Benton confident Broncos will lift

[Queenslander]

DEAN Benton is confident he can make a difference at the Brisbane Broncos during his three-year term as the NRL club's performance director.

The 37-year-old recruit from the Australian Rugby Union describes his new job as the most challenging of his career.

Brought up on Australian football in Victoria, Benton has been impressed by the passion Queenslanders have for all football codes, but in particular rugby league.

"It's clearly the dominant code up here," he said yesterday. "There is a hell of a lot more media hype for league (than the other codes) which is exciting.

"I'm confident of bringing improvement to the Broncos, and I'm confident I can make a difference. But I'm also aware the only things that are bullet-proof are results."

The Broncos have made the finals every year since their last title in 2000 but success at the NRL's most high-profile club is measured in premierships.

Brisbane lost its last seven matches in 2005, including both finals.

As a result there was a cleanout, with head coach Wayne Bennett sacking performance co-ordinator Gary Belcher and assistant coach Kevin Walters.

Ivan Henjak has replaced Walters and Benton has come in for Belcher.

Born and raised in Melbourne, Benton played for Coburg in the VFA and was a competitive sprinter. He graduated from the University of Ballarat in 2000 and since then has had stints with the Victorian Rugby Union, Australian Institute of Sport, Queensland Academy of Sport, Athletics Australia and the ARU.

Soon after news broke of his "defection" to league Benton received a text message from Wallabies coach Eddie Jones which said simply: "Go Broncos".

"Eddie was great to work with and I will always be grateful to rugby union," Benton said. "There are some fine athletes in union and some of the best have come from league."

The co-ordinator of the elite player program at the ARU is former Broncos fitness guru Kelvin Giles who famously finished his stint at the club in 1995 by describing the players as "overpaid for the effort they give you".

The Broncos have come a long way since then, even to the extent of this year banning alcohol in the dressingrooms after games, a move Giles advocated a decade ago.

But now they have ground to make up on their NRL rivals and Benton will undoubtedly draw comparisons with strict disciplinarian Giles.
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0...-23214,00.html

I hope that he will make the changes neccessary to remove the traditional end of year slump.. GO THE BRONCOS in 2006!!!!

[Dakink]

Good atittude - good luck to him.. He will need it to help coax the old legs in Broncs forward pack around again!

[DeeGan]

If Benton can bring the same type of discipline to the Brisbane club that Kelvin Giles did in his time there, the Broncos will be competitive at the back end of the season again.

DeeGan

[Super Cronk]

He has a real good attitude...it wont be easy but he he seems like he is going to knuckle down and do the job.

[[BroncosGirl]]

He sounds positive with a great attitude, and that'll he'll do what is necessary to get us back to a premiership winning side - I really can't wait until next season

[ridgey]

and if he doesn't say yes wayne no wayne 3 bags full wayne will he be gone like the rest of em.

[[BroncosGirl]]

... In a sunday mail interview, it said that was the very reason the others were fired, because they were 'yes men', WB wants new ideas, to get the broncos back on track.

[Super Cronk]

... In a sunday mail interview, it said that was the very reason the others were fired, because they were 'yes men', WB wants new ideas, to get the broncos back on track.

WB should start thinking for himself and stop keeping mates in the team and do whats best for the team.

[ridgey]

... In a sunday mail interview, it said that was the very reason the others were fired, because they were 'yes men', WB wants new ideas, to get the broncos back on track.

yeah the broncos will put anything in a news ltd paper to cover there own ass

and broncos fans just lap it up.

[[BroncosGirl]]

yeah the broncos will put anything in a news ltd paper to cover there own ass

and broncos fans just lap it up.

... and its just like people who hate the Broncos automatically think the worst and have all these little theories...
Besides Walters was the one who commented on them being sacked because they were 'yes men'... So im not sure how thats Broncos covering their ass, we all know there was a rift in the club...

But I agree Super Cronk, WB has to think about the team, he lets 'mateship' get in the way too much sometimes.

[Queenslander]

yeah the broncos will put anything in a news ltd paper to cover there own ass

and broncos fans just lap it up.

BroncosGirl pretty much said what i was going to say but i will add that your team ridgey.....the knights were having some problems early this year.......and those problems pretty much stemmed from the fact that the knights are a one man team (Andrew Johns) and when he is injured the entire club panics and creates reasons for a form slump.

[ridgey]

BroncosGirl pretty much said what i was going to say but i will add that your team ridgey.....the knights were having some problems early this year.......and those problems pretty much stemmed from the fact that the knights are a one man team (Andrew Johns) and when he is injured the entire club panics and creates reasons for a form slump.

we didn't shy away from the fact we we're playing ordinary and create reasons for a form slump,hell we've got the wooden spoon to prove it.
it wouldn't matter what team joey played in if he was injured he would be missed,a 1 man team maybe that's your opinion and the stats prove we don't travel well when he's out but we lost 13 straight and joey was there for some of those matches.it was no coincidence IMO that we hit some form towards the back end of the season because not only did we have joey back we had a host of other experienced players back as well,important members of the squad in our 1 man team.but hey i think this year was great for the knights unlike some other teams in the comp we had the chance to blood some young up and coming stars for the future and the experience they gained this year will be invaluble in 06.

oh and i find it hard to believe that a man like kevin walters who was 1 of the main lynchpins of the broncos backline for 10 years a man who played in 7 grand finals,played numerous origins and tests wouldn't of had his own idea's about the coaching of the broncos.but hey the sunday mail printed it so it must be true.

[Queenslander]

but hey i think this year was great for the knights unlike some other teams in the comp

If you are refering to the Broncos you kinda forget we were the best team for the greater part of the season. And we made the finals which is better than what the kinghts achieved

oh and i find it hard to believe that a man like kevin walters who was 1 of the main lynchpins of the broncos backline for 10 years a man who played in 7 grand finals,played numerous origins and tests wouldn't of had his own idea's about the coaching of the broncos.but hey the sunday mail printed it so it must be true.

We dont know if he has/had ideas about coaching the broncos i assume that he would. Dont get me wrong Walters (all of them) are great blokes but its a change that the broncos need. If he was a yes man than even more excuse to get rid of him. We dont have to worry about him, he will get a new job and get over it. And what do you have against the sunday mail, did they fire you from a paper boy job or something?

[titans_fanatic]

sounds like a positive guy

[titans_fanatic]

should be good for the club