NRL Grand Final: Junior clubs behind the Brisbane Broncos squad

They are the 17 men who will carry the hopes of an entire state as the Broncos prepare for their first grand final in almost a decade. We look at the junior clubs from around the Queensland regions who shaped the stars.

Patrick Woods

4 min read

September 27, 2023 - 5:00AM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

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They are the 17 men who will carry the hopes of an entire state on their shoulders as the Broncos seek to end Queensland’s NRL premiership drought.

The Broncos will take on two-time defending premiers Penrith Panthers in the 2023 decider on Sunday, in what would be Brisbane’s first title since 2006.

But their journey to the top started long before this year.

Here, we look at the junior clubs and teams who helped shape the current Broncos squad.

1. REECE WALSH

Reece Walsh as an under-6s player at Nerang.

Brisbane’s poster boy and most dangerous threat is a good chance of deciding the winner of Sunday’s grand final.

Walsh has simply been dynamite in 2023 and he turbocharged the club’s revival after his two-year stint at the New Zealand Warriors.

He was born and bred on the Gold Coast playing for the Nerang Roosters and shone playing schoolboys footy with Keebra Park SHS.

2. JESSE ARTHARS

Arthars rejoined the Broncos this season after a one-year loan deal playing for the New Zealand Warriors and he was a constant threat down the sideline.

The 25-year old Kiwi played his junior footy with the Runaway Bay Seagulls on the Gold Coast after moving to the Sunshine State as a 12-year-old.

Another member of the famed Keebra Park nursery.

Jesse Arthars (centre) of Keebra Park State High School is tackled by Gerrard Bailey (left) and Compain Sheziah of Palm Beach Currumbin State School during their match played at Pizzey Park, Gold Coast. Picture: Regi Varghese

3. KOTONI STAGGS

Kotoni Staggs represented the junior Kangaroos in 2018. Digital image by Jon Searle / NRL Photos

Staggs enjoyed another great season on Brisbane’s right edge where he scored 13 tries in 25 appearance.

The Wellington Cowboys junior will make his 100th NRL appearance in the biggest game of his career so far.

Staggs has represented Indigenous All Stars, Tonga and New South Wales through his career, as well as the junior Kangaroos.

Herbie Farnworth pictured in action for Norths Devils in 2018. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

4. HERBIE FARNWORTH

Still just 23 years old, Farnworth oozes talent and he has been a major contributor to the Broncos with his silky skills and deceptive ballrunning.

The Englishman debuted in the NRL in 2019 and has improved every season. He started out in the sport playing as a “three-quarter” (centre or wing) for the Newton Storm in the United Kingdom – a small club situated squarely between Liverpool and Manchester.

He came through the league ranks at Norths Devils in Brisbane before earning his place in the Broncos’ top squad.

5 SELWYN COBBO

Selwyn Cobbo streaks down the wing in his under-10 days at Cherbourg Hornets. Photo: Dan Elliott / South Burnett Times

Cobbo is one of the NRL’s most exciting youngsters, with an impressive strike rate of 37 tries in 48 appearances – including 20 so far this season.

The Queensland Maroons star still has strong ties to Cherbourg, inland from the Sunshine Coast, where he grew up playing for the Cherbourg Hornets.

6. EZRA MAM

The youngest Bronco in Sunday’s final will play a pivotal role in his team’s ultimate outcome.

Mam has grown into a brilliant five-eighth after spending his youth in Ipswich playing for the Goodna Eagles before progressing into the Souths Logan junior pathway.

Ezra Mam, pictured as a five-year-old, played his junior footy at Goodna.

7. ADAM REYNOLDS

Adam Reynolds sporting the jersey of his junior club, the Alexandria Rovers, at Brisbane Broncos training. Picture: Brisbane Broncos

Perhaps the key to Brisbane’s premiership puzzle, Reynolds defied critics in 2022 to become one of the Broncos’ most important players with his masterful kicking game and leadership.

Reynolds grew up playing for Alexandria Rovers and Kensington United in South Sydney, going on to play for NSW under-17s and the Rabbitohs’ under-20s team.

8. THOMAS FLEGLER

Flegler has already made a huge stamp on rugby league and he only just turned 24.

