Former Super League star Lee Briers is making his mark as a coach in the NRL after overseeing a turnaround in Brisbane Broncos' attacking game; the former Wales international moved to Australia in December after honing his coaching skills with Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors
Friday 5 May 2023 21:58, UK
When Kevin Walters decided he needed to inject some new life into Brisbane Broncos' attack midway through last year, it is perhaps no surprise he picked up the phone and called his former Warrington Wolves team-mate Lee Briers.
Regarded as one of Super League's most skilful and visionary attacking players prior to hanging up his boots 10 years ago, the Wolves' all-time leading point-scorer has successfully transitioned into coaching - first with his old club and then with Wigan Warriors.
The lure of testing himself in Australia, which had been there since first touring the country as a junior player in 1993, proved great enough for Briers to accept Broncos head coach Walters' offer and depart Wigan after just one season, and he now finds himself pitting his attacking wits towards unlocking some of rugby league's stubbornest defences.
"It's probably the defensive side [which is the biggest difference between the NRL and Super League]," Briers told Sky Sports while appearing as guest pundit for Thursday's live Betfred Super League match which saw his previous employers go down 14-10 to a defiant Hull FC.
"It is defence-orientated and as an attack coach it's something I have to get my head round a bit more.
"Coming into the role just after Christmas, I'm thereabouts to stamp my authority and my philosophies.
"My philosophy is all about support play. Everything revolves around support and making sure we take energy from the opposition."
That is evidenced by the fact Brisbane were leading the way in the NRL with 54.3 support runs per game heading into Friday's Magic Round opener, but the transformation Briers has helped oversee in the Broncos' attacking game to help propel last year's ninth-place finishers to the top of the table has been nothing short of remarkable.
Following Friday's 32-6 win over Manly Sea Eagles at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane lead the NRL in both tries (47) and points (266), along with tackle breaks (375) and post-contact metres (5,440).
On an individual level, the amount of support the ball carrier is given is evidenced by full-back Reece Walsh topping the charts in both try assists (11) and linebreak assists (13).
Half-back Adam Reynolds has made a league-leading 83 attacking kicks too - another trait of Briers during his playing days.
It is defence-orientated and as an attack coach it's something I have to get my head round a bit more.
Rather than necessarily any tactical or technical differences, though, the 44-year-old believes what makes NRL defences tougher to crack is the physical make-up of the players in the competition compared to those in Super League.
"The main difference is the athlete is a lot bigger and faster in Australia - it's their national sport so they get the first pick from the pool," Briers said. "In the UK, we probably get third [pick] behind football and rugby union.
"It's harder to break defences down because the athletes are so fast and so strong. What I find is it's the same IQ as it is over here, but some of them have not been coached into how to play rugby league.
"The athletes get by on size and speed alone and that's where I come in, that's my job to educate them on how to play rugby league. It's working so far, I suppose."
Briers arrived at the Broncos in December last year and his brief return to these shores saw him watching a game featuring sides coached by his former Warrington boss Tony Smith and Matt Peet, the man who took him to Wigan last year for a season which ended with winning the Betfred Challenge Cup and reaching the Super League play-off semi-finals.
The former Wales international remains grateful for everything he learnt from both men, but has no regrets about his move down under which is benefiting both him and his family.
"We went over as a family unsure of what we were going into, but we absolutely love it," Briers said. "It's a fantastic place to be and I'm in the best place I can be for my coaching career at the minute.
"I had a great time at Warrington for 25 years and then moving onto Wigan last year, I've got a lot of debt to pay them.
"I've got a lot of experience as an assistant coach, and this came out of the blue to go to the Broncos. I love it there and I'm learning every day."
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