Squad Breakdown: Brisbane Broncos 2023 Supercoach analysis


<p>1. Reece Walsh<br>2. Corey Oates<br>3.&nbsp; Herbie Farnworth<br>4.&nbsp; Kotoni Staggs<br>5.&nbsp; Selwyn Cobbo<br>6.&nbsp; Ezra Mam<br>7. Adam Reynolds<br>8.&nbsp; Payne Haas<br>9.&nbsp; Billy Walters<br>10. Tom Flegler&nbsp;<br><strong>11.&nbsp;</strong>Jordan Riki<br>12.&nbsp;Kurt Capewell<br>13.&nbsp;Patrick Carrigan</p>



<p>14.  Cory Paix<br>15.  Keenan Palasia<br>16.  Corey Jensen<br>17. Marty Taupau</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>First 10 rounds</strong></h2>



<p>Panthers (A), Cowboys (H), Dragons (H), Dolphins (A, also at Suncorp), Tigers (H), Raiders (H), Titans (A), Eels (A), Rabbitohs (H), Sea Eagles (A, Suncorp Magic round).</p>



<p><strong>First five round strength of schedule rating (1 toughest, 10 easiest)</strong></p>



<p>6/10</p>



<p><strong>2023 gains &#8211; Squad changes, via NRL.com</strong></p>



<p>Reece Walsh (Warriors), Jesse Arthars (return from loan), Jock Madden (Wests Tigers), Martin Taupau (Sea Eagles).</p>



<p><strong>2023 losses</strong></p>



<p>Brenko Lee (Dolphins), David Mead (retired), Te Maire Martin (Warriors), Ryan James (retired), Tyson Gamble (Knights), Jake Turpin (Roosters), Zac Hosking (Panthers), Tesi Niu (Dolphins), Karl Oloapu (Bulldogs)</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Team News</strong></h2>



<p>I’ll start by saying the Broncos have a pretty generous draw to begin the season, playing seven of their first 10 games at Suncorp Stadium.</p>



<p>Their three away games in that time are Penrith round one, then they go an hour south to the Gold Coast, and face Parramatta in an away game in Darwin, not bad…</p>



<p>For all the off-season drama, the Broncos playing squad is fairly settled.</p>



<p>The big question mark revolves around the hooking department, with Billy Walters the front-runner to start at number nine.</p>



<p>He is among a chasing pack consisting of Tyson Smoothy, Cory Paix and highly touted rookie Blake Mozer.</p>



<p>Kobe Hetherington will fight for a bench spot on return from a bicep injury.</p>



<p>Jordan Riki will have to earn his edge back-row spot after a somewhat disappointing year, but is expected at this stage to get first crack.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>GUNS</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Payne Haas ($662,400)</strong></p>



<p>I’m unlikely to start with Haas, however there’s an obvious case to plug him into your team from round 1.</p>



<p>When fit and firing, he’s arguably the best prop in Supercoach to own.</p>



<p>Due to off-field issues, many are wary of starting with him in their side, but for that reason alone it has Haas at just 16% ownership as it stands.</p>



<p>Priced on a 63 point average from last season, I believe he is starting undervalued.</p>



<p>In his three seasons prior, he averaged 68, 75 and 78 points per game, elite numbers.</p>



<p>He started 2022 on fire, averaging 75.8 across the first seven rounds. As a non-owner, I had plenty of people telling me I was crazy to not invest and that it was killing my side sticking to my belief of avoiding top dollar FRFs early in the year.</p>



<p>In his remaining 14 games of the year he had one score over 65…</p>



<p>Probably not for me, but he warrants serious consideration.</p>



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<p><strong>Pat Carrigan ($654,600)</strong></p>



<p>Priced on a 62 point average, I do see Carrigan as an improver this season due to his immense workrate and likelihood of playing big minutes.</p>



<p>My issue is that he’s only available in the 2RF position, and he doesn’t have the high upside of guys like Angus Crichton, Cameron Murray and Shaun Lane to name a few.</p>



<p>That doesn’t mean him banging out 60-70 in base every week can’t make him a keeper, but I do prefer others at this stage.</p>



<p>Much like Payne Haas, the makeup of their Round 1 bench will have a big impact on his Supercoach credentials.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>MID-RANGERS</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Kotoni Staggs ($511,900)</strong></p>



<p>Ah Kotoni, what do we do with you?</p>



<p>So cheap, such high upside, but so unpredictable.</p>



<p>His 2022 season to me is summed up by the four week block in the early stages where he tonned up against the Panthers and Roosters, and either side of that he had scores of 38 and 37 against the Warriors and Bulldogs.</p>



<p>He starts priced on a 49 point average, a number you’d suggest is well below what he’s capable of.</p>



<p>But Brisbane last season looked lost on how to best utilise him in attack, and he doesn’t exactly come looking for the ball.</p>



<p>He did come out recently and admit to playing injured the whole back half of last season with his shoulder injury sustained in Origin one, so this is at the back of my mind.</p>



<p>At this stage I’m happy to avoid early on, if he comes out early and looks energised and more involved, I’m happy to jump on after a few rounds before any major prices rises.</p>



<p>Penrith in Round 1 is a deterrent also, although he did bang out 102 points there last season…</p>



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<p><strong>Selwyn Cobbo ($586,900)</strong></p>



<p>If Staggs can fire, than it’ll only mean good things for Cobbo.</p>



<p>Cobbo’s Supercoach potential is so reliant on how the Broncos perform as a team (like most wingers to be fair), and I’m just concerned that their off-field situation could impact how they come out in the early parts of 2023.</p>



<p>Cobbo started last year with a 27 point average in the first four games, he then found his feet in the top grade and went on a try-scoring spree later on.</p>



<p>While we know how big he can go, he also had six scores under 30 last season.</p>



<p>Another one I’m more than happy to avoid, and if Brisbane come out and look the part I’ll consider.</p>



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<p><strong>Tom Flegler ($479,300)</strong></p>



<p>Flegler definitely has my interest, and this will again be very dependant on the Broncos bench make-up in round 1.</p>



<p>He’s priced on a 46 point average last season, in 44 minutes per game.</p>



<p>It’s his offload that’s so effective that gives him some appeal to me.</p>



<p>He’d probably need to increase his game time to 50+ to become relevant, and if he can I think he’ll make the transition to become a leader of this pack in 2023, if he hadn’t already done so.</p>



<p>He scores at a tick over 1 point per minute, and if offloading remains an integral part of his game I can see this improving.</p>



<p>As such, that element of his footy will be a big watch for me in pre-season trials.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>CHEAPIES</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Blake Mozer ($200k), Tyson Smoothy ($216k), Cory Paix ($275k)</strong></p>



<p>A big watch on the Round 1 team, if any of these three start at hooker they’ll all warrant consideration.</p>



<p>The risk will be that minutes will be unknown, and job security would be very poor, so just monitor how the pre-season trials unfold.</p>


Squad Breakdown: Brisbane Broncos 2023 Supercoach analysis

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