ROBBIE FOWLER

I reckon Brisbane Roar need some divine intervention to lead them out of the A-League wilderness, and who better to provide it than a man named God? Roar coach Robbie Fowler earned that nickname for his superhuman feats in front of goal for Liverpool in the English Premier League during the 1990s and Roar fans will be hoping some of his magic will start to rub off against Central Coast Mariners at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday. With just one win from six starts this season the Roar need to get on a roll if they are to keep in touch with the leaders. The Mariners, with just two wins, would be the perfect scalp to get things moving. It’s not as if the Roar haven’t been in this position before – when Ange Postecoglou took over as coach from Frank Farina in 2009 the club was in turmoil and 18 months later they were celebrating the first of their back-to-back titles in front of a sold-out Suncorp Stadium crowd. The same with Robbie Fowler. He knows what it is like to fight back from adversity. In 1998 a serious knee injury saw him sidelined for half a season and miss the World Cup. Two seasons later he scored 17 goals and played in all three finals of Liverpool’s League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup treble. With that kind of experience I reckon it’s just a matter of time before Brisbane starts roaring again. What do YOU reckon? 

DAVE RENNIE

I reckon you’ll almost have to feel sorry for new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie when he sends his team out for the first time against Ireland at Suncorp Stadium on July 4 next year. To say he will be under the microscope is an understatement. It is always hard taking over as a national coach, but when you have no international experience, you are inheriting a side that has been under-achieving for three years, you have less than a month to prepare them and you are a New Zealander to boot, it’s bordering on Chinese water torture. Aussie rugby fans have long memories and many still haven’t got over the train-wreck that was Rugby Australia’s last experiment with a Kiwi coach in Robbie Deans. Add in the disappointments of the Michael Cheika-era and Rennie couldn’t be taking over at a worse time. Still, his provincial record is good and he is said to be a man who can work well with higher authority – something that could never be said of Deans or Cheika. Brisbane rugby aficionados will get the chance to see first-hand what Rennie has to offer in the opening Test of next season, although the real sign-post to where the Wallabies are headed will be on October 17 when they’re back at Suncorp Stadium taking on the All Blacks in their last match of the year on home soil. I reckon Queensland rugby fans are in for a very interesting 2020. What do YOU reckon?

ALEX GLENN

I reckon the Broncos have found the perfect solution to their captaincy issues with the re-signing of Alex Glenn. While at this stage Darius Boyd remains in the role, recent comments by Darius and coach Anthony Seibold have made it obvious that a change is in the wind and surely Alex is the stand-out candidate. The first time I came across Alex Glenn was 11 years ago when he had just captained Brisbane’s NYC side to a grand final win and I was blown away by his maturity, enthusiasm and ease with the  media. Two years later he was captaining the Broncos at the age of 22 when Darren Lockyer was unavailable for a game. Seibold was placed in a quandary recently when the money made available by Matt Gillett’s forced retirement allowed him to sign either Glenn or much-needed playmaker Brodie Croft. That he went with Glenn is a tribute not only to his tireless work for the club in almost 300 games, but his leadership and mentoring skills. The next step – appointing him captain – would signal a fresh start for the Broncos as they try to move on from their disappointing finish to 2019. I reckon the only question mark is why they didn’t do it two years ago. What do YOU reckon? 

MATT GILLETT

I reckon Matt Gillett deserves to be remembered as one of the all-time great Broncos. He didn’t possess the individual skills of an Alfie Langer or Darren Lockyer, the physical presence of a Glenn Lazarus or Shane Webcke, or the try-scoring ability of a Steve Renouf or Wendell Sailor, but he was just as important as any of them. No-one ever gave more effort, week-in, week-out in a Brisbane jersey. Gillett was the classic team-man, the non-stop backrower who tackled himself to a standstill from kick-off to fulltime and somehow still had the energy to back-up the ball-carrier and be there to keep the movement going when it threatened to break down. In short, he was the kind of player who every coach in the game would love to have in his team. And it wasn’t just on the field that Gillett was a champion. He has always been an enthusiastic contributor to the Broncos community activities and is a wonderful ambassador for Suncorp Stadium. With his premature retirement due to injuries incurred as a result of his fearless style of play, the Broncos have lost one of the real cornerstones of the club, but Gillett’s legacy will live on. His departure will free up vital salary cap room at a time when the Broncos need it most. With the young forwards that Gillett has helped mentor over the past few years ready to step up and take more responsibility, hopefully the now-available funds will be used to secure the services of a much-needed play-maker. It is sad that we won’t see Matt Gillett running out in a Broncos jumper again but I reckon club management can still ensure that his loss is turned into a positive with astute buying. What do YOU reckon?