The Tully Tigers junior has notched up 95 appearances for the Broncos since debuting in 2019.

The Queensland Maroons enforcer would love to finish his time at the club with a premiership before he begins a four-year deal with the Dolphins in 2024.

Tully Tigers under 18 player Thomas Flegler tackles a Cairns Brothers opponent.

9. BILLY WALTERS

Kevin Walters and his sons Jett, Jack and Billy with the trophy in the dressing room. Picture: David Kapernick

Walters has had a career-best season and has been one of Brisbane’s most consistent players.

He grew up in Brisbane playing for Wests Panthers and made his NRL debut for the Melbourne Storm in 2019.

This Sunday won’t be the first time he’s had a chance to touch the NRL premiership trophy.

The son of coach Kevin was part of the club’s celebrations back in 2000 when the Broncos beat the Roosters in that grand final.

10. PAYNE HAAS

Haas has been the premier prop in the NRL for a couple of years now due to his impossibly huge motor for such a physically gifted athlete.

He grew up in Newcastle and played his junior rugby league with the Woodberry Warriors before heading north to attend Keebra Park SHS on the Gold Coast.

Australian schoolboy representative Payne Haas played his junior footy with Woodberry. Pic: SMP Images/QRL Media

11. KURT CAPEWELL

One of the Broncos’ more experienced players in 2023, Capewell scored six tries in his 23 appearances this season while playing a pivotal role on the edge.

Capewell grew up rampaging over his country counterparts in Charleville in Queensland’s south west alongside his three brothers; Jake, Sam and Liam.

Kurt Capewell breaks away to score for Ipswich Grammar, v Toowoomba Grammar, back in 2010.

12. JORDAN RIKI

New Zealand-born Riki took his game to another level in 2023 providing power and aggression in a youthful forward pack.

He started playing rugby league in Christchurch for the Hornby Panthers and made his Broncos debut in 2020.

Jordan Riki celebrates a colts grand final win with Norths Devils. Pic Peter Wallis

13. PATRICK CARRIGAN

Patrick Carrigan, a proud Easts Tigers junior, has gone on to become one of Brisbane’s most-loved footballers. Pic. Adam Armstrong

Brisbane-born Carrigan is a hometown hero in the Queensland capital, plying his trade for the Easts Tigers from U7s to U18s before he was signed by the Broncos.

Carrigan has been one of Brisbane’s best players all season, with a highlight coming in round 22 when he scored his first NRL try after 78 appearances.

14. TYSON SMOOTHY

Tyson Smoothy played his footy with Mountain Creek and the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

Brisbane’s bench utility is a great ballplayer and his role from the interchange could shift the dynamic of the final.

Smoothy was born in Toowoomba but started his junior footy on the Sunshine Coast playing for the Kawana Dolphins.

He was also a standout for Mountain Creek State High School in their run to the GIO Cup Schoolboys Rugby League quarter finals back in 2016.

15. BRENDAN PIAKURA

This season has been Piakura’s breakout year in the NRL and the young forward has impressed with every appearance.

He was born in Newcastle before moving to the Gold Coast where he played his junior football with the Helensvale Hornets.

The Queensland Under-18 State of Origin side from 2019 featured Broncos grand final teammates Brendan Piakura and Reece Walsh (middle two, back row), as well as Titans star Alofiana Khan-Pereira (front row centre left), Bulldog Toby Sexton (front row centre right) and Melbourne’s Xavier Coates. Picture: Scott Davis/NRL

16. KOBE HETHERINGTON

Another of Brisbane’s next generation who has quietly achieved 50 games in the NRL, Hetherington has shown a lot of promise since his 2021 debut when he was named Rookie of the Year.

Hetherington was raised in Rockhampton playing locally and rising through the Central Queensland `Capras junior pathways while going to school at The Cathedral College.

Kobe Hetherington in action for Gladstone Brothers’ under-12s. Photo Kerry Thomas/The Observer

17. KEENAN PALASIA

Palasia makes a huge impact every time he takes the field.

He was born in Logan to Maori and Samoan parents and grew up on the Gold Coast playing mostly for the Nerang Roosters after starting his rugby league journey at the Parkwood Sharks.