He is not widely known by the public, but Brisbane Broncos contact coach Brett ‘Bumper’ O’Farrell is a figure skipper Adam Reynolds says is integral to the club’s success in the NRL this year.
The 42-year-old former Melbourne Storm prop has worked with Brisbane in previous seasons when many of his sessions are held away from the gaze of the media and onlookers.
Reynolds told AAP at Channel Nine’s Wide World of Sports NRL season launch that the penny had now dropped with the players who were taking on board O’Farrell’s wisdom as they prepared for a “Bumper year”.
The Broncos started falling off tackles and losing the on-the-ground battle as last year progressed. They conceded 550 points, the fourth worst season tally in their history to miss the finals.
Coach Kevin Walters has identified defensive steel as the key for his team making the semis, and that is where O’Farrell comes in as Brisbane prepares for their NRL season opener against Penrith on Friday.
He has worked on contact training with elite athletes at the Brisbane Lions, the Wallabies and other NRL clubs.
“We have worked extremely hard in the pre-season with ‘Bumper’ on our defence. He is our contact coach and he is at the forefront of it all,” Reynolds told AAP
“It is just the way he interprets our contact. He is very vocal and loves the physical side of things.
“Bumper is just very good at what he does. No-one hides. Everyone listens and does their job.
“When we are all doing that collectively as a team we are a strong unit and hard to break down.
“We are fortunate to have players in our team who can dominate the middle of the field, and on the edges it is all about making smart decisions.”
Reynolds pointed to the heavy contact and strong goal line defence in Brisbane’s recent trial win over the Cowboys as evidence of players taking O’Farrell’s advice on board.
“In the trials we held teams out for multiple sets. The Cowboys were in the top four last year for scoring tries and we did a pretty good job on them,” he said.
“It was clear last year that our defence needs to be better so it is one key area we have worked really hard on.
“Our assistant coaches John Cartwright and Matt Ballin have also been keeping everyone accountable.”
New recruit Marty Taupau from Manly is thriving in O’Farrell’s drills. The powerhouse Samoan international has also impressed Reynolds.
“He has injected life into us already,” Reynolds said.
“It is rare to get someone of his calibre at this time of the year and I am very pleased to have him on board because his professionalism shines through. We have a lot of young boys in the forward pack who can learn off him.”
Meanwhile, Reynolds has trained strongly since missing the trial clash with the Cowboys on February 18 and said he was right for the Panthers showdown.
“My back is all good. I’ve got through a number of training sessions in the past week and I am feeling fine,” he said.
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