Corey Parker and Aaron Woods clash over Broncos’ seven-game losing streak on The Agenda Setters: Rugby League – Corey Parker and Aaron Woods went head-to-head during The Agenda Setters: Rugby League, after a heated discussion over whether Brisbane Broncos supporters should take any comfort from effort during the club’s seven-game losing streak.
The debate began when Parker said Brisbane could technically still make the finals, before conceding the Broncos were effectively “done”.
Woods then pressed Parker on whether he was happy with the performance.
Parker said there were some polished set plays from the Broncos, but Woods challenged what he saw as a change in expectations around the club.
“I’ve never heard a Broncos supporter say they’re happy with just effort,” Woods said.
Woods argued that the Broncos were coming off a Grand Final win and still had elite players in the squad, including Reece Walsh, Payne Haas and Ben Hunt.
He said he had tipped Brisbane to go back-to-back this season and could not accept effort alone as the standard.
Parker pushed back, saying it was possible to acknowledge effort in one game while still being unhappy with the broader season.
“You can be happy with an effort and lose a game,” Parker said.
However, Parker conceded the losing streak had compounded the issue.
“Am I happy with their effort this season? Absolutely not,” Parker said.
Luke Keary then asked Parker what had gone wrong at Brisbane.
Parker pointed to the club’s injury toll, which he described as the worst in Broncos history. However, he said injuries alone did not excuse players failing to perform their role.
He said there had been several games this season where some Brisbane players would have struggled to look each other in the eye after full-time.
Parker also praised Payne Haas for publicly cutting through the excuses earlier in the season.
Woods agreed, saying Haas was one player Brisbane supporters should be happy with because of his consistent effort.
The discussion then turned to speculation around coach Michael Maguire, with Keary questioning why rumours around player unrest had continued to surface.
Keary compared the situation to the final stages of Kevin Walters’ tenure, saying similar stories had emerged before Walters was eventually sacked.
Parker suggested that raised a bigger issue inside the club.
“If the same thing happened to Kevin and the same thing’s happening to Madge McGuire, haven’t you answered your own question?” Parker said.
Parker questioned whether players were speaking to too many people, and whether the club’s coaching staff and management were accepting what was being said.
Keary said the stories were clearly coming from players, as the panel continued to examine the pressure surrounding Brisbane’s season.
This story is based on comments made on The Agenda Setters: Rugby League on Channel 7 and 7plus Sport
TV Central NRL content HERE
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