Broncos coach Kevin Walters challenged Anthony Milford to show him more and it seems the under pressure five-eighth did just that on Thursday night.
Walters was asked on Wednesday if Milford was playing well enough to be re-signed beyond 2021. He didn’t dance around the question as he bluntly said: “right now you’d have to say no.”
However, Walters significantly changed his tune on Milford following Thursday’s loss to the Rabbitohs — despite the under fire No.6 being outshone by the opposition’s halves.
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“I thought he did,” Walters told reporters when asked if Milford had shown more.
“I thought he probably had his best game of the year. Tonight he was much better defensively, very aggressive with his tackling. I liked what I saw tonight from Milf.
“I keep saying he’s got a lot of positives to come into his game yet, he’s like everyone else, we’re just not quite on the money at the moment. But when we do I’m sure he’ll be a big part of our revival.”
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Milford, 26, is off-contract at the end of season and will struggle to get anywhere near his current $1 million salary given his form has been way off for the last couple of seasons.
He finished the game with four tackle busts and two offloads but the Broncos’ end of set decisions left a lot to be desired. In fact, Fox League’s Michael Ennis called Brisbane’s end of sets “putrid.”
It’s a stark contrast to the other half who was running around at Stadium Australia also uncertain about his future — Adam Reynolds.
“He’s the best kicker in the game, not just our side, he puts most teams to shame,” Walters admitted.
“He’s a good player and a valuable player for South Sydney, that’s for sure.”
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The South Sydney skipper is set to go to market for a multi-year deal after the Rabbitohs chose to not increase their one-year offer.
Brisbane have been floated as a potential new home for Reynolds in 2022 and beyond but Walters refused to give any hints on whether we could see the premiership-winning halfback at Red Hill next year.
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“We were well aware of him before tonight,” he said.
“I’m not sure where he’s at with South Sydney. We’ll just let him settle with what’s happening there.
“I’ve got enough on my plate at the moment, to be worrying about our own side rather than who’s going to be playing where next year. I’m more concerned about next week.”
The 35-6 scoreline suggests it was all doom and gloom for the Broncos, but there were small glimmers of hope. Front-rowers Payne Haas and Matt Lodge ran for 157 and 137 metres respectively and fullback Jamayne Isaako looked dangerous with the ball in his hand.
Young halfback Tom Dearden had a fine moment as well when he put pressure on veteran five-eighth Benji Marshall to force an error.
Walters believes the team is “on the right path” but conceded it’s taking longer than he expected to turn things around at the embattled club.
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“I saw enough in different stages of the game (to know they’ve improved),” he said.
“South Sydney are a top four side, they finished with a preliminary final last year and have been very good for two or three years. So we’re not playing against mugs, these are the best teams in the competition in the last two weeks, along with Penrith next week which is our next opponent.
“We’re all learning… I’m still learning about the team, the players and the make-up of the side so that gives me confidence moving forward that we’re getting more knowledge about our players and how they react in different situations.
“We’re on the right path and we’ll get there, it might just take a little long than I anticipated.”
