Ben Hannant from apprentice to leader
September 18th 2008 09:46
Former Broncos and rugby league icon Shane Webcke was always going to be difficult to replace. Who would have thought the man that was left to fill his enormous boots was Ben Hannant - a former Sydney Roosters prop who made his NRL debut in 2005, only playing eight games for the club.
In 2006, Hannant moved to the Broncos for an opportunity to play in a forward pack that contained representative props Webcke and Petero Civoncieva.
Hannant knew full well he had to bide his time on the bench at a club filled with success and history.
But when his time came, Hannant conquered.
In his debut year for Brisbane, Hannant helped power the Broncos to an upset grand final victory over the Melbourne Storm - an opponent that once again stands in Brisbane's way for premiership glory.
The man they call 'Polar Bear' was outstanding in his maiden Grand Final appearance, having the necessary impact off the bench that allowed master coach Wayne Bennett to promote Hannant into the starting side after Webcke's departure.
After just 69 first grade games for the club, Hannant has gone from fringe first grader to a front rower of the highest order for both Queensland and Brisbane.
While he did show promise at the Roosters, nothing that he displayed at the time would have propelled him to play in Rugby League's pinnacle event this year.
And at just 23 years of age, the maturity and toughness he has shown in the NRL has cast him in becoming one of the premier forwards of the game.
Against the Roosters last Friday night, Hannant was in the frontline of a gruelling battle between two of the most physical teams in the NRL.
Indeed Hannant was involved in a war and he led his troops admirably through a torrid first half in which his side was struggling to cope with the Roosters forward muscle.
In the end, Hannant garnered all his front row troops and emerged victorious as the Broncos once again scored a memorable victory against the chooks at the SFS.
Having now developed into a fine player, it is confusing to see why Hannant was let go by Brisbane to take up a three year deal with the Canterbury Bulldogs next season.
Surely a man filled with 106 kilos of power should have had a nice offer from a Brisbane club that offered Storm centre Israel Folau a juicy four year contract starting in 2009.
Although replacing Webcke's boots was easier than expected, it will be interesting to see if Brisbane can find someone to fill the void that will be left by Hannant.
As yet, Joel Clinton and Ashton Sims have not played to the level of Hannant in recent games.
It was Clinton that was in fact knocked out by a Mark O'Meley shoulder early in the first half of last weeks final.
Hannant and Thaiday in particular ,were left to pick up the pieces in a game that left many players with sore heads and battered jaws.
The only thing that did not take a battering was Hannant's reputation.
If anything, the 'Polar bear' has only enhanced it.
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