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<\/p>\nBrisbane Broncos legends Darren Lockyer and Sam Thaiday have challenged five-eighth Anthony Milford to take his game to another level as he nears the end of his current contract with the club.<\/p>\n
While Milford's talent has never been questioned, his consistency has often been criticised – and even in Round One, it was a game of two halves for the polarising No.6.<\/p>\n
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Brisbane led 16-0 at half time before hitting a wall and losing 24-16 to the Parramatta Eels.<\/a><\/p>\n Despite the disappointing result, Lockyer said it was a "great start" for the 2020 wooden spooners, and defended his decision to award Milford one Dally M point.<\/p>\n "Two of those tries were created through his brilliance," Lockyer told Wide World of Sports' QLDER<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n "As a half, when you're 16-0 up, you get really disappointed you didn't close the game out, but there was a lot to like about a lot of performances and I thought Milford deserved a point."<\/p>\n The 26-year-old accepted a one-year player option in the middle of last season, and 2021 will be the last year of a massive four-year contract extension that he signed in 2017.<\/p>\n Former teammate Sam Thaiday hopes that the lure of a multi-million dollar deal helps push Milford to another level.<\/p>\n "I hope it does motivate [him], because he's a player that we need at the moment to really get the Broncos back on track to where they want to be and what they want to be known for," Thaiday said.<\/p>\n "I hope it's in the back of his mind where he thinks he's playing for a contract, because essentially he is.<\/p>\n "I'd love to see him really take control and get in those situations where it's 16-0 up and really control the game, and go to that next level and really ice the game."<\/p>\n Lockyer supported the way Brisbane initially tried to manage the game in the second half, but said they ran out steam.<\/p>\n "My favourite tactic was to kick the ball early, and they tried to do that. So they had the right mindset – but a few mistakes, and you lose possession, six again calls and it just builds up."<\/p>\n The Broncos will try to get their first win under Kevin Walters on Friday night, when they play local rivals the Gold Coast Titans<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/vms-network-images-prod.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/2021\/03\/348631\/pickerImage.jpg\")
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