Henjak to prove Broncos are his team now
19.09.2009
By: Dan Koch
WALKING out of the main entrance of the Broncos leagues club at Red Hill, Ivan Henjak glances briefly over his shoulder. He manages a wry smile before continuing his brisk walk across to his office overlooking the team's training ground.
There hanging on the wall is a near life-sized portrait. And on a plasma TV screen not one metre away, Wayne Bennett hovers again.
It may be 12 months since Bennett packed his bags and headed south to link with St George Illawarra -- the team he supported as a child -- but after a 21-year stint as the Broncos' head coach, his shadow was always going to linger.
That it is now Bennett who stands in Henjak's way is a scriptwriter's dream.
``It is all great theatre,'' skipper Darren Lockyer said.
``All the talk with Wayne and Ivan, it's great for the build-up and it gets people talking. It's all a bit of fun. It doesn't really count for anything once the whistle blows.
``I mean, you are not thinking about Wayne while you are out there. But prior to and after the game it is a rivalry against a mate. And we want to win.''
He will never admit it publicly but for Henjak, to be able to beat the Dragons and progress beyond last season's finish, would mean just that little bit more to him, as surely few men have faced a more daunting prospect in their first year at the helm of any team.
It is easy to forget Henjak was not even the club's first-choice to fill the role when Bennett announced he would be leaving at the end of last year.
Craig Bellamy and Neil Henry were top of the list of potential candidates, with some fearing Henjak lacked the necessary profile to lead the NRL's biggest club. But not only was he following in the footsteps of a legend, he was doing so without the usual array of representative talent of Brisbane teams of the past.
Six players departed at the end of last year including representative forwards David Stagg, Ben Hannant, Greg Eastwood and Michael Ennis, as well as Test winger Darius Boyd. That the youngest Broncos side in history hit a sour patch mid-year should hardly be a surprise. That they fought their way out is, according to Lockyer, a triumph to the commitment and dedication of Henjak.
``That we had such a young group of players and a rookie head coach probably contributed to how deep the hole got,'' Lockyer said of the streak that saw the Broncos lose seven of eight matches to fall out of the top eight with six games remaining.
``The inexperience of the young players meant they had never been through anything like that and they will have learned a valuable lesson from this year.
``Ivan would be in the same boat. I think he'd be the first to admit he has learned plenty this season which will have the whole club better prepared for similar situations in the years to come.''
The low point came courtesy of a 56-0 drubbing, delivered coincidentally by Canberra, the club at which Henjak played the majority of his 12 years of first-grade football. ``He was looking for answers there after the way we played against Canberra and he found them. He found them because he never gave up,'' Lockyer said.
``During the bad times he dug his heels in and worked harder to find a way out. He never once shirked his responsibilities, which shows the character of the bloke.''
Having guided the Broncos from the depths of the worst loss in club history just six weeks ago, to being on the verge of a preliminary final appearance, speak volumes for Henjak's resilience. But with the chance to reflect on what the club and more particularly, this team, has already achieved, Henjak is the first to admit mistakes have been made.
``To be quite honest, with the tactical and technical side of things ... it might sound incredible to people outside football clubs but there are times when there just aren't enough hours in the day to even look at that,'' he said.
``There was a lot of things we have had to work very hard for this year and, certainly, I am proud of what we have achieved. But that said, I hope there is still some more to come.''
At least one more.
