Goodnews: Broncos re-sign former favorite star player
Billy Walters will stay in Brisbane for an additional two years after the Broncos signed Jack Gosiewski, a mid-season addition from North Queensland.
With a contract that runs until the end of 2026, Walters’ two-year extension offers him the most stability of his career. He signed the deal on Monday.
Walters had no caps as an NRL player until making his Melbourne debut at age 25 in 2019. Now, he owns a mortgage on the No. 9 shirt worn by the Broncos.
Kevin Walters, the father of Broncos coach and player Billy Walters, stated on Monday, “Some players get everything at their feet, but Billy has had some injuries and some disappointment.”
“But he has stuck at it and worked really hard … and now he’s playing some good football for us and continuing to improve every week.”
With Walters’ signing, young dummy-half Blake Mozer, whose contract expires at the end of the following year, will also hopefully stay in Brisbane.
Gosiewski, meantime, has been released by the Cowboys and will immediately sign with the Broncos.
The back-rower had stated that he wanted to return to southeast Queensland for personal reasons before signing a contract with Brisbane that would last until the end of the next year.
The 29-year-old will give depth to a Brisbane pack that has lost players since the team’s grand final defeat, including Kurt Capewell, Tom Flegler, and Keenan Paliasia.
“Jack brings a good work ethic and an ability to play his role, so he will fit right in here with what we are building together at the Broncos,” Walters said.
“He will give us some extra depth in the forwards, and if he puts the work in then I’m sure he will get some opportunities as we move into the season.”
In addition, the Cowboys announced on Monday that center Tom Chester would be sidelined for a month due to a hamstring injury he sustained against Penrith.
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“Buried the hatchet”: Before the Roosters rematch, the Broncos gunman said there is “no bad blood.”
In front of their first meeting since their contentious match in Las Vegas, where Spencer Leniu called Brisbane’s five-eighth Ezra Mam “a monkey” and set off an altercation between the two teams at the team hotel, superstar Broncos prop Payne Haas maintains that “there’s no bad blood” between his team and the Roosters.
This Friday night’s game at Suncorp Stadium will mark Leniu’s eighth and final match of his eight-match suspension for the racial remark that hurt Mam’s feelings and infuriated his teammates.
Mam, who missed Saturday night’s victory over the Wests Tigers due to a finger injury, is not guaranteed to play. Last week, he stated that he was eager to meet up with Leniu in the future and that he didn’t regret shouting out bigotry.
Haas is optimistic that his squad can manage their emotions on Friday night despite the fact that the incident occurred two months ago.
“I don’t believe there is any animosity.” I’m not sure what transpired or whether there was animosity because I wasn’t present,” he remarked.
“I think they’ve put the hatchet away.
“Our group is fairly proficient in this area. We have to train hard because we know it’s just another football game. It doesn’t really matter because the football game will still be played on a field.
In an attempt to exact revenge for their defeat in Las Vegas, the Broncos will start as heavy favorites thanks to a string of impressive victories and the return of multiple key players from injuries, including Haas, who made his first appearance since round 2.
Despite playing fewer minutes than normal, the representative forward marked his comeback with a 15-meter carry on his first touch after missing five games due to knee surgery earlier in the season.
It wasn’t like me at all at the beginning of the year. I felt like I was letting myself down in the first two games because I was carrying a little ailment, but I had a great preseason and trained the hardest I’ve ever done,” he remarked.
“I felt like I was at 80% most of the time, but it wasn’t as awful as what happens to some people’s knees. I had some cartilage that fell off and that held me back a bit when I was jogging.
“I was trying to carry it through because I thought I’d be alright. It happened in pre-season, so attempting to do heavy loads was fairly hard (with the pain) during the week.
Naturally, I wasn’t, but I have to give thanks to Kevin Walters, the coach of the Denver Broncos, for telling me to get the surgery and take care of myself so I can return fully.
“I’m really happy with it, the physio has done well, and I feel good.”
With the State of Origin match just five weeks away, Haas’ comeback is well-timed. Not too long ago, Michael Maguire, the new Blues coach, defended his star prop in response to criticism that he wasn’t as productive for NSW.
“We caught up when Madge reached out to me at the end of last year,” Haas remarked.
We had a nice conversation and covered a lot of ground, but I won’t go into too much detail because I want to keep it between Madge and me.
“I’m looking forward to what he will accomplish for this team and this state.”
