Tallis stands firm on criticism of Reynolds as Broncos captain

Gorden Tallis has reiterated his call for Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds to be stripped of the captaincy as the club continues to struggle in the NRL.

The commentator also justified his defence of coach Kevin Walters during a tense live TV debate on Tuesday.

The ex-Brisbane star proposed Pat Carrigan as the new Broncos captain on Monday night’s NRL 360, drawing criticism from the club the following day.

However, Tallis, who captained the team himself during his playing days, maintained his stance on Tuesday night.

Carrigan ‘ready’ for Broncos captaincy

Tallis sat down with Daily Telegraph veteran Paul Crawley earlier on Tuesday and defended his opinion on the Broncos captaincy situation.

“I played at Brisbane when ‘Alf’ (Allan Langer) came back and he didn’t want the captaincy, I think it can relieve you,” he said.

“Captain of the Broncos, that’s a pretty big seat and I felt the pressure.

“Some people handle the ‘C’ a bit better [than others].”

The former Kangaroo went on to say that he thinks if Reynolds was relieved of the captaincy, the Broncos could get more from their star playmaker.

“You look at Reed Mahoney this year at the Dogs, I think his form is a lot better,” Tallis pointed out.

“I think Adam’s last 18 months of footy would probably be better served just enjoying it and not sitting there at the press conferences.

“There’s a lot of pressure on him to be the next Allan Langer, to be the next Darren Lockyer and to put a trophy in the cabinet there in Brisbane.

“I just think if he hands it to a young Patty Carrigan, or somebody like that, I think he’s ready.

“Adam is a little injury prone, doesn’t play most weeks, and you want your leader out there and some lead by actions and some lead by words.”

Could Reynolds’ leadership frailties cost Broncos a finals spot?

The Broncos underwent a 41-16 hammering against Canterbury last week, which dealt a severe blow to their finals hopes.

Reynolds and company are 13th on the table, with 20 points in 19 matches.

They are four points adrift of eighth-placed Dolphins, who have a match in hand.

Rugby league bookmakers now have the Broncos at $1.27 to miss the top eight, with only the Knights ($1.04), Raiders ($1.14), Warriors ($1.16) and Dragons ($1.20) having shorter odds of those still in contention.

Reynolds must inspire his team to win all the remaining matches to keep their dimming finals hopes alive.

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