Season 2022: Early Preview

With the Broncos’ 2021 NRL campaign in the books, and the club already having seemingly filled their Top 30 senior squad for the 2022 NRL season, it’s an opportune time to look at the on-field production of each player in that senior squad in order to identify their comparative ranking and how the Broncos might line up in the new campaign.

Methodology

In assessing the on-field production and the comparative ranking of each player which will seemingly comprise the Broncos’ Top 30 squad for the 2022 season, each player from that squad has been allocated into one of four positional categories (with some players considered in multiple positional categories due to their notional versatility).

Those four positional categories consist of:

• forwards;
• halves and hooker;
• centres and wingers; and
• fullback.

Once categorised, each player’s output in defined key performance indicators (KPIs) for their respective positional category has then been considered, using data sourced from the 2021 NRL and QRL seasons.

Different weightings were then assigned to the KPI data considered for each positional group based on the assumption that the cornerstone of the Broncos’ tactical approach in 2022 will be as follows:

• To have minimal missed tackles (<2 missed tackles per player per game) in all positional categories.
• To generate 100+ run metres and multiple offloads per game from each player in the forward positional group (to create second phase play for the halves, hooker and/or fullback to individually break the opposition’s defensive line or create line break opportunities for the centre and winger positional group).
• To generate 100+ run metres and multiple line breaks per game from each player within the centre and wing positional group.
• To generate 100+ kicking metres and multiple line breaks, line break assists, and forced drop outs per game from each player in the halves and hooker and fullback positional groups.

The findings provide an invaluable insight as to:

• how each player ranks against their internal competition within their positional category; and
• which 17 players would appear to make up the Broncos’ most productive team for the 2022 NRL season.

Internal player rankings

Line up

Based on the above analytical comparison, the 17 players which would appear to comprise the Broncos’ most productive team for the 2022 NRL season would appear to be as follows:

Freddie08