The Broncos have locked up the services of veteran playmaker Albert Kelly for at least one more season as the signing spree at Red Hill rolls on.
Kelly will remain in Brisbane until the end of the 2022 season after impressing in a mid-season move back to the NRL, punctuated by his starring role in commendable wins over the Roosters and, last night, the Warriors.
Kelly’s signature is just the latest in a list of 19 that includes the likes of fellow re-signings Kotoni Staggs, Tesi Niu, Keenan Palasia, Jordan Riki, Kobe Hetherington, Jake Turpin and Tyson Gamble.
They will be joined by promising fresh faces Adam Reynolds, Kurt Capewell, Corey Jensen, Brenko Lee and Logan Bayliss.
It’s perhaps the first sign in some time of genuine foresight being applied to the Broncos’ roster management since their horror wooden spoon slump. And earlier today, coach Kevin Walters took the liberty to announce an exciting new target on the club’s radar.
“We have got a little bit of space there (in the salary cap), Walters said on Sky Sport’s Radio’s The Big Sports Breakfast.
“We are looking at getting in a senior forward. We will just see what happens in the market and who is available.
“I think it is important to churn a little bit of your players, but also be quite stable as well.
“We have signed 19 players over the duration of this year. Some of those have come from outside the Broncos and a lot of these younger players at the Broncos we have re-signed in recent weeks.
“It will be a different looking Broncos team next year. But there is still a little bit of work to be done with our roster as far as incoming players.”
An experienced forward could prove a masterstroke in providing direction for the Broncos’ powerful yet inexperienced forward pack into the future.
While the acquisition of South Sydney premiership-winning halfback Reynolds will undoubtedlymake a huge difference to the spine, adding leadership and direction that has been missing since the end of Wayne Bennett’s reign.
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