Questions have been raised over the Broncos’ ageing playmakers and lack of rising halves as Brisbane look try and extend skipper Adam Reynolds for another season in 2026.
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Reynolds turns 36 next season, while hooker/five-eighth Ben Hunt will turn 37 in 2026 and while both are excellent players, as they say Father Time is undefeated.
The Broncos are in the midst of a shocking form slump with just one win from their last seven games, which has seen them drop out of the top eight.
Paul Crawley believes Reynolds has looked tired during the last two months, despite finding strong form at the start of the season.
“Five weeks ago against the Bulldogs, he looked like he could play forever, he turned on that masterclass, that kicking performance, he looked so good,” Crawley said on NRL 360.
But the last few weeks, like the rest of the team, they’ve been dragging their bums around the field. They’ve been playing without passion or inspiration. When Reyno sat beside Madge at the most match press conference the other day he looked beat.
We’re halfway through the season, he turns 35 next month, so next year if the Broncos go forward with Adam Reynolds as one half and Ben Hunt will be 36 or 37, is it the right move for the club going forward?”
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Gorden Tallis believes the Broncos should wait until the end of the year, given that Reynolds has no desire to play for another NRL team.
“Wouldn’t you just wait until the end of the year?” Tallis asked.
“Adam Reynolds has said he doesn’t want to leave Brisbane… don’t you just wait to see how he finishes the year to see if his body can keep up.
“At 35, everything is a bad move because it’s Father Time and when it catches up with you, it catches up overnight. They’ve got two 35-year-old halfbacks at the club.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie believes the Broncos would be mad to let Reynolds join another team.
“This is an elite player that’s played State of Origin, won a premiership,” Ritchie said.
“Every club has to look in the crystal ball at some point and if it’s not Adam Reynolds, who do you put at No. 7 for the Broncos?”
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Crawley warned the timing is wrong for the Broncos to extend Reynolds and questioned if his body could cope with another year under michael Maguire’s brutal regime.
“He may finish the season strong but we’re at the halfway point of the season, it’s not the time to announce he’s got a new deal,” Crawley said.
“The other issue that you can’t ignore is while Reyno’s body has been bashed from pillar to post as long as it has, it’s no secret that Madge’s coaching style grinds them into the ground. So is he suited to last another season and a half under the current system?”
Tallis questioned Reynolds’ ability to ice moments in the big games, most notably in the 2023 decider.
“In the grand final he was supposed to get the deal done, he didn’t,” Tallis said.
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“Then against the Dragons, it was alarming, the last play… he had players on the outside and didn’t come up with a kick or a pass, he ran sideways and got tackled.
“Then last weekend against Cherry-Evans who was backing up from State of Origin, who got the points?”
However, Ritchie believes the Broncos won’t have to break the bank to keep Reynolds, which makes him an astute signing.
“The money he’s going to get isn’t huge,” Ritchie said.
“It will be a modest contract, so it will not pop the Broncos salary cap. If you can get him cheapish, he’s well worth it.”
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However, Crawley put the blowtorch on the Broncos’ development system, given their lack of young halves coming through to take over from Reynolds and Hunt.
“The other problem for the Broncos that you need to take into account is they’re one of the biggest if not the biggest club in the game,” Crawley said.
“They should have young players ready to unleash like the Roosters do, like the powerful clubs do.
“Like what’s going on at that club that they’re still holding on to a man that’s soon to be 35 and a guy that will be 36 soon as your halves to take you forward into next season?”
