Cobbo shared in the beautiful scenes as Reynolds’ family helped the veteran mark the milestone.
Selwyn Cobbo had every right to cut a dejected figure after being axed by Broncos coach Michael Maguire for their big win over the Gold Coast Titans in Adam Reynolds’ milestone 300th game. After all, the match loomed as the final chance for Cobbo to impress Maroons coach Billy Slater and try to force his way back into Origin calculation for Game 2 in Perth on June 18.
Cobbo could easily have gone into his shell and hidden away from the cameras, feeling a sense of injustice at being made a scapegoat for Brisbane’s horror run of form in the lead-up to Saturday night’s 44-14 victory. But the occasion belonged to Reynolds, who celebrated his special milestone surrounded by family, and Cobbo put on an impressive show of solidarity for his veteran teammate.
The 23-year-old was spotted helping the team run through their warm-up drills before the game at Suncorp Stadium. And Cobbo appeared to be in good spirits after reportedly taking his demotion well. Maguire explained the decision to dump Cobbo and promote Josiah Karapani – who vindicated the coach’s selection call with an impressive two-try haul.
As a group, and as a leadership group and as a coach, we’re pushing standards here and expectations in how we’re doing things, and Karapani’s got his opportunity and Selly’s got to look at a few things in his game,” the Broncos coach said before the game. “(Karapani) has been really consistent in the way he’s been playing through the pre-season … and he’s obviously experienced first grade. When he has played, he’s played really well. I know he’ll do a good job.”
The Broncos coach was spot-on as Karapani took his chance with both hands to further cloud Cobbo’s future. The former Origin star is off-contract at the end of this season and the Broncos reportedly haven’t tabled Cobbo a formal offer and appear to be prioritising the re-signing of centre Kotoni Staggs. Maguire was quick to stress that Cobbo could “definitely” force his way back into the side but a stint in reserve grade looms as the most likely scenario, at least in the short-term.
In place of Cobbo on the wing, Karapani had 15 runs for 176 metres, as well as three tackle breaks and two line breaks in the two-try performance. The 23-year-old had only played 11 games in first grade before Saturday night but looked every bit an NRL player as he doubled his tally of NRL tries. What it means for Cobbo’s future in Brisbane remains to be seen though and he could find it hard to break back into the Broncos’ first team squad.
Selwyn Cobbo helps celebrate Adam Reynolds milestone
But Cobbo took his latest setback with class and was seen smiling and chatting on the sidelines throughout the match. He was also seen getting around his Broncos teammate’s after their morale-boosting win, and posed for the team photo as Reynolds was joined by his family members after the game to mark the magical 300-game milestone.
The night couldn’t have gone much better for the Broncos – decked out in a striking all-black strip for the club’s dedicated mental health round. Fullback Reece Walsh’s spectacular return from injury also included a try-scoring double to spark Brisbane’s attack. And while milestone man Reynolds was proud to join the NRL’s 300-game club, it was the way the team bounced back to form that delighted him the most.
I’m more pleased with the performance,” Reynolds said post-match. “I’m glad the week is over. It’s been a big week with everything that comes with it. I’m honoured. I have always been about the team, it’s something I will reflect on after a few beers.”
