'I put that to bed when I left Penrith': Capewell isn't going to lecture Broncos teammates

Kurt Capewell has no interest in preaching Penrith’s premiership wisdom at Brisbane, who he says have the ability to challenge his old club in this year’s NRL finals series.

Capewell was a member of the Panthers’ 2021 premiership-winning side before Broncos football boss Ben Ikin lured him to Red Hill.

When he got the job, Ikin named Capewell as his highest priority signing for his work ethic and experience playing in a winning system at Penrith.

But Capewell said his role as a leader in the Broncos’ squad didn’t involve telling his teammates how to play like the ladder-leading Panthers.

“To be honest, I put that to bed when I left Penrith. I came to the Broncos to be a Bronco,” he told AAP.

“I knew where the club was at and where we needed to get the club to.”

The arrival of Capewell and halfback Adam Reynolds has gone a long way to helping the Broncos rise from the cellar in Kevin Walters’ second season as head coach.

Now a game clear inside the top four, Capewell said the Broncos’ premiership hopes were in their own hands.

“I told you guys (the media) we’d make top four at the start of the year and everyone laughed,” Capewell said.

“There’s definitely no ceiling on this team. The young talent we have here, the coaches we’ve got to get our culture right … I’d say the premiership is there if we want to work hard enough.”

The Broncos are unlikely to escape a meeting with Penrith if they are to go all the way to the grand final but Capewell said they wouldn’t be daunted by the Panthers.

“It’s hard to get a win against them but we’re definitely heading in the right direction,” he said.

“I’d like to say that we’re going to be there at finals time to give them a good run for their money.”