Bennett’s Broncos

The Story of the Brisbane Broncos’ Golden Era 1992-2000.

By Steve Ricketts.

In 1988 the Brisbane Broncos became the first privately owned club in the country’s premier rugby league competition. There were immediate concerns that the NSWRL (and later ARL and NRL) competitions would be at Brisbane’s mercy, given the club had first call on an incredible talent pool which would enable it to field a State of Origin – strength team. But this did not prove to be the case, with the club experiencing many teething problems – and the sacking of incumbent Queensland and Australian Test captain Wally Lewis – before achieving the success they had always promised.

The Broncos went on to win five premierships in the period from 1992 to 2000 – a golden era guided over by the greatest coach of the modern era, Wayne Bennett. Bennett’s Broncos tells the story of the club’s incredible success through the eyes of the players who starred in those grand final teams.

Respected rugby league writer Steve Ricketts offers a unique insight into the genius of Bennett and his ability to constantly reinvent his team as it endeavored to remain successful in a constantly changing and increasingly professional game. He also tells the respective stories of the Broncos legends, and their own unique contributions to Brisbane’s success during the decade.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve Rickets is a former Courier‐Mail journalist who covered the game intimately during the golden era of the Broncos’ success and has retained close ties to the club and its players. He also covered the undefeated Kangaroo tours of Britain and France in 1982 and 1986; the 2000 World Cup in Europe and the 2004 Tri-Nations campaign in England. Ricketts, is a member of the selection panel for the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame and is a member of the Queensland Rugby League History Committee.

Players interviewed for this book include…Kevin Walters, Kerrod Walters, Andres Gee, Chris Johns, Willie Carne and many more…with full statistics for every grand final player and premiership-winning season along with many great images of the era.

Bennett’s Broncos is available now.

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