mitchell Pearce, though the Knights may be the only casualty this season. I’m backing the Titans to play finals again and last year’s top six – Storm, Panthers, Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Roosters, Eels – seem safe bets.

So that leaves one spot. Taking emotion out of it, I’d have the Sharks or Raiders as the most likely contenders.

Just one spot for the taking and several other sides better placed to fill it, when the Broncos need to play finals. It just shows you what a massive season this is for Brisbane.

TITANS (8th last season)

BIG ISSUES

Apply those key questions to the Gold Coast – where were we, where are we, where are we going? – and you’ve got to be feeling pretty happy, if you’re a Titans fan.

You can clearly see where this club is going. I’ve got a lot of anticipation for the Titans this season. I loved what I saw from them last year.

I saw a real energy. A great style of football. An identity as a group.

Defensively, they had issues, so they need to tighten up in that regard. But you could see exactly what they wanted to be and that gives me a lot of excitement.

You now throw in a recruit like Isaac Liu who, quote-unquote from Trent Robinson, is one of those players that every team must have; doesn’t get the accolades but is loved by his teammates, because he always does his job. That’s a great addition. Will Smith is also a pretty handy player.

I love the appointment of big Tino Fa‘asuamaleaui as skipper. Based on his performances last year and the influence he has on the group in leading by example, it’s a terrific move.

I think he’ll be great for David Fifita in that regard. I had the privilege of coaching those two guys in Queensland under-18s and they have a really good bond.

There’s some good experience in the pack and also the backline, with guys like Brian Kelly. Are they light-on in a few areas? Yeah, I think they are, hooker being the obvious one.

But there are bright days ahead for the Titans.

For them to finish eighth last year and for those younger players to taste semi-final football, it’s invaluable. They’ll want to get back there again this season and that taste should give them plenty of motivation.

THE COACH

Justin Holbrook is a terrific coach, from what I’ve seen of his style so far.

You can see that his players are really buying in to what he’s trying to do. I also like the messaging that he give to his club’s fans. He’s an honest guy who sets strong standards.

Since arriving, at a club that hadn’t tasted success for years, Holbrook hasn’t compromised his values. Whether speaking to seasoned players or young guys, he’s always told them how it is. Players like that, even if initially they might feel a bit prickly.

He also has a real care for his team, from his players to the supporters. You can see that. He’s shown a great nous for what shaped as a difficult job and bottom line, he’s got an excellent football brain.

Just look at some of their points of attack, when they’re playing different sides. They tend to change-up their attack a bit, depending on who they’re playing, where some teams just stick to the same-old, same-old. When they played top sides like last year, they adjusted their attack to give themselves every opportunity to exploit specific opposition deficiencies. And whatever the game plan, they had a real confidence about what they were doing.

Delivering all that as a coach is far easier said than done. Not only has Holbrook stood up and told everyone what he expects, the players have gone, ‘All right, this bloke knows what he’s doing’, then they go out there, execute and get the job done. The penny quickly dropped that, ‘We’ve got a good coach here’.

He showed what he can do over in the Super League with St Helens and he’s been able to do it back in the NRL. And you give him a touch of extra credit for having done it without a big name, without walking in and being able to count on immediate credibility. He had to earn it, which he’s done.

You can’t forget, he’s been able to bring in some of the game’s biggest young names; guys like Fifita and Tino. He’s been able to nurture younger guys like Jayden Campbell. If you told me last year that Campbell was going to light up the NRL, I would have half-laughed at you – yet he has.

As such, I’ve got full faith in what Holbrook is doing and where he’s taking this team.

THE SPINE

A few young stars impressed me at the Titans last year and none more than Campbell.

I loved how he brought a real excitement to the team and the way they played. He offered genuine unpredictability. So much so, that I don’t know that AJ Brimson will be the fullback in round 1.

I always reverse-think these decisions; if I’m an opposition side, who do I want at No.1, Campbell or Brimson? Campbell brings electric speed, terrific footwork, a nice silky pass and you’re just not sure what he’s going to do. As a defensive team, that’s scary. He’s scary.

I’m not sure that we’ve seen Brimson’s best position yet and it may well be in the halves. He’s got a great running game. If you had Campbell at the back and Brimson in the halves, that’s a fair point of attack.

The Titans have a big rap on Toby Sexton as a halfback. He’s still a little bit green but I’ve seen enough to suggest that he can do the job for them there. Tanah Boyd and Will Smith are other options where needed.

Hooker is where the Titans are light. They lost Mitch Rein. Erin Clark is still there. Boyd could play hooker. Smith can play that role; he’s a handy buy, in terms of utility value.

They’ve got players who can fill the void but if the Titans’ roster is one position off, it’s at No.9. They’ve been linked to a few off-contract hookers, to no avail. I’m sure they’d like to try to lock in a strong, permanent option there on a long-term deal.

MUST LIFT

In the Titans’ case, it’s more about the upside that certain players still have, rather than anyone needing to sort themselves out.

We’ve mentioned Campbell and Brimson. Fifita is another one. Scoring 17 tries last year was incredible but he’s still got so much more left in him in regards to his football maturity.

I’d like to see him bring a really hard edge to his play this season. It’s a delicate situation with how coaches bring that out, but Holbrook also has big Tino to help lead Dave’s development. Tino was by far one of Gold Coast’s best last season and is still only 22.

There are plenty of exciting players who haven’t even scratched the surface of their best football yet. Another year under their belts, another pre-season, a big season to come … Holbrook must be rubbing his hands together as to how these guys could look by the end of this year.

VERDICT

The Titans play an exciting and dangerous brand of footy, and they have fun while doing it. They’re in a great position.

They had some hard lessons last year, none harder than that semi-final loss to the Roosters. They were one pass away from marching on.

If you’re a player starting off pre-season in a Titans jersey, you’re asking yourself, ‘What did we learn? How do we ensure we don’t make the same mistakes?’ Rugby league is pretty brutal in that regard. There were a handful of games where they clocked off just for a moment and that’s the difference between finishing eighth, hanging on by the skin of your teeth, or cruising into the finals in fifth or sixth.

The Titans have got belief within their side based on last season and should have confidence that they can make those little improvements and go even further. They can be a scary footy side and I think they’re finals material again.

Look for them to finish around that bottom half of the top eight and who knows what they might do from there.