Masterstroke or disaster: Player power takes over at Broncos training

The Broncos players have taken control of training this week in a move that captain Alex Glenn says has them jumping out of their skins to play for each other against the Bulldogs.

It has the potential to be a masterstroke or a disaster, depending on the result of Saturday night’s clash at Suncorp Stadium.

After six straight losses the result is all that will count for Brisbane.

If this week’s schedule – which included a golfing recovery session on Monday, players electing how they would approach Friday’s captain’s run and bringing more "fun" to training – works and the Broncos get a win, it has the potential to be a turning point.

If not then it may be a one-off.

"If things don’t go right then we only have ourselves to blame because we have dictated how we wanted to train and how we wanted to play this week," Glenn said.

"The coach [Anthony Seibold] has been coaching us around that, but at the end of the day we are playing to our strengths and we wanted to train to our strengths so it is only on ourselves when we go out this weekend.

"The thing about our coach is he is always open. There are things he likes to keep his way … but he loves to compromise.

"If you saw the way we trained this week it is very different to the style he has been coaching us the last couple of years but he understands that a football team doesn’t just work one way."

The players have also had a say in helping five-eighth Anthony Milford find form.

"Milly’s strength is when his hands are on the ball and we wanted Milly to play how he wanted to play.

"If he wants to play up in front of the forwards with ball in hand, then give him the ball. In 2015 it was his best year and all he did was let Hunty [Ben Hunt] do his thing and play eyes-up footy.

"I know what brings out the best in him and that is not to dictate how he plays his footy but to let the leash off and let him go. That is what we wanted to do this week."

The players taking more control translated to the traditional captain’s run, or "competence day" as the Broncos call it, on Friday where players did their own thing.

"The way that we trained this week, we nailed everything we wanted to so [Seibold] basically put it on ourselves and said 'you just do what you want to do individually to make sure you turn up and do your job tomorrow'," Glenn said.

"You didn’t see me out on the field but there were a lot of us out the back stretching, doing ice baths and having saunas.

"It was the first time I have been in that sauna where there were just boys jumping around and happy to be with each other.

"Saying we are having fun does not contradict the fact that we are competing and working hard at training."

On Monday, Glenn said the players got approval from Project Apollo to "go off site and hit some golf balls as an active recovery session and it was amazing to get out of your normal environment".

"That started our week off great," he said.

"When you say ‘we are having fun’ it can portray that we are not out their working hard. The whole aspect of this week’s training was to get that culture and team vibe back.

"With 20 minutes to go and you are under the pump it doesn’t matter what you do at training but if you care for your mate you will turn up and do your job, and this week was about getting that self-belief and team spirit back."