Rugby league legend Petero Civoniceva holds a particular place in his coronary heart for the Broncos and Panthers — however he can solely see Sunday’s NRL Grand Final going a method.
“It’s got to be a Broncos victory,” he informed Yvonne Sampson on Face-to-Face, which is able to air at 7.30pm (AEST) on Monday.
“I think what Kevvie (Walters) and the boys have been through, it’s been a great and consistent year, I think they’ll get the job done.
“Maybe on the back of Reece Walsh… but I think with that forward pack leading the way the boys will get it done and it’ll be a Broncos victory by six points.”
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But it gained’t be a simple feat in opposition to reigning premiers, who’re chasing rugby league’s first three-peat because the Eels in 1981-83.
“They’re going to take some stopping,” Civoniceva stated.
“There’s a wonderful sense of belief in that group… they wouldn’t look out of place holding that trophy up again.”
The 47-year-old gained two premierships in his 11 seasons with the Broncos — 1998 and 2006. He sat out of the 2000 Grand Final with a damaged arm.
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He admitted he’ll be “very nervous” on Sunday however will take pleasure in reminiscing his profession highlights.
“It just brings back so many wonderful memories, I was very lucky that the times I got to play in a grand final we won,” Civoniceva stated.
“Just those memories of the nervousness in the morning, the bus ride into the ground, seeing the bright lights and the cameras on, then that nervousness of sitting in the shed trying to quieten your thoughts about what’s about to unfold and again just going through that process hoping you do enough to lift that trophy up.”
Civoniceva performed 235 video games for the Broncos. He began and ended his profession there with a stint on the Panthers in between.
It didn’t take lengthy for him to style success both, enjoying 21 video games in his rookie season and coming off the bench within the Broncos’ 1998 win over the Bulldogs in what he described as a “pretty surreal” expertise.
“At one point I thought Wayne (Bennett) might not give me an opportunity because I had spent a couple of years in the lower grades,” Civoniceva recalled.
“But thankfully Cyril Connell, who was our recruiter at the Broncos, believed in me and said to Wayne ‘just give him one more chance.’ So I was lucky in that ‘98 season, I did enough to get a chance.
“Walking into the dressing room for the first time, the absolute champions — these were guys I idolised and collected their autographs years before — and then all of a sudden sitting alongside them in the dressing room.
“It was an amazing journey that first year… to make a grand final appearance on the bench was amazing. I’ll never forget walking around Sydney Football Stadium with my heroes as an NRL champion.”
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Civoniceva performed alongside the likes of Shane Webcke, Andrew Gee, Gorden Tallis, Brad Thorn and Tonie Carroll on the Broncos and revealed the “initiation” he received that taught him what it imply to be a Broncos ahead.
“I played in the centres, a bit of second row and then it was Wayne that broke the news to me that we’re going to give you a shot in the front row,” he stated.
“I was in the perfect spot at the Broncos with the likes of Andrew Gee and Shane Webcke. We had an amazing forward pack and I think at that time too you got an understanding of what it would take to wear a Broncos jersey.
“Their work ethic, the way they trained — it was very physical and often there was a bit of blood spilt on the training paddock. But for me, it was a bit of an initiation, you had to earn their respect if you were going to play in their forward pack.
“It was a big learning curve for me but it’s one I think gave me the foundations to reach the heights in footy.”
Fast ahead to 2006 and Civoniceva was again enjoying in a grand last — this time beginning in one more star-studded pack.
He summed that 12 months uo as “amazing” given the Broncos overcame a five-game shedding streak and personally Civoniceva was in a position to hit again at his critics.
“I had been picked to play State of Origin earlier in the year and there had been a fair bit of discussion around myself and Darren Lockyer,” he stated.
“We had seen some consecutive losses and there were some question marks about us playing rep football. I think the fact that we had such a great young team coming through we were able to win that series and that started that run.
“From that point on and finishing the year getting into the finals with the Broncos was really special. We had a great belief that we could knock off the Storm, it was an amazing way to finish.”
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Civoniceva made the “big move” to Penrith in 2008 with two premierships and years of Origin footy beneath his belt.
He went from the success of Brisbane to the Panthers, who have been coming off a wood spoon, however in keeping with Civoniceva the tradition wasn’t all that totally different between the golf equipment.
“There was actually similarities between two very proud communities and that’s what I felt. I guess there’s weight of expectation as well… They all demand success,” he stated.
“I didn’t want to be a player, especially being at the end of my career, I didn’t want to be a guy turning up where the fans were disappointed in the way I played and there were questions asked about my motives — was I there just for a pay cheque or?
“So I just felt like I needed to show the fans that I was willing to give whatever it took to wear the jersey proudly.
“There were some challenges at the Panthers at the time. Matt Elliott was the coach at the time and I just felt so fortunate that he gave me an opportunity to come down…
“I guess being handed the captaincy was a bit of a surprise. I thought there were senior players there that deserved it over me, but collectively we had to turn things around so I was very lucky I had some great senior players around me — Trent Waterhouse, Luke Lewis, the Puletua brothers, Gav Cooper and together we tried to form a leadership group.”
Civoniceva returned to Brisbane for one final season in 2012 — the identical 12 months he reached the 300 sport milestone.
“It was a wonderful way (to celebrate it),” he stated.
“I thought I’d actually be finishing my career at Penrith but the way things had happened, Phil Gould arrived at the club and spoke about some of the changes he needed to make to the roster. I think I made the decision pretty easy for him, I said to him ‘my wife and kids are ready to go home’.
“I had a phone call from Andrew Gee at the start of the career asking if I’d be keen to come back and it was a quick yes. To finish it off in a Broncos jersey, where it all started, was really special.”
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As for at present’s Broncos, Civoniceva stated they’re “amazing to watch” and the addition of Adam Reynolds’ management has “taken them to another level.”
He additionally singled out the expansion within the forwards — and believes it’s truthful to check it to among the nice Broncos packs.
“Everyone steps up to the plate in terms of the go-forward and defensively they’re so strong through the middle,” he stated.
“But I think it’s that level of maturity now starting to show.
“You could see that as young players in years gone by that they had what it took but it was just a matter of believing in themselves.
“In terms of being a forward pack, you can compare them to some of the great forward packs of Broncos teams in years gone by because of the way they play, the physicality and I think as a group they’re going to mature into a real powerhouse for the Broncos.”
At the forefront of the Broncos’ pack is Payne Haas. When requested if Haas reminds him of a younger Petero Civoniceva, he stated: He’s so much higher than a younger Petero…
“I’ve got to admit we’ve been blessed at the Broncos with so many wonderful front-rowers — Shane Webcke, Andrew Gee, Glenn Lazarus — but Payne in what he’s been able to accomplish in his career so far and being such a young age too, it’s just going to be so exciting to watch his career unfold,” he added.
Watch Petero Civoniceva’s full chat with Yvonne Sampson on Fox League’s Face-to-Face at 7.30pm (AEST) on Monday.
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
