On Friday night when Wayne Bennett dropped Herman Ese’ese from the side. Reportedly this was because Ese’es is expected to announce in the coming days that he will sign with the Newcastle Knights. Along with Tautau Moga, who interestingly was not dropped.
Ese’ese's demotion should come as no surprise if true though. We all remember back in 2001 when Bennett dropped Justin Hodges after he signed a three-year deal with the Sydney Roosters.
But with Bennett leaving Hunt and Moga in, and with Ese’ese not appearing on any injury list, conclusions have been made. Perhaps it's all just speculation? He didn’t leave Wallace out last year either.
So did the exclusion of Ese’ese hurt the Broncos on Friday and can we expect to see him again this year?
Of course, it hurt them! The Storm ran an extra 236m than the Broncos. Added to that, the Broncos missed 31 tackles. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it would have changed the outcome, but he was definitely missed.
Ese’ese is the Broncos’ 6th leader in metres run, trailing only McGuire in the forwards. He is a constant struggle for teams coming off the bench and has even achieved a couple starting spots this year. He is a fantastic young player with a long future ahead of him.
Bennett was hired to win Premierships and if Ese’ese helps us, he should be playing whether or not he is leaving.
But who am I to question the great super coach Wayne Bennett. After all, Hodges came back after his three-year stint with the tricolours. We have to believe Bennett knows what he’s doing.
Hunt is still playing, despite missing a game and coming off the bench in another. Moga is still playing. Why? Because we need them. Ese’ese helps, but do we NEED him? Ofahengaue is playing well, so is Pangai Jr.
In conclusion, the Broncos have a bye next round, followed by the Knights. Will Ese’ese plays against his potential new club? No one is quite sure.
But Broncos fans should relax, they'll make the eight, maybe even the four. Then when the finals start, Bennett will have figured out his best 17 and they will be a challenge for anyone, with or without Ese’ese.
In Wayne We Trust