'Effort areas' in big games expected when you wear Broncos jersey

I have listened closely to Broncos coach Anthony Seibold talk about the extra "effort areas" that he wants from the players this year.

Effort areas are historically what we called the "one-percenters" that make the difference in games. When you are presented with a Broncos jersey, it's a given that putting in that extra effort is part of the deal.

It is commendable the Broncos of today want to improve in this area. Corey Oates talks about the lack of effort at crucial times last year letting the side down and how he wanted to work on it this year.

To Corey's credit he certainly left nothing in the tank against the Storm last week. He was outstanding. That second try he scored was one where he had plenty to do, but he put in the big ones.

The Broncos can't afford to forget the history of the club. The current players want to create their own history and that's great, but I still believe they can use what happened in the past, take something from it and be inspired by it.

That's why I want to examine several memorable individual efforts in big games that made the Broncos the most successful club of the last 30 years.

Wayne Bennett always said to the centres and wingers to get themselves back there quickly after a kick in case Alfie Langer or Kevin Walters saw something. That grand final try of mine in the 1992 wouldn't have happened unless Willie Carne beat four players to get five metres into the field of play.

St George's chasers were there in numbers and without that run by Willie the game could have gone the other way. Then it was quick thinking by Kevvie and Alf … and the rest is history. Paul Vautin said in commentary it was "genius" by Willie. It was, and it was also that extra effort that wins you big games.

When I think of effort areas I think of the first try Alan Cann scored in the 1992 decider with two left foot steps. He never should have scored that try but he did. Then you go forward to the following year in the prelim final against Canterbury and he scored another one that was almost identical, where he would have run out of the stadium if he could have. There was that famous line by Ray Warren of "that’s it, Brisbane are in the grand final” and that was off the back of another Cann try that probably no-one else could have scored.

Cann was similar to Alf in the sense that if you weren't putting in, he would give you 'the look'. They were two of the smallest players in height that we had but they always put in 100 per cent. They didn't say much, but you didn't want to get the glare off them.

Peter Ryan was one of the toughest forwards to play for the Broncos. In the 1997 Super League grand final against Cronulla we were ahead 10-8 in the second half when Darren Lockyer puts up a bomb.

Rhino, as we called him, came steaming through like a missile and walloped David Peachey, who we had singled out because he was so dangerous.

The ball popped loose and I scored in the next set and we never looked back.

Wayne had tagged me as a bit of a game watcher, and it is one of those moments you look at and go 'what a hit'.

Fast forward to the 2006 grand final and I won't forget Shane Webcke's run where he carried a couple of Melbourne players on his back to get an extra 10 metres and put Locky in range for a field goal that sealed the game.

That was sheer strength and determination by Webcke. That’s how he played and he trained like that as well, and that was that extra effort to get the result.

The last thing Locky did on a footy field was land a golden point field goal with a broken cheek to win a semi-final against the Dragons in 2011.

He was struggling to see but it showed how tough he was. Wayne used to say it was guys like Alf and Locky that were the real tough ones.

Locky often played with a busted rib or chest injury that no-one knew about. That was typical Locky that field goal, and it was also an extra effort under duress.

We were fortunate to have so many Broncos over the years that played like that.

We don't want to go through another year in 2019 where the club achieves nothing on the footy field.

If getting extra effort from each Bronco means drawing from the past and the big match-winning plays then the club should use it. Don’t ignore it. There are so many highlights in Brisbane's history that can be used as motivation going forward.