Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters has questioned the decision to sin-bin debutant Brendan Piakura, following their loss in an entertaining clash against the Cronulla Sharks.
Making his NRL debut off the bench, the 19-year-old was sent to the bin after he put a late hit on Braydon Trindall at a crucial time of the game.
Piakura's sin-binning came with the Broncos mounting somewhat of a comeback, but in the end fell 24-16 to a Cronulla outfit that is desperate to play finals footy.
Speaking to the media after the game, Walters admitted he wasn't convinced about Piakura's sin-binning - but did admit the decision to sit down Tom Flegler was the right call.
“Piakura’s one I’m not 100 per-cent convinced on, but certainly Flegler yeah," he said.
“He’s a bit disappointed in there I think (Piakura). I think he showed enough in the game time he had – he is going to be a good player for us in the future.
“Finding the balance, that’s the key with Tom. His contact was just a little bit high there. The idea was right because we needed something and he’s that sort of player as well, he does like to play aggressively.
"He’ll just have to make sure he gets the discipline side there. He'll have to find a way, otherwise he will be sitting on the sidelines a lot."
Brendan Piakura is sent to the bin 🗑️#NRLSharksBroncos
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 28, 2021
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Thomas Flegler is sent to the bin 🗑️#NRLSharksBroncos
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 28, 2021
📝 BLOG https://t.co/iZZsOIwIqg
📲 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/oDxct3SuWD
📺 WATCH via @kayosports https://t.co/eV6H0rIKmC pic.twitter.com/wvWLSneZOF
Piakura only played 11 minutes, but looked every bit the player that reportedtly signed a million-dollar deal to stay in Brisbane.
Brisbane's performance was further proof of their turnaround in recent weeks following a horror start to 2021 under Walters.
The likes of Piakura and Selywn Cobbo are players for the future after impressing in the early stages of their careers, and it's the latter who has impressed Walters plenty in his limited time in the top grade.
“We saw glimpses tonight from him (Cobbo) and he’s another good prospect for us. We know it’s in Selywn and the ability that he has – it’s just gradually getting squeezed out of him each week that he plays," he saod.
“We don’t want to compare him to anyone except Selwyn Cobbo. We know he has got a lot of talent and he’s a very modest young man and a very sensible young fella.
"He’s a great prospect for us and we’ll get a good pre-season into him. He hasn’t done an NRL pre-season yet – from what he is showing to where we can get him to, it’s very exciting for Broncos fans, and for Selywn and his family as well. They’ve done a great job bringing him up and now he’s got footy in the system.
“We’ve blooded five kids this year on debut, all through our academy. It tells me those guys there are doing a good job and that when these kids come through, they are handling themselves okay.
"It’s pretty unique for the club to have guys make their debut in one year, coming out of our system. That’s the pleasing side of it – they just need some footy."
Brisbane will take on Newcastle in the final game of the season, which will double as the final game of Alex Glenn's career in the NRL.
