Brisbane legend Steve Renouf says two of his former teammates have got it wrong about the reasons the club is failing in their dire 2024 season.
The 13th-placed Broncos have been under siege this week ahead of their away clash with Gold Coast on Saturday.
After the 41-16 loss to Canterbury, former skipper Gorden Tallis said on Fox Sports' NRL 360 the club had a leadership vacuum and that skipper Adam Reynolds had failed to deliver, even suggesting he should be replaced by Pat Carrigan.
Two-time premiership winner Chris Johns said the players were too fixated with social media and had a higher opinion of themselves than was warranted.
"They are the kings of Tik Tok. They are the kings of Instagram. They are the kings of social media," Johns told the Seven Network.
"They have got to forget all that. That is rubbish. Put your phone away. Too many pats on the back put you to sleep. Where is the intent? Where is the desire?"
The Broncos Old Boys, particularly those who played together in the halcyon days of the 1990s, are a tight-knit group. They are opinionated and outspoken, and don't always agree.
Four-time title winner Renouf and Johns are close friends and catch up at The Paddo Hotel regularly. Their next gathering could be interesting.
"Johnsy is just a bit old school. He's got to move on from that," Renouf told AAP.
"He will find anything to complain about.
"Next time I have a beer with Johnsy he will probably punch me in the head ... but I don' t think the players have got big heads.
"They have just got to play better and start winning. That is the bottom line, as Wayne Bennett always said. It's simple. They had a great year (in 2023). This year they've underachieved but they can still make the finals."
On the Reynolds captaincy issue, Renouf said Tallis was wide of the mark.
"Gordie has his view and that is OK, but I think it is a bit extreme," Renouf said.
"We have struggled without Reyno. We have one bad game with him but we don't win without him in other games either, so I don't agree with Gordie there.
"Reyno is the leader here. They all love him and he steadies the ship when he is around. He was out for 11 weeks with a long-term injury but in his first game back against Newcastle (a 30-14 win in round 20) I thought he was OK.
"Both Johnsy and Gordie love the club and they truly believe what they say. They aren't just trying to make headlines, but we all believe different.
"I just think this group are really good rugby league players and, just as important, good young men. There is a lot more media coverage and scrutiny on them but that is part and parcel of being a Bronco."
One thing the Old Boys agree on is that coach, and former teammate, Kevin Walters is the man to lead the club into the future despite missing finals in two of three completed seasons so far.
"No, we (Old Boys) don't protect Kevvie too much," Renouf said.
"Kevvie is the right man to coach the Broncos. People go on about how we hammered the club in 2020 when we got the wooden spoon. We are not getting the wooden spoon this year for a start. Don't forget, Kevvie got them to a grand final last year."
