Henjak's departure - blunder or bold?

So as I'm sure you've all heard, Ivan Henjak has been released from the Broncos effective immediately. With the season a mere 17 days away, this could either be a master stroke or the start of an empire crumbling. Only time will tell which of the two it is but yours truly is going to go out on a limb and say that it can only be positive.

Henjak admittedly stepped into the biggest shoes in Rugby League when Wayne Bennett departed for the Red and White Army. He inherited the most successful club in recent League history and had enormous weight on his shoulders. Serving a succession period under Bennett should have put him in good stead but the reality was he had to prove himself. It's pretty obvious that he failed that test. For the first time in 18 proud years, we missed the top 8 and had Mad Monday early. Several tactical errors were made during the year, mainly the constant positional shifting of Matt Gillett - a first year NRL player should be left to ply his trade in one position, not three. Thankfully his development hasn't been hindered too much it seems.

The big question being posed by punters is was this the right time to sack our coach with the season being a mere 2 weeks away. While I applaud the decision as the crew here have been vocally against Ivan the Terrible for a while now, the timing has to be questioned. Stability is what every club needs - Cronulla are walking proof of that - and Brisbane are in desperate need of it. Having a look over the past few seasons and the players that have left (Petero, Boyd, Eastwood to name a few) you'd think that we'd want to steady the ship after our worst premiership tilt in recent memory. That being said, something seems a little strange considering that Henjak had to sign an NDA in the sacking. Either something reprehensible has happened or the Broncos are set to sign a big name next season and didn't want Henjak killing our buzz for another 8 months.

Brisbane's trial form has been phenomenal and this was punctuated with an absolute drubbing of the Cowboys. Time will tell whether this sudden change disrupts the chi of my beloved Broncos. I think our side has enough professionalism to keep on trucking but we'll see.

Stay tuned for a preview of the Broncos vs. Cowboys match in round 1 of the NRL.